the Top 10 Progressive Albums of 2022

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"

9-Ufomamut -" Fenice"

The Italian band's 9th album finds them continuing further down a darker, heavier and more experimental path. Even better is the fact they are not taking the most obvious routes to get to these places, which is more progressive than bands who throw a bunch of notes and solos in to be labelled as such. it carries a more sludge like weight to its crunch. They wander into shoe gazing places at times and always progress their sound forward.

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.  

Abysmal Hymns: Mamaleek : "Diner Coffee"

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. 

Abysmal Hymns: the Mars Volta : " s/t"

the Mars Volta : " s/t"

At 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 with something like "Graveyard Love". "Shore Story" is almost more like a soulful ballad. It is weirder and more organic than say the Weeknd in this regard and done without a team of producers or songwriters. 

The melodies are dripped over more interesting jazz like drumming on "Blank Condolences". Gone are the explosive Led Zeppelin like elements that marked their earlier work. Instead, things simmer nicely. "Vigil" sounds like a long-lost song from the 70s. When they do get more adventurous with the groove they lean into their Latin roots. "Cerulea" is another ballad, not as interesting as the first dip into this sort of thing. "Flash Burns from Flash Backs" finds them in more of a wander with the groove style of writing. "Palm Full of Crux" is another 70s slow jam. Woodwinds whistle in the background to thicken the atmosphere. The vocals melodies are more effective as well. If they were once like the Spanish Rush, they are now the Spanish Moody Blues.  

They are dipping into a Ween like flavor of pop on "No Case Gain".  They fall back into balladry on "Tourmalline" . There is a more synthy tone to the groove of "Equus 3". The xylophone accompanying it is the taste of prog infused into this. If we are talking about "No Quarter" then I can hear the Led Zeppelin influence here. Speaking of influences if you mixed Yes with the Police the results might be along the lines of "Collapsible Shoulders" . Things continue getting trippy on the last song.  I will give this a 9.5 and see how it sits on me, the lack of rocking keeps it from being a ten but they wrote some great songs despite this.    

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra : "Broken Lines"

Right from the first song it's obvious this is going to be a rock record rather than a metal album. With Ben Weinman from Dillinger  Escape Plan  and brent Hinds from Mastodon splitting the guitar duties this is very much a guitarist's album. There are solos bursting out of every nook an cranny. "Crucifixion" was the first song I heard from this album, at the time I wasn't so impressed, but on the second listen it has grown on me. Duvall backing off on the verses with a smoother vocal line, but once they go into the more straight forward chorus it sounds like Queens of the Stoneage. The album continues to improve as it progresses. I really the tension of "No-one is Innocent" . This one reminds me of Mastodon, though that might be in part due to Brent's backing vocal on the chorus.

"Blood Moon" starts off with a more electronic feel and has a more 90's alternative groove to it once it kicks in proper. While this song is certainly an eclectic take on rock it doesn't hook me in on the first listen and the groove seems like it's trying to hard. The guys fueling the grooves on this album are the drummer from the Mars Volta and the bass-player from Zappa Plays Zappa / Dethklok. So this should be easy peas for them. "Fragments and Ashes" sounds like it wants to find common ground between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tomahawk. The more angular tension is the songs better moments. Duvall's vocals are not bad they are not always consistent. They do show that he is far more capable than his work with Alice In Chains might suggest.

"Back to the Light" has interesting section, but as a whole is forcing a sonic Rubix Cube or dazzling alt-rock riffs together for better or for worse. The last minute goes off into a funk jam. The female vocals are courtesy of Juliette Lewis. "All We Have is Now"  is more of a ballad. The song is ...nice, but doesn't really go any where. They return to the funk on "Everyone Gets Everything They Really Want". The bass line at one point reminds me of "Sweet Dreams".  There are also echoes of the Cult on this one. A little too happy for me . "Thieves and Whores" starts off with a jazzy guitar interlude before launching off into some 90s rock. At it's heart this song a proggy chaos beating through it. This project could be compared to Faith No More, but Faith No More is both more fluid and aggressive.

The title track is more proggy. The verses make a little more sense than the past few songs. The drumming really shines on this one and Duvall has a lot of soul in his voice here. The vocals are harmonized more like Alice In Chains, though it's unclear what is supposed to be the chorus. I did however enjoy this album much more than I thought I would so rounding it up to an 8.5, though doubt this will make it over to my iPod. If you miss the more progressive moments of 90's alternative then this is for you.