2022 was an eclectic year for artists, fans, and everyone who touches this corner of the music industry we’ve built our hearts on. Last year, we saw bands release the wreckage of the pandemic in their music, and this year, as the fresh sting begins fading into scars, we’ve rebuilt a community that has shown its teeth time and time again in the face of loss.
As a scene, we showed up for countless bands. We packed rooms and filled tour routes. We saw the return of some of our favorites. We heard their hearts in music that straddled the past and present. We also saw the rise of new favorites and the direction music is going.
No corner of heavy music was left untouched this year, making it nearly impossible to curate a list of the “best” releases. As a team, we’ve put together a collection of albums that resonated with us as listeners, writers, and podcasters this year. These highlights span across the full and vibrant landscape that only continues to expand, to which we can only be grateful.
We also celebrate each artist and band that brought their work to life this year, whether represented here or not. Thank you for what you do.
We hope you enjoy HM’s top 25 albums of 2022.
25
BlackBraid
BlackBraid I
We had the privilege of interviewing BlackBraid back in November, discussing his Native American heritage and rapid rise in the black metal underground. The album is not only intense but beautiful, fully embracing the solo artist’s musical influences and ancestry. Despite black metal’s acquired flavor, fans of other metal sub-genres may enjoy this record more than any other black metal album of 2022.
24
Hereafter
This Life is a Beautiful War
Haunting instrumental post-rock done right is one of the most relaxing audible elixirs on the planet. Hereafter has produced such a record in This Life is a Beautiful War. As the listener is transported through a musical fantasy, it is virtually impossible not to feel the urge to be contemplative, restful, and more mindful of the present. It is the epitome of what instrumental alternative music should emulate.
23
Underøath
Voyeurist
We need not introduce the band, but the album came as a pleasant surprise from the rock legends who arguably lay claim to the “greatest metalcore band of all time” title. Voyeurist has all the elements we look for and love in an Underøath release, and despite the changes in their sound that may push early-aught fans out of their comfort zone, we can’t deny that their pioneer spirits are what make Underøath, Underøath. Their matured sound is both a testament to the band’s evolution, as well as further confirmation that they will always be true to their core.
22
Marble Tomb
Dawn of the Vertical Flame
Black metal is tricky to get just right, but Marble Tomb is headed in the right direction with their debut album, holding their own and proving that they belong in a sub-genre often filled with gatekeepers. It’s aggressive, and its clean and sharp edges are what makes Dawn of the Vertical Flame stand out, making it even more palatable for casual or new black metal fans. A surprise worth celebrating, indeed.
21
Tallah
The Generation of Danger
The wildest album of 2022 goes to Tallah for their release, The Generation of Danger. It’s a complex blend of nu metal, 80s punk rock, and melodic chaos tossed into a sound salad that grabs listeners by the throat from start to finish. For those who dare, it’s loud, fun, bizarre, and 100% unyielding.
20
Johnny Booth
Storyteller
Post-hardcore band, Jonny Booth, released a ferocious 4-track EP this year titled Storyteller, an intricate sonic delight of grandiose proportions. Early-2000s Norma Jean would be proud of this band and what they have assembled in just four tracks. Between their acclaimed single, “Deepfake” and anthem tracks like “Crowd Control,” its carefully crafted heaviness deserves top 25 recognition in 2022.
19
Daygraves + Breaths + Wounds of Recollection
Funeral Flowers
As blackgaze artists (shoegaze inspired by black metal) continue to surface, it’s worth calling out a few who have joined forces in 2022. Daygraves, Wounds of Recollection, and Breaths combined their talents for a 6-song split release this year, Funeral Flowers. The collaboration gives deeper roots to longtime fans and exposes a niche corner of the underground scene to the heavy music enthusiast.
18
The Birthday Massacre
Fascination
Pop/industrial act, The Birthday Massacre, has created ear candy infused with 80s influences and dreamy atmosphere for decades. Leave it to the veteran act to produce a fascinating album that proves they are masters of their craft. Chibi (vocalist) is enchanting, while the strong melodic undercurrent of the album surpasses all prior records. A nightscape filled with fantasy and wonder, this album will satisfy even the most active imagination.
17
Gloomchild
Summer’s Over
Their fourth album in four years, Summer’s Over by Gloomchild strikes the perfect chord between metalcore and ambiance. The band ceaselessly continues to push out new music, each release upholding their high standards of songwriting and production. The haunting vocals, playful intervals, and lamenting delivery in Summer’s Over earned Gloomchild a distinguished spot in our top 25.
16
Animals As Leaders
Parrhesia
Progressive/experimental/instrumental metal force, Animals As Leaders, released one of the most intriguing albums on the list earlier this year. The level of instrumental talent and vast musical landscape covered in Parrhesia proves the band’s ever-refining mastery. It’s impossible to explain the depth and complexity of their music — and again in 2022, the three-piece leaves listeners speechless.
15
Watashi Wa
People Like People
Watashi Wa is an alternative mainstay that has produced top-notch indie rock for over two decades. People Like People is no exception the band’s quality production from album to album. Mason and Cullen from The BlackSheep Podcast interviewed Seth Roberts of Watashi Wa earlier this year. If you’re in need of some relaxing alternative to calm your nerves, give this record a spin.
14
Russian Circles
Gnosis
Not all instrumental metal is created in a prog-experimental vacuum, despite the norm. Russian Circles’ newest album, Gnosis, is a very, very heavy record driven by a bass line that drives the band’s deep, earthy sound. The band’s sonic depth and dynamics are front and center, from the coarse heaviness of “Betrayal” to the buoyant atmosphere of “Bloom.” This year, Russian Circles really put out a massive record that will shake you to the core.
13
Becoming the Archetype
Children of the Great Extinction
It’s been a decade since Becoming the Archetype’s last album release, and we can say with confidence that their new record, Children of the Great Extinction, was worth the wait. Stylistically, there’s a deference to earlier albums like Terminate Damnation and Physics of Fire, but it’s clear that the core trio crafted this with a new lease on life. After a 10-year hiatus, Becoming the Archetype bolsters their new record with immense technicality, experimental soundscapes, and a resurgence of intensity. – Jenn Smith
To learn more about how the record came to be, check out our conversation with them on the BlackSheep Podcast.
12
He Is Legend
ENDLESS HALLWAY
He Is Legend has always been heavy, but it seems that with Endless Hallway, they were keen to prove that heavy-as-all-get-out is the order of the day, and we can’t argue. All these years later, it’s a wonderful distillation of what was great about them in the first place. Croom’s performance also reminds us that he has a weapon of a voice and an acerbic way with words tucked into in the pocket of his torn denim jacket, and they’re still capable of cutting right to the point, but not without a little melody and style thrown in. – Taylor Weston
11
Counterparts
A Eulogy for Those Still Here
A raw and vulnerable outpouring of what it looks like to dedicate your life to music, Counterparts have left everything on the table in their latest record, A Eulogy for Those Still Here. With 15 years already under their belts, vocalist Brendan Murphy couldn’t help but consider a day where his well might run dry. He explains, “I started to think about what it would be like to write a record as if it would be our last, to try and make something that I knew I would be satisfied with if it was.” With their 2022 release, it’s clear the band has honed every element of their sound into its sharpest point, resulting in 11 of their most viscerally compelling songs to date.
10
Bartees Strange
Farm to Table
Indie/alternative artist Bartees Strange is such a gift to the music world, particularly with how creatively he infuses rock, folk, blues, and a myriad of other genres into a beautiful tapestry of sound. Farm to Table is a masterclass on taking various influences and reimagining how each can sound when brought together in harmony.
9
Birds in Row
Gris Klein
Tallah may have given us the wildest album of the year, but Birds in Row arguably have given us the most chaotic record of 2022. Call it organized chaos, especially given the punk melodies that will be with you all day. There’s something about this record that fits perfectly in both 2008 and 2022.
8
Northlane
Obsidian
Every element contributes to the whole of Obsidian, and mostly weaves a continuous theme — more like a tapestry than a drawing or a picture. It weighs anchor upon more recognizable shores at times, but these are flashes of familiarity in an otherwise opaque and swirling soundscape. You’ll hear hints of Depeche Mode, Korn, Static X, and Rob Zombie…if it’s dark, heavy, electronic, and brooding, Northlane doesn’t hesitate to bring it to bear. All in all, it’s an arresting album, and the experience often finds the listener with an ear cocked to the side, wondering, “Have I been here before?” – Taylor Weston
Learn more about the album in our conversation with drummer Nic Pettersen.
7
The Devil Wears Prada
Color Decay
No stone is left unturned on Color Decay, exploring every creative possibility and striking gold seemingly every time. Rather than conforming to tropes and norms, this record has its ebbs and flows, setting its own rhythm for what is to come. Whatever your expectations are for the metalcore giants’ newest chapter, throw them out the window and prepare yourself for so much more. – John Bacon
The band was also feature on the BlackSheep Podcast this year to talk more about the record.
6
Imperial Triumphant
Spirit of Ecstasy
Avant-garde black metal act Imperial Triumphant has unearthed a masterful new feat in their latest album, Spirit of Ecstasy. Hailing from New York City, the band has infused jazz, Art Deco, black metal, and an array of experimentation for over a decade. In their 5th full-length record, they have unfailingly delivered another pièce de résistance that both embodies the band’s signature sound and delves deeper into their unique brand of madness with increasing ecstasy. – Andrew Voigt
5
A Hope for Home
Years of Silicon
Atmospheric post-hardcore act, A Hope for Home, is back with a poignant EP, Years of Silicon. A mere 4 tracks are all it takes to prove that A Hope for Home can cut through the noise with poignant emotion and songwriting that needs no embellishment. There is a great balance of melody and fury between instruments — a testament to the band’s maturity and their ability to embody the philosophy that inspired each track. Another band that has been hiatus for way too long, A Hope for Home has given us a gift in their return.
4
Stryper
The Final Battle
Have you ever wondered how some bands were one-hit wonders while others endured for decades? Stryper has climbed to the top time and time again, releasing album after album with no decay in quality or heart. The Final Battle is one of the band’s finest records in the past two decades, and as long as they won’t stop making stellar music, we won’t stop listening.
3
Demon Hunter
Exile
There’s no way we could leave Demon Hunter’s new album out after both the reception and the success of their 2022 release, Exile. The band really managed to elevate this record above the rest of their release. It’s better than we could even have anticipated, which merits a tip of the hat to a band that owes metal nothing more.
2
Oceans Ate Alaska
Disparity
Disparity is a metalcore masterpiece, and arguably the best release we’ve seen from Oceans Ate Alaska to date. There’s an aggressive spark that ties each song together, infusing both melody and rhythm with precision and clarity. Nothing about Disparity can be mistaken for white noise or filler. Beautifully crafted, the album undoubtedly deserves top accolades.
1
Norma Jean
Deathrattle Sing for Me
The almighty Norma Jean is simply unstoppable, hammering their way to our #1 spot for 2022 with Deathrattle Sing For Me. The hardcore stalwarts continue to release pure gems in unwavering fashion as the years progress.
Norma Jean’s latest release, Deathrattle Sing For Me, is locked and loaded with the same energy the band has delivered since their origins, with new weight and maturity that speak to both the band’s past and their future. It’s a somewhat softer, more dynamic side of Norma Jean, but still packs their usual punch. And if there’s anything fans can take away from the latest iteration of their legacy, it’s that these seasoned vets have proven their depth and can only get stronger from here. – Jenn Smith
