If you are a regular reader here, you know when it comes to prog, I am not looking for a bunch of wanky shredding and math for the sake of math. I want bands that are progressing and that is what is happening with these bands who made the cut this year. Much like in years past I sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Progressive albums of 2022
10- Elder- "Innate Passage"
Six albums in and this German band shed the doom label even more, filling the corners of their songs with synths, harmony vocals and guitar solos. They loosen their harder edged tendencies, and the guitars take on more of a jangle allowing the vocals to relax into brighter melodies. The vocals glide around the complex guitar runs, this feels more like Porcupine Tree or Opeth than, any of the classic prog bands with 70s Yes perhaps the closet to what is going down here.
Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- Elder: "Innate Passage"
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Abysmal Hymns: UFOMAMMUT : "Fenice"
8-Hammers of Misfortune- "Overtaker"
This is a different sound from band that became a collaborating collective since the leader and guitarist moved out of the Bay. Former Vektor members contribute to this endeavor. While the band cites King Crimson as an inspiration it sounds more like King Diamond due to the thrashing yet progressive manner the songs are woven together, along with the female vocals that hover over the chaos. Not as dark or operatic as King Diamond, there is a darker feel than I remember this band digging into previously which works for me.
Abysmal Hymns: Hammers of Misfortune : "Overtaker"
7-Vitskar Sudan-the Faceless King"
Since weed is legal in California things have changed in the LA music scene, this band is not at all what you would expect, they blend a few different styles, very surreal and dense almost like shoe gaze or post rock, but multi layered. There is a dark and somber under current to what they do. What they do does involve a great deal of weed smoked at the very least. At times s congealing into a heavier storm of sound that is anchored down by more driven rock sounds and bombast drums like Pink Floyd covering King Crimson.
Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom -Vitskar Suden :' the Faceless King"
6-Porcupine Tree - "Closure Continuation"
When I think back, I remember when "the Incident" came out. It was quality as everything Wilson does, but "Fear of a Blank Planet" was the last album I listened to on a regular basis, things have not changed except for the depth of production. It brings out the stellar drumming, which sometimes propels things into a Primus like bounce. It is groove that are at the heart of this album even when things get more introspective. Steve Wilson continues to impress with strong vocals that are the icing on the cake.
Abysmal Hymns: Porcupine Tree : " Closure/Continuation"
5-King Buffalo- "Regenerator"
There are many sub-genres of rock and metal that intersect at a crossroads. This album finds itself straddling the fence at such a place. The junction where stoner rock meets prog. Less metal and more jammy, they do not bring the thunder of crunch until midway into the second song. That is not ineffective in fact they glide along on Pink Floyd like groove up until that place. The album sounds amazing in terms of tones they have perfected here. Much like Pink Floyd is great music to get stoned to, and yet are not full of the fuzzed-out swagger than makes something stoner rock, the same can be said of this album as their jams gain bong traction.
Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- King Buffalo : " Regenerator"
4-Voivod - "Synchro Anarchy"
Their 15th album finds the Canadian prog metal god fathers continuing on the path they began with "Target Earth" back in 2013. The riffs winding around varied forms of palm muted tension on a dynamic journey to the center of a cyborg mind. They are true to the sound they began crafting in 1984, though it has shed all the early punk grit. There is more groove than thrashing. That is fine too. The bass sound continues to blend and owes more perhaps to "Nothingface". The angular attack and all the binary you are counting to keep up with it is in play.
Abysmal Hymns: Voivod : " Synchro Anarchy"
3-Mamaleek- "Diner Coffee"
This first might seem like a weird metal band that decided to write an album about diner coffee, while that is true there is a lot going on. At times it feels like Tom Waits jamming with Tomahawk, there is tons of great guitar work, and these guys can play legit jazz when they are not fucking around to freak you out.
2-Black Space Riders- "We have been here before"
They continue to take you on sonic journeys that are as expansive as they are quirky from new dances in dark alleys to wild wandering prog excursions colored by metal guitar slithering around it If you think Dream Theater is prog then you do not know anything about music and might not be as into this album as there are not songs to shred over but music that goes somewhere, it is a wonderful album
Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- Black Space Riders :" We have been here before"
1- Mars Volta -S/T
47 its impressive that Cedric's pipes are as pristine as they are. Let's face it this album would be a much different story if that was not the case. Some of this might be attributed to scientology, which he credits for getting him off drugs. Perhaps from the trippy haze around the album he just means hard drugs. Wink Wink. They have scaled back the sprawling progginess of what they do and reined things in to write songs not just jams. Impressively so even with the rock edge dulled down the scop of their grooves is hard to compete with.
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