the Top 10 Hard Rock Albums of 2022

These albums are not aggressive enough to be metal. They do have more balls to them than the ones on the rock list. Ok now that that is out of the way, 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. Sure, you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However, I listen to five new albums a day so yes, I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it. 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 hard rock albums of 2022

10 -Infected Rain - "Ecdysis" 

Some of this bands heavier elements are negated by the poppier hooks, this band from Moldova blends the elements well. This is their 5th album, so they have perfected both their melodic side and their denser more aggressive one. Bands like Jinger and Spirit Box have made impressive names for themselves by creating similar sounds. These kids have a more symphonic thing going that owes more to Within Temptation when she soars into clean vocals. 

Abysmal Hymns: Infected Rain : "Ecdysis"

  9-Dorothy- "Gifts from the Holy Ghost" 

I was at first reluctant to cover this album as the buzz around it was this was some kind of Christian metal. I did some research and found that she is just in recovery, so all the religious trappings are not based in formal Christianity and lyrically it is just based in metaphor. While she does lay it on thick with the gospel influence and blues swagger. This is poppy hard rock, not far removed from say the Pretty Reckless sonically.

Abysmal Hymns: Dorothy : " Gifts From the Holy Ghost"

 

8-Blacklist-"Afterworld"

This band features singer song writer Joshua Strachan of Vaura. They infuse post-punk and goth atmosphere with the anthemic kick of hard rock. Working of a tension that is a subdued calm before the storm piece that feels more like an intro than what unfolds on the palm muted clouds gathering. To be a band from Brooklyn it is impressive that they are not so concerned with trying to be cool that they forget to rock out and even throw some guitar solos in. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Blacklist : "Afterworld"

  7-Slipknot- 'the End So Far"

Every metal band likes to go into the press gauntlet before releasing an album and tell them how this is going to be as heavy as one of their really heavy albums or it's their heaviest album yet is also another classic. None of these are close to true when it comes to the new Slipknot. They try to resurrect their classic sound at time completer with dj scratches. But Vended does Slipknot heavier, however these guys are better songwriters. It is clear they are doing what they set out to do even if there is some misdirection regarding what that is. They are still nu-metal but happen to be a band that proves nu-metal is not limited to ADIDAS flavored rap metal.  

Abysmal Hymns: Slipknot : "The End, So Far"

 6-Disturbed - "Divisive" 

One of the few big commercial radio rock bands I have listened to. This is due to the fact their sound owes as much to Judas Priest as the nu-metal they came from. Everything is a huge anthem for these guys. They are great at this return to form that puts them head and shoulders above most of their peers

Abysmal Hymns: Disturbed : "Divisive"

5-Hoaxed- "Two Shadows"

This Portland duo creates dark and driving rock that works of mesmerizing melodies. The drumming is influenced by metal, though the overall sound while ominous not broods more than it gets in your face. At times they conjure a retro-metal witchy feel that makes me think of the Devils Blood. The drummer really loves her double bass, which keeps trying to pull the songs in a more metal direction where the atmosphere of the vocals and guitar want to pull it back in a more 90s goth path.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Hoaxed : "Two Shadows"

 

4-Puppy-"Pure Evil" 

Was not expecting this album to carry this kind of dark dense metallic crunch they pack here. The high thin reedy treble of the vocals feels like a mix of Billy Corgan and Tom Petty. This album rocks if you are into melodic grunge tinted hard rock with metal moments

Abysmal Hymns: Puppy- " Pure Evil"

3-Bloody Hammers - "Washed in Blood"

Their last album was great, I am not sure how they are going to meet such a high bar. They choose to do it by getting a great deal heavier in the riffs department. They still have catchy choruses thanks to the croon of the strong baritone vocals. These arena rock anthems knock it out of the park, with bigger production value. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober - Bloody Hammers - "Washed in Blood"

2-Crobot-"Feel This" 

These guys made the Skid Row album that Skid Row should have made. Brandon Yeagley is not paying tribute to Sebastian Bach, but he captures his spirit much better than Skid Row's most recent singer. They play a style of high energy hard rock, that gives ample balls to the guitars. This album rocks to its own beat while bringing familiar sound of the era it pays homage to.

Abysmal Hymns: Crobot : " Feel This"
 

 1-Bush- ' the Art of Survival"

Here is an album that grew on me with each listen. In some ways this is a Bush album in name only, as Gavin Rossdale is the only original member. It does still retain the gritty grunge feel of their 90s work. This band came across as a less of a band wagon jumper in their prime and had an emotional grit that told me Rossdale had deep personal wounds he was processing through his music. At the same time, he had record companies breathing down his neck and pressure on his to get radio hits. He has delivered more solidly than most of his peers from this era have yet to

Abysmal Hymns: Bush : "the Art of Survival"

the Top 10 Metal Albums of 2022 ... so far

This year has half slipped away from us. More comprehensive of what has been released than you might expect, considering that I am already getting promos for August releases in my in-box. There is a fair cross-section of genres represented as we have doom, industrial, thrash, prog, death metal, and black metal, with that said my three big sub-genres doom, black metal and death metal, each have two entries apiece. Still no word on a solid release date for the new King Diamond, so that gives all of these albums a solid shot for the number one spot at the end of the year, depending on how they grow on me.  I make the overall top ten for the year and at this rate December will be here before we know it. What makes them the best is how much I actually listen to them. I guess we will see how these albums hold up over the course of the year.  I am posting links to the reviews if you want to check these albums out.

10-Gwar - the New Dark Ages" 

If you thought in 2022 this band would be out of ways to push the envelope you would be wrong. In fact, I imagine more audiences will be offended and they did this while making a really great album that is full of weird twists in directions away from what you expect from these guys while delivering the goods when it comes to what you want from a Gwar album,

Abysmal Hymns: Gwar : " The New Dark Ages "

 

9-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.

Abysmal Hymns: Voivod : " Synchro Anarchy"

8 - Famyne-"II: The Ground Below" 

hear echoes of Candlemass in lead singer Tom Vane's delivery, they have carved their own dark doomy place out with the impressive sonics here. The grungy touches that reach out from the 90s coloring these songs.

 

7-Temple of Void - "Summoning the Slayer" 

Their 2020 album "the World That Was" landed in my top 5 death metal albums of the year. They have continued to evolve their songwriting past even that point.  Maturation can be felt in how they take both their doom influence and their death metal influence and rather than worry about creating a sound, write great songs.

Abysmal Hymns: Temple of the Void : " Summoning the Slayer"

 

 

6-Decapitated -"Cancer Culture" 

The Polish band's 8th album finds them blending enough groove to balance out the more technical elements of what they do. This is the top contender for best album title of the year. Not the most brutal when it comes to death metal, there is a fair amount of melody buried in the guitar with the drumming the most technical aspect of their sound. Considering the dude has been playing since he was 12 that makes sense. Not breaking new ground but continuing to perfect what they do.

Abysmal Hymns: Death is June - Decapitated : " Cancer Culture"

5-Author & Punisher - "KRÜLLER"

Having long championed this project so was looking forward to this album.  There is a dark hazy multi layered sonic wall of synths that reminds me of Type O Negative. The smoother croon of vocals from Shore adds to this comparison.. The more experimental touches that detract from the song writing are balance out by the songs where he really goes above and beyond by striving to push himself as a singer and a song writer rather than just being the guy who makes music with machines

Abysmal Hymns: Author & Punisher : "KRÜLLER"

4-Puppy- "Pure Evil"

 Of all the albums on this list this one sits on the fence to being hard rock, if by hard rock we are talking about grunged out alternative from the 90s. That said it is more metal than old Smashing Pumpkins and often rivalling Soundgarden's heaviest moments.

Abysmal Hymns: Puppy- " Pure Evil"

 

3-Messa-"Close"  

The opening track feels like a very logical progression in the next step of the band's songwriting, there are new tricks up their sleeve as forays into jazz and progressive rock color the dismal blues inflected exploration of their shadowy souls. They continue to knock it out of the park. 

Abysmal Hymns: Messa : "Close"

2- White Ward -"False Light"

The third album from Ukrainian black metal band, starts off with a more typical aggression that might come to mind when you think of black metal. I was a huge fan of their 2019 album "Love Exchange Failure" in how it blended jazz with the genre. Midway into the first song they get into that. Rather than it being two colors they switch back and forth the best moments are where the two are blended, it's black metal being tasteful, which is just weird to type. 

Abysmal Hymns: White Ward : "False Light"

  1-Watain - 'the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

With their 7th full length Watain continues to show how they change and yet stay the same with each album. The production is crisp and big without losing what makes them sound like themselves. This album shows the band willing to grow while being true to who they are. Not sure how they hell a black metal band is going to put out a better album this year,

Abysmal Hymns: Black Metal History Month- Watain : "the Agony and Ecstasy of Watain"

Puppy- " Pure Evil"

Was not expecting this album to open up with the kind of dark dense metallic crunch they pack for the brief opener. Then things get more melodic for "the Kiss". The high thin reedy treble of the vocals feels like a mix of Billy Corgan and Tom Petty. By the second song I find myself having to get used to the singing. There is a more upbeat punk vibe to this song. The vocals have a very pinched feeling not unlike Dave Mustaine or Axl Rose. "Wasted Little Heart' has a much better groove to it.  I dig the darker moodier vibes of "Hear My Word" time we get to "Spellbound" I  am fairly confident too many metal heads are snoozing on this band, which is heavier than most suspect. 

"Dear John" is just an instrumental interlude leading up to " And Watched it Glow"  that is driven by a pretty powerful throb. The band's light to to pull this kind of thing off despite the whine of the vocals. "Holy Water" is marginally more upbeat, the guitars continue their crunch. This time more straightforward. They trun to more overt metal attack with the fiery riffs of "Sacrifice" . It could be argued that a band like Ghost employs a similar approach with softer poppy vocals set against a harder edged  drive of guitar, but these guys are heavier than Ghost for sure.  "Angel" finds their grunged out power pop formula continuing to work , without feeling redundant.  

"Shame" has a more brooding groove. The thunp of the bass lays the ground work, for everyone else to coast over . The more punk influenced theme returns on the last song , that is tempered with atmosphere and melody. there are some pretty 80s rock god solos on this album though the most memorable might be on the last song as the melody clearly works lock step with the song as a whole. This album rocks if you are into melodic grunge tinted hard rock with metal moments and not picky about vocals then this is for you, the vocals are what is keeping me with just giving this a 9.5, which is still outstanding it is just not flawless. 

Puppy : "the Goat"

This band from Britain takes me back to the post-grunge wave of metal bands trying to figure out how to blend the two. This is pretty cool until it gets to the chorus , then it's almost too blatantly power pop. But the verses are cool enough to make me more forgiving. Vocally they remind me a little of Ghost, but their have a better guitar tone and the music fits the vocals better. "Vengeance" is even more up beat , almost to the point of being happy so I obviously don't like it as much. There is a really fine line these guys walk, there is more power in the chug of "Poor Me" that balances out the sugary vocals. Some riff have a more nu-metal stomp to them. The nu-metal bounce starts off "Just Like You". The verse riff is a more stalking staccato.

"And So I Burn" is not much different than the other songs. The verse has a tension that makes it more interesting than the formulaic chorus. Here is another lesson in a press release that made me what to give it a shot, as this was supposed to be grunge. It's like metal like. Even a band like Pearl Jam comes across as being heavier as the emotion they are putting into the music is more explosive, most grunge was pretty dark as it was made by heroin addicts with metal health issues. These blokes sound pretty well adjusted. The riff to "World Stand Still" at first reminds me of Ratt, before getting more Nu-metal in it's groove. Then it's melody reminds me a little of "Every Thing Counts" by Depeche Mode.

They get heavier with the thrash leading into "Bathe In Blood" . Then it gets into the same formula as most of the songs. While it's poppier "Night Walker" just flows together well and is catchy. The vocals shift and more of a Foo Fighters feel on "I Feel an Evil' that makes me think of Atomic Bitchwax. It does break down into a heavier riff. "Handle Bars" is more in the realm of Myspace with the smooth sugary vocals off setting them. The album ends with the marginally darker "Demons". I think this song displays while there is a somewhat similar dynamic as Ghost these guys are better song writers. Lyrically there is a contrast with the cotton candy tenor of the vocals. They have formula that generally works for them. The first song lured me in, but by the end the formula is some what predictable , but the same thing could be said about Ac/ Dc. I'll round this down to an 8, which is still better than Ghost does.


10