the Top 10 Rock Albums of 2022

These albums are straight up rock, but not packing enough punch for the hard rock list. Much like in years past sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year 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 rock albums of 2022

10- Scorpions - "Rock Believer." 

There is still a great deal of gas in their tank. The Scorpions were one of the biggest heavy metal bands of their day. Once they tasted big chart-topping success with their 1984 album "Love at First Sting," they became more of a rock-and-roll band, losing much of their metallic edge. This album is big 80s-flavored rock that finds the band with their boots firmly planted in where they came from. This is album the first album with Drummer Mikkey Dee, who played with both King Diamond and Motorhead. On this album, he is collecting a paycheck as he gets nowhere near as aggressive with his playing. One thing that is impressive and perhaps the album's strongest selling point is the youthful nature of Klaus' vocals. At age 73 he can still get up there. 

Abysmal Hymns: Scorpions : " Rock Believer"

9-the Cruel Intentions - "Venomous Anonymous" 

Why did the fact Lizzy from the Vains of Jenna went on the form this band go under my radar? Not that I actively seek out a ton of hair metal. I grew up listening to this sort of thing in the 80s until I found heavier music. Compared to Vains of Jenna these guys are bigger and more polished-sounding. They do what Steel Panther does but take it seriously. 

Abysmal Hymns: The Cruel Intentions : "Venomous Anonymous:

8-the Hellacopters -"Eyes of Oblivion" 

These guys have been doing this since the mid 90s. Former members of Entombed and Backyard Babies playing straight up 80s flavored rock n roll. There was once a more punk feel to it, but now they are totally almost party 80s rock. The opener is solid, surprised how slick of a production they have.

Abysmal Hymns: The Hellacopters : " Eyes of Oblivion"

 

5- Crashdiet- "Automaton"

This band has been in my awareness for some time, as I have watched the hair metal revival of the mid 2000s from the corner of my eye. Like most of the higher quality stuff in this vein, this band is from Northern Europe. These Swedes have been at it for over 20 years, so are still going pretty strong as this has a big sound and is very polished.

Abysmal Hymns: Crashdiet : " Automaton"

 

6- Rumours-"the Lower We Sink, the Less We Care" 

This album hooked me quick has tonally it owes more to rock than metal, but it does work off a grim tension that is still explosive. This Swedish band are skilled weavers of sonic gloom, it's still punchy with a hint of 70s rock. The instrumentation is warmly recorded in analog. The retro thing is not the band trying too hard to capture a bygone era. Great dynamic vocals that belt it out with a great deal of convincing power.

Abysmal Hymns: RUMOURS : "the Lower We Sink, the Less We Care"

5-the Cult -"Under the Midnight Sun" 

Their 12th album finds the band still strong with a darker and rawer sound. The key to their success is dependent on how well Astbury's vocals hold up at the age of 60. Billy Duffy has less on the line as his guitar tone has only continued to improve the years. Ian sounds strong, his trademark croon which at one time positioned him to fill in for Jim Morrison, for a Doors reunion of sorts. That Doors like element is still in play here, though the music has a more passionate creepiness to it

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober-the Cult: "Under the Midnight Sun"
 

4-Billy Howerdel- "What Normal Was" 

The brainchild of A Perfect Circle is back. This is not his first solo effort, as the Ashes Divide band was that as well. The only reason I can presume he is not releasing this as Ashes Divide is due to the departure from harder edged rock music here and something closer to Depeche Mode. This should not be surprising as A Perfect Circle covered "People are People" on "Emotive". There is a familiar moodiness here, though his songwriting continues to mature.  

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober-Billy Howerdel :" What Normal Was "

3-Greg Puciato- "Mirrorcell" 

Not a huge fan of Dillinger Escape Plan I do have a great deal of respect for them and have heard most of Greg's solo work. This album is a great deal different in that it does not try to emulate new wave from the 80s he has moved onto the 90s , drawing on an alt-rock sound that makes the most of hooky choruses. 

Abysmal Hymns: Greg Puciato : " Mirrorcell"

2-Placebo -"Never Let Me Go" 

2006's "Meds" was the last album I was into by this British glam band. By into I mean listened to every moment of the day as these guys were once numbered among my favorite bands. The key to Brian's success as a songwriter lies in his ability convey the struggle of his anger, darkness, metal health and addiction. It is in that struggle where their music has found its fire. Moloko succeeds in recapturing that moodiness on their new album. It is important that Stefan is still working with Brian as that duo is clearly Placebo and not just Brian Moloko solo album. There is none of the kinetic punk tension that colored their early work. It works off smooth grooves and melodies, with sonic layers of guitar embellish the dynamics.

Abysmal Hymns: Placebo : "Never Let Me Go"

1-Ozzy Osbourne- "Patient Number 9" 

Releasing album 13 at the ripe age of 73, Ozzy is holding up better than expected, especially when you consider the tour cancelling issues of the past few years. This album has less of a pop sheen and feels more like a rock record than "Ordinary Man". He brings Zakk Wylde back, along with Toni Iommi, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. So, the big guns of rock guitar.  They helped him crank out a batch of songs that I have not heard him get as catchy since "Ozzmosis"   

Abysmal Hymns: Ozzy Osbourne : "Patient Number 9 "

RUMOURS : "the Lower We Sink, the Less We Care"

 

The opener track hooked me quick has tonally it owes more to rock than metal, but it does work off a grim tension that is still explosive. The second song finds that this was not luck on the part of this Swedish band, but they are skilled weavers of sonic gloom, it's still punchy with a hint of 70s rock. The instrumentation is warmly recorded in analog. The retro thing is not the band trying too hard to capture a bygone era. While the press release got my attention by referencing both Beastmilk and In Solitude they do have a sound that is very much their own. At times like a more rock-oriented version of Rope Sect in terms of their sonic space, the vocals are more dynamics as the singer belts it out with a great deal of convincing power.  

" I Am the Midnight" is consistent without being redundant. The verses on this one expands more to give the vocals room to breathe. "The Sky is Coming Down Again" has a more rock n roll groove. There are lots of epic guitar harmonies that mange to stay more haunting than epic.  The more reckless mood that colors the up-tempo "Chronophobia" is more aggressive, but I prefer the less overt tension of the previous songs. Halfway into the song it slows into something darker that plays more to their strengths as a band. It is not a power ballad but there is a moodier shift to "And the Name of the Star Was Bitterness".  If evolves into something more dynamic. 

"Echoes of Decline" returns to the more wild running riffs. Not what I would call punk, but it does carry that kind of energy.  This is not to say I only want these guys to contemplate in morbid reflection at all times, they prove on the last song they can drive with their foot on the gas as it is done with more of a gallop, not Mercyful Fate like, but driving in that direction.  I will round this up to a 10 as the faster songs will grow on me. It scratches my dark rock itch, lets see how it holds up for the rest of the year,  

LUPERCALIA RECORDS · RUMOURS - Grinder

Rumours : " Neither Innocent Nor Wavering"

 I suppose Blue Oyster Cult might be a good frame of reference for the shadows haunting the twin guitar attack this German band. There is a proto metal feel, with vocals that stand out as the are a dramatic baritone croon with balls to it. Not unlike In Solitude in many ways. On the second song they come even closer to being metal. They are really aggressive rock music. The vocals are forceful but still sung. There is a retro feel to what they do, but it works for what is going down here and is not like they are too focused on recreating a sound that they forgot to write songs. Though the vocal lines to the angrier second song are not as gripping as the first , the over all product is still pretty powerful. They cram plenty of guitar solos into this one with out getting lost in the shred. 

Things get even darker on "Black Milk" thanks to the vocals that take a more emotive and tortured drama that borders on being goth, though they are not low enough. The guitars also have a more doomy tone to them, The song builds into a more explosive dyanmic . The vocals are more of a roar. Not punk at all , but that kind of energy of say the MC5. That was the longest song at almost 6 minutes.  It goes by pretty fast as it is driving. They make me eat my words to some extent with the punk thing on the last song as it does get closer to that sort of thing. If we are talking about when punk was more rock than not. The vocals are still very much sung and not yelled, making it more metal. I can say I like the first three songs better as they were darker and not as straight forward. 

They do slow down to more of a doom tone and end the album on a bigger note, but the bulk of the song was too basic for me . It might grow on me and the first three songs were excellent. I wish this was an entire album rather than just a 4 song ep, but you take what you can get these days. I will round this down to a 9 due to the last song, but it 's generally a lot of fun and even that song is not bad it is just not at the level of the first three. 

3.8