We've reached the halfway point in 2022, which means it's time to complete our contractually-obligated mid-year review, where Brian and Eric present the most br00tal, trve metal albums to have graced the sound system of our minivans and sensible sedans in 2022, while Chris tries hard to narrow down the thirty BEST ALBUMS HE’S EVER HEARD (!!!) to just a few. Enjoy.
During the shitstorm that’s been the years 2020-2022, the universe did see fit to dole out a few bits of good news, one of which was the return of Indianapolis death-thrash ragers, Demiricous. Surely this would go wrong too, because what band ever comes back stronger than they were back in the day? Well, Demiricous sure as shit does, delivering a dark, angry thrashterpiece that might just eclipse their 2008 classic, Two (Poverty). Still riding high on the fumes of a downright explosive Chaotic Lethal release show, I can verify that the band is as ferocious and pissed off live as they’ve ever been. Also, ‘Smoke Chaser’ might just win the Firesideometer Banger of the Year Award. - Eric Gmutza
Coming out of the pandemic shutdown, a lot of bands had a lot of material and released records that probably could have used a little trimming. Decapitated is a notable exception, as their latest record is a taut 37-minute buzzsaw that features 9 certified bangers (and a killer intro) and not an ounce of fat to be found. The band’s hallmark sound is in fine order, with tight riffs, blistering solos that border at times on progressive, and Rafał Piotrowski’s signature barking vocals. Consider yourself on notice: this is Album of the Year territory. - Brian Gmutza
Voivod have been on a roll ever since their 2013 rebirth, fueled by guitarist Dan Mongrain’s incredible creativity and passion for the band's music. He's pretty much done the impossible, respecting the band's core sound while injecting his own adventurous spirit into the Voivod legacy, culminating with the ambitious and nearly flawless 2018 epic, The Wake. While not quite as strong as that album, Synchro Anarchy is a very worthy successor that (maybe?) suffers from a slightly uneven first half. Fortunately, the second half of the album really takes off and is full of the kind of twitchy, memorable, sci-fi weirdness that only Voivod could deliver. A strong contender for album of the year. - Eric Gmutza
The only reason I checked out this band was because of the name, and I am glad I did, as Night Gnomes is a great record full of meaty riffs, catchy songs and otherworldly samples. Spotify labels them as ‘psych-pop, prog rock and heavy garage riffs’, which really isn’t that far off. I will add that there is a really dark undercurrent to this album that the band's name belies. However, for the most part Night Gnomes is a fun, hazy rock album that feels and sounds great during these summer months. ‘Lava Lamp Pisco’, ‘Dread & Butter’, ‘Bob Holiday’ and ‘Acid Dent’ are full of killer stoner rock riffs, while ‘Slinky/Holy Water’ is a haunting song with one of the scariest acoustic guitar riffs I’ve heard. This is a great album that is definitely worth checking out. - Chris Coleman-Peers
Twelve years after 2010’s masterful Victims of the Modern Age, everyone’s favorite prog metal wizard is back with another set from his more metal project. Revel in Time is even less progressive than prior records, instead focusing on power ballads and, dare I say, cock rock? Rather than featuring a handful of singers on all tracks, Lucassen brings along a different vocalist and guitar soloist for each track, so even if you’re not enthralled with one track, you’ll get a totally different feel on the next. However, you can count on Ed Warby’s killer drum work and Lucassen’s signature keys throughout, and mainstays Damian Wilson, Dan Swanö, and Floor Jansen each have a track, so there are some familiar touches. I dare you to listen to “Back from the Past” and not have it stuck in your head: I’ve listened to it at least 30 times and it never gets old. - Brian Gmutza
As a card carrying member of the Groove Metal Haters of America Club, I can’t say Once Human was a band that was on my radar at all. Founder Logan Mader is most famous for being in Machine Head for a good chunk of that band’s early years. Once Human is his latest project after a brief stint in Soulfly and some time away from the stage. Three albums in, this band is clearly firing on all cylinders, with vocalist Lauren Hart putting on a clinic–seamlessly switching between melodic cleans, can’t-believe-that’s-not-a-dude growls, and a gritty Hevy Devy-esque mid range that just plain slays. If there’s been a better metal vocal performance in 2022, I haven’t heard it. And while Hart’s vocals steal the show, it’s guitarist Max Karon’s songwriting that has kept me coming back to this one. There’s simply not a bad song on the album, and there are a fair number of straight-up bangers that are near-impossible to get out of your head. - Eric Gmutza
I wasn’t enamored with 2019’s Outstrider and when I heard that Abbath was going to rehab and people were leaving the band, I didn’t have high hopes for Dread Reaver. I’m pleased to have been wrong, as Abbath’s latest is a grimy, crusty slab of black metal that dug its claws in after a couple of listens. I hear a lot of early Bathory and Venom here, and that’s never a bad thing for me. It doesn’t overstay its welcome with a 40-minute run-time, and doesn’t try to be anything other than what you’d think a guy in corpse paint and leather armor would make. - Brian Gmutza
I have never really been a huge fan of Ghost. I never got the hype. Prior to Impera, I felt other bands were doing the Swedish retro classic rock/metal thing much better. So coming into this release, I was not ready to have my mind absolutely blown by this record. It is a near perfect arena metal record that is so catchy, every single song will be stuck in your head for weeks. It features everything I love about music: amazing song writing, amazing playing, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, silliness, catchiness, heaviness and a kickass-sounding production. Oh, and the first 9 songs are the best run of any metal album I can remember. You still might be on the fence with Ghost, and that’s fine. But after 6 months of playing the life out of this record every day, I can honestly say it has moved into the hallowed position of being in my Top 5 favorite metal records of all time! - Chris Coleman-Peers
Having read nothing about it prior, when I put this album on for the first time and the first movement of “Io” began with a synthesizer-driven ambient electronic wash, I thought to myself, “Man, it would be awesome if they did a full album like this.” Well, lo and behold, that’s exactly what Blood Incantation did with Timewave Zero. In addition to metal, Progressive Rock is my second musical love, so this album is right up my alley. This is more Tangerine Dream or Vidna Obmana than Morbid Angel, so I understand why it’s received so much vitriol. However, I have not been able to stop listening to it since it was released: I even bought the deluxe edition on CD just to have another 27-minute improv. Go outside late at night, gaze at the stars, and ponder our alien overlords with this album as the perfect soundtrack. - Brian Gmutza
Back in 2004, Silent Drive released one of the best post-hardcore/emo albums of the year, Love is Worth It. Over the subsequent years, that album became one of my go-to records due to its killer songs, deft song structures and emotional lyrics. It has been on regular rotation ever since. So to find that 17 years later its follow up was going to be released got me very excited and feeling very nostalgic. Interestingly Fairhaven could have easily been released in 2005 and no one would have batted an eye. To hear Silent Drive again in 2022 though reminds me how good that 00’s post hardcore sound still is and how good they still are as a band. There is a resurgence of emo’s first wave sound right now and Silent Drive can claim to have influenced most of those bands today. Fairhaven shows Silent Drive have lost none of their visceral sound or emotional lyrics. Every time I listen to it, I feel like I am 24 again, and that is a very good thing! - Chris Coleman-Peers
