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VN1X
Banned
Bit of a weird year for music for me as I listened to a ton of singles on repeat and didn't really go crazy with the amount of albums I consumed. 2022 wasn't a bad year for Metal by any means but I did have some issue trying to narrow it down to an arbitrary number of best releases as I didn't really gravitate towards any band/artist in particular this time around.
I also think it's due to the fact that so many records this year were kind of disappointing to me and in some cases had to force myself to find redeeming qualities. Thornhill & Fit for a King come to mind. Bad Omens' new record didn't do much for me either despite the very solid pre-release singles. Not bad albums per se but definitely didn't live up to my own hype... Anyway here's my 2022 list!
Top 10 Top 11
Runner-ups
And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Darko US - Oni
CABAL - Magno Interitus
Ithaca - They Fear Us
DeadVectors - Weapon
Honourable Mentions Because Why Not 2022 Edition (Super Not Cheating I Swear Hyper Fighting Deluxe)
Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
Nothing More - SPIRITS
Hrftr - Spectre
Best EP
Xenotheory - Dawn of an Eyeless Realm
My two favourite things: Metal & Alien mixed together brilliantly with some of the most chest shattering Slamming Deathcore this side of Infant Annihilator, Signs of the Swarm, Aversions Crown, etc. The album never relents and really captures that hard hitting horror vibe of Xenomorphs performing a wall of death in space or crowd killing at a hardcore show. It's great!
Biggest Disappointment
Parkway Drive - Darker Still
From genre defining Metalcore to cookiecutter arena Rock. Well done chaps! I mean some of it is serviceable and a few tracks stand out such as the album's title track and "The Greatest Fear" but unfortunately the rest doesn't captivate and really lacks the "oomf" from PWD's earlier work. And one can only hope that for their next record Winston McCall sticks to his strengths instead of his poor attempt at singing, spoken word and rapping. He's an amazing Metal vocalist but every time he does anything other than screaming/growls it sounds strained and off which only distracts at the best of times.
Architects - the classic symptoms of a broken spirit
If "Forgettable" had a definition in music form this would be it. Every song sounds like the one that came before it and the individual structure itself is predictable and boring. Tonally the entire record sounds like they've remixed the same few riffs and melodies over and over again. At best this is a B-side off their previous release but at worst it's an elevator medley.
Novelists FR - Déjà Vu: Première Partie
Novelists had a change of the guard in the vocals department and their new singer would have had some big shoes to fill as Matteo Gelsomino was an amazing (Metal) vocalist. Thankfully they got just the man for the job with Tobias Rische of German Metalcore outfit Alazka. Unfortunately the album itself couldn't be more poorly paced if they tried. It starts off promising but instantly loses steam as the amount of interludes brings down the energy entirely (which I think is around 4 on a 12 track album). The actual songs themselves are lacklustre as well with too many other genre influences and as such didn't have enough of that classic fast-paced and melancholic Novelists sound to win me over.
I also think it's due to the fact that so many records this year were kind of disappointing to me and in some cases had to force myself to find redeeming qualities. Thornhill & Fit for a King come to mind. Bad Omens' new record didn't do much for me either despite the very solid pre-release singles. Not bad albums per se but definitely didn't live up to my own hype... Anyway here's my 2022 list!
- Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer
- Monuments - In Stasis
- Fit For An Autopsy - Oh What the Future Holds
- Enterprise Earth - The Chosen
- Within Destruction - Lotus
- Hollow Front - The Price of Dreaming
- Northlane - Obsidian
- One Decade - Chromesthesia
- Grayscale Season - Do You Like Violence
- The Devil Wears Prada - Color Decay
- Dayseeker - Dark Sun
Runner-ups
And So I Watch You From Afar - Jettison
Darko US - Oni
CABAL - Magno Interitus
Ithaca - They Fear Us
DeadVectors - Weapon
Honourable Mentions Because Why Not 2022 Edition (Super Not Cheating I Swear Hyper Fighting Deluxe)
Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings
Nothing More - SPIRITS
Hrftr - Spectre
Best EP
- Void Of Vision - CHRONICLES II: HEAVEN
- Reliqa - I Don't Know What I Am
- Allt - The Seed of Self-Destruction
- Dead Crown - Konec
- Time & Eternity - The Face of Death
- The Devil Wears Prada - Time
- Convictions - Stigmata
- Make Them Suffer - Doomswitch
- Beartooth - Riptide
- Meliorist - Daydreaming
Xenotheory - Dawn of an Eyeless Realm
My two favourite things: Metal & Alien mixed together brilliantly with some of the most chest shattering Slamming Deathcore this side of Infant Annihilator, Signs of the Swarm, Aversions Crown, etc. The album never relents and really captures that hard hitting horror vibe of Xenomorphs performing a wall of death in space or crowd killing at a hardcore show. It's great!
Biggest Disappointment
Parkway Drive - Darker Still
From genre defining Metalcore to cookiecutter arena Rock. Well done chaps! I mean some of it is serviceable and a few tracks stand out such as the album's title track and "The Greatest Fear" but unfortunately the rest doesn't captivate and really lacks the "oomf" from PWD's earlier work. And one can only hope that for their next record Winston McCall sticks to his strengths instead of his poor attempt at singing, spoken word and rapping. He's an amazing Metal vocalist but every time he does anything other than screaming/growls it sounds strained and off which only distracts at the best of times.
Architects - the classic symptoms of a broken spirit
If "Forgettable" had a definition in music form this would be it. Every song sounds like the one that came before it and the individual structure itself is predictable and boring. Tonally the entire record sounds like they've remixed the same few riffs and melodies over and over again. At best this is a B-side off their previous release but at worst it's an elevator medley.
Novelists FR - Déjà Vu: Première Partie
Novelists had a change of the guard in the vocals department and their new singer would have had some big shoes to fill as Matteo Gelsomino was an amazing (Metal) vocalist. Thankfully they got just the man for the job with Tobias Rische of German Metalcore outfit Alazka. Unfortunately the album itself couldn't be more poorly paced if they tried. It starts off promising but instantly loses steam as the amount of interludes brings down the energy entirely (which I think is around 4 on a 12 track album). The actual songs themselves are lacklustre as well with too many other genre influences and as such didn't have enough of that classic fast-paced and melancholic Novelists sound to win me over.
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Doomtrain
Gold Member
Good list! I’ll make one over the weekend. My “most disappointing” might be identical to yours. The new Architects is so, so bland, and I say this as a big fan of FTTWTE. I don’t care that it’s softer, but the quality of the songwriting is just awful. I’ve had a weird thing for the past few months where I’ll actively try to recall the chorus to Tear Gas, and I can’t do it.
Doomtrain
Gold Member
1. No Devotion: No Oblivion
2. Limbs: Coma Year
3. Counterparts: A Eulogy for Those Still Here
4. Underoath: Voyeurist
5. Northlane: Obsidian
6. Fallujah: Empyrean
7. TDWP: Color Decay
8. He is Legend: Endless Hallway
9. Dayseeker: Dark Sun
10. Monuments: In Stasis
Most Disappointing
Architects: The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit
I talked earlier about some of the things that disappointed me about this album. In addition to that, it's obnoxious how the band members have been bashing fans that don't like the album. It seems insecure and out-of-character for a group of dudes that are historically known for being humble and appreciative of their fanbase. Just an all-around bland album that feels like no real thought or effort went into its creation.
2. Limbs: Coma Year
3. Counterparts: A Eulogy for Those Still Here
4. Underoath: Voyeurist
5. Northlane: Obsidian
6. Fallujah: Empyrean
7. TDWP: Color Decay
8. He is Legend: Endless Hallway
9. Dayseeker: Dark Sun
10. Monuments: In Stasis
Most Disappointing
Architects: The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit
I talked earlier about some of the things that disappointed me about this album. In addition to that, it's obnoxious how the band members have been bashing fans that don't like the album. It seems insecure and out-of-character for a group of dudes that are historically known for being humble and appreciative of their fanbase. Just an all-around bland album that feels like no real thought or effort went into its creation.
VN1X
Banned
Quality picks!
Only just now getting round to Norma Jean an Underoath. I listened to them both once before when those records came out last year but didn't really give them the proper attention. Enjoying them though!
EDIT: Oh damn didn't even know Architects were calling out fans online with regards to the latest album. That's kinda lame if that's the case. They should just take it on the chin and move on. They make good music but it seems these days they are more interested in quantity over quality.
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Doomtrain
Gold Member
I liked Sleep Token’s last album, but it definitely wasn’t as good as Sundowning.
The Summoning is a cut above, though. I love the aggression, the guitar solo, and the way the song keeps evolving into new things. I’m not 100% sold on the jazz/funk segment at the end, but it’s novel and surprising, so I’m onboard with it in principle.
I’ve read speculation that they’re going to release a new album one song at a time each day like they did with Sundowning, but it looks like that isn’t the case… unless the pattern is slightly different this time. Either way, gimme more Sleep Token!
The Summoning is a cut above, though. I love the aggression, the guitar solo, and the way the song keeps evolving into new things. I’m not 100% sold on the jazz/funk segment at the end, but it’s novel and surprising, so I’m onboard with it in principle.
I’ve read speculation that they’re going to release a new album one song at a time each day like they did with Sundowning, but it looks like that isn’t the case… unless the pattern is slightly different this time. Either way, gimme more Sleep Token!
VN1X
Banned
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Mr Branding
Member
The latest Periphery album blew me the fuck away. It also has a track which features Nobuo Uematsu samples, it’s genius!
VN1X
Banned
Didn't really dig the latest single but yeah, that record has been a long time coming. There's no way it will live up to the hype but I'm just glad we're getting new VoM finally.
hehehexd
Neo Member
oh yeahh, honestly the last single is kinda whatever, what makes me excited is actually the riff from the album that marc okubo did on his instagram lmao
TerribleAtThisGame
Member
Still one of my favorite Metal songs and I hadn't heard it in many years until today
VN1X
Banned
Doomtrain
Gold Member
I loved Red Fur, but the prior two didn’t do it for me. Can’t wait for the album, either way.
Mr Branding
Member
Also, this video is amazing
TerribleAtThisGame
Member
I have to admit that more modern Metal isn't really my cup of tea. I'm pretty fucking old and just kind of always go back to my old favorites if that makes sense. But I wanna stress "not my cup of tea", I did listen to the whole track and it's good just not really my style.
VN1X
Banned
Loving the album so far. Dracul Grass being my favourite track!
Mr Branding
Member
Dracul Gras is amazing, it means The Fat Devil in Romanian (I’m a Romanian lol). That harmony part when the guitar solo starts gives me chills every single time. Amazing album.
VN1X
Banned
That's fair enough and I always appreciate people just checking out tracks that they otherwise wouldn't listen to!
Is this still too modern for you also? Blackened Hardcore or whatever you want to call it (with some Trash influences).
Band itself is pretty woke but I grit my teeth and just bare with it lol.
Doomtrain
Gold Member
Everything I've heard from Again is great. I never really got into these guys before, but it seems like maybe I should change that.
Giallo Corsa
Member
Man, i must really be gettin' old 'cause most of these new bands sound like the typical Architects/Bring me the horizon of "yore", i just can't anymore...
Also, listened to some Sleep token and...same shit with some Imagine Dragons stuff thrown in it, i mean, i don't have a problem with juxtaposition in music (or food) but, it feels like some of these dudes are just trying to find a new "cool" and for me, it just doesn't do it - personal opinion of course.
Anyway, anyone into Rotting Christ ? had some really good trips down memory lane these past few days :
And then you have this :
Apparently, Greg Mcintosh & Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) wanted to relive their 1999's Host days (It wasn't "metal" but still a lovely album).
Talking about Paradise Lost, here's a nice set :
There's just something about grumpy English dudes, they're Metal AF and Greg Mcintosh has always been a "true" artist, absolutely love them...
Bonus :
Also, listened to some Sleep token and...same shit with some Imagine Dragons stuff thrown in it, i mean, i don't have a problem with juxtaposition in music (or food) but, it feels like some of these dudes are just trying to find a new "cool" and for me, it just doesn't do it - personal opinion of course.
Anyway, anyone into Rotting Christ ? had some really good trips down memory lane these past few days :
And then you have this :
Apparently, Greg Mcintosh & Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) wanted to relive their 1999's Host days (It wasn't "metal" but still a lovely album).
Talking about Paradise Lost, here's a nice set :
There's just something about grumpy English dudes, they're Metal AF and Greg Mcintosh has always been a "true" artist, absolutely love them...
Bonus :
JusticeForAll
Gold Member
Immortal is just Demonaz now, but this new song is great.
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JusticeForAll
Gold Member
Any good metal festivals you guys are attending? I'm going to these two this summer:
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Punished Miku
Human Rights Subscription Service
No festivals, but I got Godflesh tickets for this summer.Any good metal festivals you guys are attending? I'm going to these two this summer:
VN1X
Banned
I'm just going to use this post throughout the year so I can start keep tracking of all these crazy good releases. Yes, I know we're not even halfway in 2023. 
Top 10
Runner-ups
Meliorist - Cascade
Entheos - Time Will Take Us All
The Oklahoma Kid - Tangerine Tragic
Honourable Mentions
Best EP
Top 10
- Invent Animate - Heavener
- Periphery - Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre
- Currents - The Death We Seek
- The Ongoing Concept - Again
- Bury Tomorrow - The Seventh Sun
- The Wise Man's Fear - Atlas Ruinica
- Enter Shikari - A Kiss for the Whole World
- In Fear - All Is. All Shall Be
- Veil Of Maya - [m]other
Runner-ups
Meliorist - Cascade
Entheos - Time Will Take Us All
The Oklahoma Kid - Tangerine Tragic
Honourable Mentions
Best EP
- Brand of Sacrifice - Between Death and Dreams
- Earth Groans - Tongue Tied
- Face Yourself - Face Yourself
- Make Them Suffer - Ghost Of Me
- Somethingsomething Sleep Token
- DeadVectors - BITE
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I went to Welcome to Rockville in Daytona Beach, FL last week. It was my first music festival. I had an amazing time outside of one lightning delay that killed Trivium (saw them last year), most of Avatar, Suicidal Tendencies, and I think 1 or 2 others.
Bands I saw:
Thursday
Silly Goose - lots of fun, trying hard to go viral. Put on a concert Friday night after A7X in Cracker Barrel parking lot
Conquer Divide - good all chick band
BloodyWood - great, I love the Indian flavor to their music
Brutus - great, vocalist/drummer voice gave me good brain tingles
Avatar - brutally cut short, one of my most anticipated acts they only got 8 mins before weather shut things down for an hour
Bullet for my Valentine - very solid, they have some classic bangers
Band-Maid - absolutely loved them, super fun
The Cult - some great old songs, lead was very eccentric
Rob Zombie - watched on screen waiting for Slipknot. He had so many technical difficulties.
Slipknot - really good but 4th of the headliners for me
Friday
Bastardane - goofy, fun, metal vocalist gives some Morrison vibes
Des Rocs - "not Elvis" from New York
The Warning - 3 chicks from Mexico that can rock pretty hard.
Born of Osiris - really enjoyed them
Motionless in White - They were awesome crowd was lit for them
Hardy - country/rock crossover and way better than I expected
Evanescence - watched on screen waiting for Avenged. We were singing along to their big songs.
Avenged Sevenfold - excellent, best of the 4 headliners for me. They are my favorite band. The audio mix was so good. New songs fuck live. Crowd was pretty insane. I ended up 15 feet from the rail after starting around 30 feet back due to people bailing out.
Saturday
Starcrawler - completely forgettable, probably worst vocalist of the weekend for me
Zero 9:36 - really enjoyed, good rap rock
Hammerhedd - hugely impressed me, 3 under 17 yr old brothers from Kansas City that kick ass. Think baby Gojira/Mastodon/Tool. They were insta Spotify follow for me
Keator - fucking awesome
Sepultura - fucking awesome, Eloy beats the absolute shit out of that kit. There were lots of Latin and Brazillian fans in attendance
Knocked Loose - maybe the biggest "how do you do fellow kids" moment of the festival for me but they were great, crowd was wild, they go hard
Alice Cooper - old man (hes 73!) can still rock. Very interesting production. I caught last couple of songs of the set after Knocked Loose
Godsmack - watched on screen while waiting for Pantera, it was definitely Godsmack!
Pantera - aka the most badass tribute band? The sheer power was incredible. Awesomely powerful stage production. easily number 2 of the headliners. Crowd was wild.
Sunday
Grandson - inspirational Rap Rock, great performer and stage presence
Anti-Flag - classic punk rock. Nothing wrong with them
Attila - clown/comedy asshole metal? Not sure what to call them. Show was a lot of fun though and crowd had a great time
The Mars Volta - took a detour to Austin City Limits. The vibes were really chill, the weed smoke was heavy. They are good.
Coheed and Cambria - saw them with Linkin Park years ago. Still put on a good show. Their big songs are bangers live
Incubus - my brain remembered so many songs that I hadn't thought about in a long time and I instantly knew every word. Brandon has such a unique voice and is super chill.
Deftones - they absolutely kickass live. Best of the non-headliners of the festival. Chino is an amazing front man.
Tool - It's tool. Great musicianship, Maynerd was a sarcastic asshole dressed in drag. Danny was amazing as always. The visuals were excellent. 3rd of the headliners.
Bands I saw:
Thursday
Silly Goose - lots of fun, trying hard to go viral. Put on a concert Friday night after A7X in Cracker Barrel parking lot
Conquer Divide - good all chick band
BloodyWood - great, I love the Indian flavor to their music
Brutus - great, vocalist/drummer voice gave me good brain tingles
Avatar - brutally cut short, one of my most anticipated acts they only got 8 mins before weather shut things down for an hour
Bullet for my Valentine - very solid, they have some classic bangers
Band-Maid - absolutely loved them, super fun
The Cult - some great old songs, lead was very eccentric
Rob Zombie - watched on screen waiting for Slipknot. He had so many technical difficulties.
Slipknot - really good but 4th of the headliners for me
Friday
Bastardane - goofy, fun, metal vocalist gives some Morrison vibes
Des Rocs - "not Elvis" from New York
The Warning - 3 chicks from Mexico that can rock pretty hard.
Born of Osiris - really enjoyed them
Motionless in White - They were awesome crowd was lit for them
Hardy - country/rock crossover and way better than I expected
Evanescence - watched on screen waiting for Avenged. We were singing along to their big songs.
Avenged Sevenfold - excellent, best of the 4 headliners for me. They are my favorite band. The audio mix was so good. New songs fuck live. Crowd was pretty insane. I ended up 15 feet from the rail after starting around 30 feet back due to people bailing out.
Saturday
Starcrawler - completely forgettable, probably worst vocalist of the weekend for me
Zero 9:36 - really enjoyed, good rap rock
Hammerhedd - hugely impressed me, 3 under 17 yr old brothers from Kansas City that kick ass. Think baby Gojira/Mastodon/Tool. They were insta Spotify follow for me
Keator - fucking awesome
Sepultura - fucking awesome, Eloy beats the absolute shit out of that kit. There were lots of Latin and Brazillian fans in attendance
Knocked Loose - maybe the biggest "how do you do fellow kids" moment of the festival for me but they were great, crowd was wild, they go hard
Alice Cooper - old man (hes 73!) can still rock. Very interesting production. I caught last couple of songs of the set after Knocked Loose
Godsmack - watched on screen while waiting for Pantera, it was definitely Godsmack!
Pantera - aka the most badass tribute band? The sheer power was incredible. Awesomely powerful stage production. easily number 2 of the headliners. Crowd was wild.
Sunday
Grandson - inspirational Rap Rock, great performer and stage presence
Anti-Flag - classic punk rock. Nothing wrong with them
Attila - clown/comedy asshole metal? Not sure what to call them. Show was a lot of fun though and crowd had a great time
The Mars Volta - took a detour to Austin City Limits. The vibes were really chill, the weed smoke was heavy. They are good.
Coheed and Cambria - saw them with Linkin Park years ago. Still put on a good show. Their big songs are bangers live
Incubus - my brain remembered so many songs that I hadn't thought about in a long time and I instantly knew every word. Brandon has such a unique voice and is super chill.
Deftones - they absolutely kickass live. Best of the non-headliners of the festival. Chino is an amazing front man.
Tool - It's tool. Great musicianship, Maynerd was a sarcastic asshole dressed in drag. Danny was amazing as always. The visuals were excellent. 3rd of the headliners.
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AV
We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Somewhat of a necrobump because it's just the top of the search results for Sleep Token here and it's worth mentioning.
They just shifted about 70,000 tickets for their UK arena tour in like four hours. Cemented their place as the next big thing with Bad Omens.
Doomtrain
Gold Member
A lot of them are definitely trying to be metal (or at least to sound like distorted guitar), but that was the closest they could get with the NES sound chip. If you read interviews with Nobuo Uematsu, for example, he was huge into American prog and he cribbed from that left and right while composing for Final Fantasy.
Korranator
Member
Wintersun Time II
Release date 8/30/24.......only took 17years, and he is asking for yet more money.
Release date 8/30/24.......only took 17years, and he is asking for yet more money.
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RIP Paul Di'Anno
Original Iron Maiden singer Paul D'Anno dies, aged 66
The band's first singer appeared on two albums before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson.
www.bbc.co.uk
poodaddy
Gold Member
Absolute fucking legend man. I hate that the metal legends are getting to that age ya know? It's hard to even imagine metal legends getting old.... fuckin mortality man. It all goes by so fast.RIP Paul Di'Anno
Original Iron Maiden singer Paul D'Anno dies, aged 66
The band's first singer appeared on two albums before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson.www.bbc.co.uk
Korranator
Member
That sucks. I always preferred Paul's work to Bruce.