the Top 10 Extreme Metal Albums of 2022

This list encompasses anything heavy that does not fit neatly into a sub-genre. Some lists were overcrowded and not a good fit so those bands who are just about sonic hedonism are here to haunt you. 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 Extreme metal albums of 2022

10-Ruin- "Where Death is Spread Out Across the Sky" 

This band crosses many sub-genres. all of their shades of heavy are nasty. They do however still write songs, and I find their album fun to listen to. Guttural grows sometimes rise into more agonized spews. The pervading sense is dread. They do speed up into something more like death metal, though the overall vibe of the album trudges a more death doom road. 

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom- Ruin- "Where Death is Spread Out Across the Sky"

9-Fit for an autopsy-"Oh, What the Future Holds" 

It starts off falling somewhere between what you might expect from both death metal and metal core then as this album progresses, they begin to introduce new sounds and the adventure really begins. This brings out the best of their songwriting skills and elevates them above the status quo. 

 Abysmal Hymns: Fit For an Autopsy : "Oh What the Future Holds"

8-False Gods- "Neurotopia" 

This sludge doom band from New York is an excellent example of why I so often bring up a band's influences, as they tend to form the sum of their parts, these guys have great sound it is suitable dense and dark in all the right places. There is a slight crusty edge at time, yet they make it apparent how large a role hard core has also played on their musical development.  This is heard often in the vocals from  the almost Fugazi like manner they accent things to the punchy crustiness coating the attitude the vocals are accent with earlier in the album which remind me of Kylesa.  Being a huge fan of their 2020 album, I knew these guys were capable and it cannot be said that they are delivering more of the same. Instead, they are attacking you from a different angle that I appreciate.

Abysmal Hymns: November is Doom - False Gods :"Neurotopia"

7-Hegemone- "Voyance"

This Polish band returns with another dense slab of nasty sonics. Their third full length, and you may remember us really digging their 2018 album "We Disappear". They continue to balance really heavy almost to the point of being abrasive sludge with a more atmospheric drone. They go from getting really heavy then drifting off into a gray shadow filled ocean.  I think they are more convincing as a sludge band than a black metal band, and do not blend the sounds as organically as say Withered. They do stylistically fall between many of the cracks, but no matter how you want to label them

Abysmal Hymns: Hegemone : " Voyance" Review and Full Album Stream.

 

6-Celeste-" Assassine​(​s)"

If you miss the days when Deafheaven was heavy, this French band has you covered, they are darker and nastier than Deafheaven ever dared. They are not another black gaze band as they employ an intense militant hammering, they aim upon your ears with a machine-like precision that has almost more in common with Meshuggah., using atmosphere to breaks up the relentless weaponized grooves. The midrange vocals have more a bark to them than the scathing howls of black metal. Not unlike how hard-core screaming is used to a more percussive effect

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month- Celeste :" Assassine​(​s)"

5-Hexis -"Aeturnum" 

Not only are they Denmark's heaviest band, but perhaps Northern Europe's heaviest band, though Sweden has some contenders. These guys are not just black metal, but also combined hard core and grind core into something dark and sonically punishing. They allow you to breathe, hitting you with a full-frontal assault of scathing screaming and weighty blasts. Black metal is aggressive and fast, however that does not make it the heaviest genre. It is the deliberate sonic weight put behind something that makes it heavy. The difference between being hit by a small guy who is fast and big guy who has muscle to put behind his punch. 

Abysmal Hymns: Hexis : "Aeturnum"

4-Tuscoma- "Gu-cci" 

When you aspire to transcend sub-genres, you might not become the next Neurosis or Deafheaven, but might put out an album better than most of your peers in the sub-genre you do end up falling into. Such is the tale of this band from New Zealand. They have made one of the more unique death metal albums that transcends They most effective when hitting a dark and foreboding balance of atmosphere and menace. They get caught up in the heaviness as they are doing something different in more respects than not, along with biting lyrics that are a great social commentary. 

Abysmal Hymns: Death is June - Tuscoma : " Gu-cci"

 

3-Spiritworld - "Deathwestern" 

Misguided journalism tried to place the emphasis on the western theme, but nothing could be further from the truth this album is possessed by a thrashing metallic hard core feel than what I thought be melding with this more western themed mood originally painted. The riffs hit you with gut punch and the vocals are command with purpose, so it works for me. Most to the albums on the extreme list have been in the sphere of grind core so for a thrash band to make it speaks to how fucking heavy this album is.  

Abysmal Hymns: Spiritworld - "Deathwestern"

2-Candy- "Heaven is Here" 

When it comes to extreme music most of it came from some early crossroads where death metal met hard core. The bands Relapse Records debut finds the noise ridden grind core being refined into a dense and perhaps even more punishing monster while fully aware that they have a job to write songs. The vocals are the most hard-core thing about this band. They are less spastic than Napalm Death. When they lock into a grinding chug the results are very powerful. This album is fucking intense.  

Abysmal Hymns: Candy : "Heaven is Here"

 

1-Wormrot -"Hiss" 

Grind core is typically not my thing, though in saying that there are a few bands who incorporate grind core into their sound that I love, like Portrayal of Guilt and Nails. Singapore's Wormrot is one of the more polished acts in the genre, they also prove themselves to be one of the best songwriters as well. A great deal of credit goes to the vocals which use a chaotic variety of vocal colors. The penchant for hooky thrash influenced riffing plays hand in hand with this as well to create an album that is not only intense but worth countless listens.  

Abysmal Hymns: Wormrot : "Hiss"

Hegemone : " Voyance" Review and Full Album Stream.

This Polish band returns with another dense slab of nasty sonics. This is their third full length, and you may remember us really digging their 2018 album "We Disappear". The continue to balance really heavy almost to the point of being abrasive sludge with a more atmospheric drone. The opening track pretty much splits the difference, to finds them starting off really heavy then drifting off into a gray shadow filled ocean. Where it is not the catchiest in terms of riffage or songwriting, they make up for it in the dark mood. It is however more gripping than the blast beaten "Solace". I think they are more convincing as a sludge band than a black metal band, and do not blend the sounds as organically as say Withered. They do stylistically fall between many of the cracks, but no matter how you want to label them, the difference in the first two songs is noticeable in terms of what resonates most uniquely to them.   

They are back to blasting on "Odium". Once again, I am getting the same feel as I did on the previous song, that the drumming is taking them in a different direction than where what they do resonates the best for them as a band. They capture some great songs around the way and are almost convincing mean if I had not heard what they did on the first song. They return to something closer to what they opened the album with for the song "Sermon". I think this works much better. Once again hooky songwriting is not the prime motivational factor in plat, but the sonic punishment is pleasing in a metal manner. There are some black metal elements, but they work better when contrasted by the other sounds. 

When they use riffs like the more chilling melody that opens "Abeyance" they are hitting the sweet spot, but it gets lost when they pour on the speed. This is balanced out as the song progresses and the blast beat is just a temper tantrum that bates into a more droning section. Sung vocals also appear. The way they are produced is pretty unique, though not unlike Fear Factory's early use or what Justin Broadrick does with Jesu. The growling is typically lower and less black metal. The more atmosphere the better with these guys as it it helps keep them from disappearing within the pack of like-minded bands. "Inference" is the best of both worlds for what this band is going for there is an increased black gaze ambiance, though they save really getting it all right for the last song, which is the album's best and finds them knocking it out of the park with a really sonically heavy song, that draws you in. Even with the lapses into black metal, it becomes a matter or personal taste and what to our ears sounds best for the band, but if we ask did they accomplish what they set out to do here, I think the answer is a yes, so I will give this a 9. 

the Top 10 Black Metal Albums of 2018

It is that time again. Black Metal is in a weird place this year. There is no lack of it, as the sub-genre has left it's stain on almost all forms of metal, it is the attitude that finds it's self being compromised and watered down. Hateful was one of the best days once used to described it's sound and now that is being apologized for due to the current political climate.So here are some band's who help make black metal hate again. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

While the top ten lists for other genres leaned more heavily on the side of  new blood for black metal is was the  more well established acts who put out the greatest quality albums .  Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 black metal albums of 2018.

10-Mutilation Rites - "Chasm"

 Many of New York's black metal bands come from the hipster circles of Brooklyn. They bring elements of punk, post-rock and avant garde indie rock into the mix. Mutilation Rites separates themselves by only bringing more metal into the equation. Most of the improvements come from the production end, as they might weigh in on more of the death metal side of  their sound, but the identity of the band is firmly intact even with line up changes.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/07/mutilation-rites-chasm.html

9- Hegemone- "We Disappear" 


 While this album originally scored lower than Mutilation Rites , it grew on me and I listened to it more. It's woeful blackened Sludge that throbs against scathing screamed vocals . Occasionally the vocals drop down into a lower growl. There is a weird almost industrial pounding breaking down mixed with post- rock , so these guys are not afraid to step out and experiment. They have the dark sonic intensity that I am on the look out for in heavy music.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/hegemone-we-disappear.html

8-Curse Upon a Prayer -"Three Woes"


 Make Black Metal hate again.This band from Finland has the balls to not give a fuck and this album lashes out at Islam. Now there is a political slant since aside from the hippies in Sweden, the rest of Scandinavia tries to be fairly isolationist.Thundering double bass, blast beats and tremolo picked guitar all do their part to make this black metal as fuck.Their are hints of melody in the guitar. They passion with which they throw themselves into their music compensates for anytime they might not be the most original band on the planet.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/curse-upon-prayer-three-woes.html

7-Cultes des ghoules-"Sinister" 

 The fourth album from the Polish black metal band finds , an almost more Urfaust sound . The vocals are more sung in a resonate bellow on the first song , than howled or screamed manically. They continue to get darker , though perhaps not heavier.It's a mature effort on their part and finds a balance between making fans of true black metal happy as their grim souls can be, without getting stale and embracing experimentation.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/cultes-des-ghoules-sinister.html

6-Mol- "Jord"

This album came out in April and almost breezed by under the radar which would've been a damn shame. They hammer into their songs with a meaner sneer than the bulk of the so called "black gaze' bands despite being not far removed from Deafheaven sonically. Most of the songs are strong and they take what could be a tired bandwagon and freshen it up.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/mol-jord.html

5- Nachtmystium- "Resilient"

 These guys are one of my favorite black metal projects. They are not all blast beats. In fact it's just a dark tortured pulse. Very similar to depressive suicidal black metal, though Judd is just not being melodramatic about it and has tried to kill himself in other ways than the most obvious , which I think is also a metaphor for his music. Better than most black metal acts have mustered since it is not at all redundant.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/12/nachymystium-resilient.html

4-Craft - "White Noise and Black Metal" 

 Right from the smoother guitar tone of the first song it's obvious things are now very different for this band. The sonic sprawl of their sound allows them to get away with more blast beats than before It is however not as hateful as I hope which took at period of adjustment for me, but in the end it did grow on me. It's less confrontational and more mature, a phrase that might not seem to be praise in many black metal circles , but here it works for what they are doing.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/craft-white-noise-and-black-metal.html

3-Wayfarer "World's Blood" 

 This band from Colorado creates some dark brooding metal that makes you forget they are from the States. The vocals are a lower growl that leans more in the death metal direction. When they pick up the pace there is the shadowy feeling looming with a more black metal influence. So regardless of genre there is a great mood and atmosphere coating this album. Some songs ebb and flow into clean passages like more kinetic version old Agalloch. This album grew on me in the best ways possible thanks to it's well balanced sense of dynamics and a great dark guitar tone.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/08/wayfarer-worlds-blood.html

2-Watain-"Trident Wolf Eclipse"



Watain are back with a renewed venom on their 6th album. They hit you with a thundering combative thrashing dialed way up. There is more of a blasting fury colored feral rawness yet retaining the more nuanced accents of their songwriting. In tone compared to "the Wild Hunt" proves this to be a much more straightforward black metal album, as they return to their more mean spirited roots. They band could have easily said "This album is going to be a return to our heavier more punishing sound, and they would not have been lying.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2017/12/watain-trident-wolfe-eclipse.html

1-Totalselfhatred - "Solitude" 


7 years since their last album, they once has a more aggressive take on depressive black metal,but it is hard to complain about what goes down as it's so well done. My ears can not escape the fact that the first song falls neatly into the depressive black metal box, where their earlier work had more of a unhinged feral quality to it. I also don't remember synths and piano playing as big of a role as they do here. The album really needed to be played loudly in order to soak in all the layers. Maturity is one of this album's characteristics. Gone are the rock god solos, but everything well played, with no doubt they are excellent musicians who have grown up to serve the song. They are little more mellowed with time, but with a wider depth of emotion.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/02/black-metal-history-month.html

Hegemone : " We Disappear"

This band's second album came out back in May and has flown under the radar. It's woeful blackened Sludge that throbs against scathing screamed vocals . Occasionally the vocals drop down into a lower growl. There is a weird almost industrial pounding breaking down mixed with post- rock , so these guys are not afraid to step out and experiment. They have the dark sonic intensity that I am on the look out for in heavy music. Blast beats come in on the second and find the band heading in a much more black metal direction. While this was hinted at in the first song they are fully committing here. Sung vocals come in when the song slows down , but it doesn't feel like they are working off a good cop /bad cop dynamic and are well placed. The fact it remains dark and emotive certainly holds my ears.

"Raising Barrows" could fall into the black - gaze sub genre, but they don't fall into wanting to be Deafheaven when they go here. The vocals are a lower growl and when it kicks in there is more of a punch. The post rock swell does rise against something that mixes black metal with a more crusty sound. The drummer really earns his pay check when the song builds. After this song they go into something more straight forward , trading off between atmospheric sludge and black metal. After this they give you some breathing room and let the album simmer in more ambient post rock guitar. It retains a melodic quality , along with a darker brooding. When it blasts off into black metal it fades into the background until dropping down into a soulful female vocal.

Regular readers know how I feel about songs over ten minutes...I'm not crazy about them. It's not a totally deal breaker, though most bands these days drone on a blast beat for the first 8 minutes, so it is really going to depend on what they do with the next 15 mins. I can say a 15 min song will never make it over to my iPod. The first five minutes does find them shifting into a more pounding half time riff. When the song takes a more dramatic shift at the 7 :30 mark, it's not the smoothest transition as hanging on distorted synth is kinda awkward. But I have heard Agalloch do similar, so I will try to let it slide. At the ten minute mark, another five minutes is not making sense to me. Behold the end just kinda breezes past me and sounds like its par for the course when it comes to post-modern black metal or however we are choosing to label it. I will give the album an 8 because despite this over the top end that never reached it's potential I think the first song is incredible and the album is strong up until the last song.