Gothtober-the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2022

It's that time of year again; It might seem early to start these now, but record labels have already sent me sent me most of what this year has to offer. By the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will use them to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2022 was perhaps marginally better than the previous year, though given the current climate of the world we are progressing on a downward spiral, making dark music more important as a soundtrack for this. As far as 2022 goes for goth, the music is increasing important to prove it is not a hash tag to throw around on Instagram just because you are wearing black. 

The very fact these bands 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. Perhaps 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 goth albums of 2022

10-Gentle Ropes- "Control"  

This Ukrainian post-punk project gets so atmospheric that they cross the line into goth. This slab of depressive goodness is narrated by vocals that are detached in a similar manner to what shoe gaze bands do. The guitars anchor things with a great deal of drive, and the writing carries enough dynamic tweaking to keep the songs from sounding the same.  

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober - Gentle Ropes : "Control"

9-Vandal Moon - "Queen of the Night" 

This band writes songs melodramatic enough to land them solidly on dark wave. Sung with an overly emotive baritone croon, the vocals coast over the cascade of synth wave likes sounds, which this year the trend in dark wave seems to be to use those, these guys just do it better than the other bands not on this list. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Vandal Moon :" Queen of the Night"

8-Sunrise Patriot Motion- "Black Fellflower Stream" 

At times aggressive as Killing Joke.  The guitars are creepy and atmospheric more often than not. The vocals have a throaty rasp to them, sometimes yelled.  There plenty of Halloween like keyboards to offset this, though the vocals are very commanding from the ghostly cavern they echo out from

Abysmal Hymns: Sunrise Patriot Motion : "Black Fellflower Stream"

7-Dead Lights- "Doom Doom Trash"  

When it comes to the cities, you might expect the best of the darkest music to come from London would be at the top of the lis; This ep came out in March, and has some of the best constructed songs, in terms of both the beats, and the thought given to the lyrics, that I have heard from Darkwave in sometime.  It is driving enough to keep things moving on the dance floor but carries the menace of Halloween

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Dead Lights : "Doom Doom Trash"

 

6-NHIL NHIL NHIL- "Things Fall Apart as They Shall" 

The first ep from this German duo blends a gloom encrusted aggression and heaviness with the kind of stark tension we expect from post-punk, but with a more emotive shadow side.   There is almost a doomy heaviness to what they do.

Abysmal Hymns: NIHIL NHIL NIHIL : "Things Fall Apart As They Shall"

 

5- Night Sins -"Violet Age" 

These guys have not worshipped at the altar of Sisters of Mercy alter for some time. But this flirts with new wave less than the previous album and turns back toward a darker direction. Two years in the making, the growth on this album is very tangible. What they do has been sharpened and refined as all the elements you want from them. The grooves are tighter, and the choruses carry more heft. 

Abysmal Hymns: Night Sins : "Violet Age"

4-Black Cross Hotel- "Hex" 

This horror themed industrial leaning band features members of Minsk, Stabbing Westward and the Atlas Moth. They are not content recycling sounds from the 80s in an attempt to revisit the Bat Cave. The 80s sounds they do employ is the atmosphere of synth wave and vomit it up against abrasive industrial punk.    

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Black Cross Hotel :"Hex"

 3-Crippled Black Pheonix - "Banefrye" 

. Twelve albums deep into their career they have conjured a more thematic feel. The theme being the witch as the outsider. This lends itself to a darker, more stoner ride, 60's Coven like pulse. This album gets darker as it progresses and finds the band not only dark enough to claim their place here, but this is onle of the darkest albums to be released this year. 

Abysmal Hymns: Crippled Black Phoenix : "Banefyre"

 

2-Kill Shelter- "Asylum"

While a newcomer, even a jaded gatekeeper is proud to swing open the doors to the haunted halls a announce this guy is legit. One important element in place is richly nuanced vocals. It belongs on Metropolis as this feels like a fitting passing of the torch to leave it in the hands of Pete Burns who should change his name to Peter Shelter in under to uphold his responsibility

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Kill Shelter : "Asylum"

1-Christian Death- "Evil Becomes Rule" 

Here is a big middle finger to anyone who thinks, there can only be Rozz Willaims. I love Rozz, but Valor is alive and still carrying on the legacy not only well, but keeps refining their sound, bringing in a bigger ballsy almost metal sound, and still writing great song that do this legendary band's legacy, none of the younger acts came close to touching this one.  

Abysmal Hymns: Christian Death : "Evil Becomes Rule"

Night Sins : "Violet Age"

Two years in the making, the growth on this album is very tangible. In some ways you might say their sound has changed, but it has been sharpened and refined as all the elements you want from them are there. It reminds me a great deal of Death of Lovers, and since Kyle Kimball is in both bands that makes sense. The groove is tighter, and the chorus of the opening track "Fantasy 21" has more heft in. With the exception of the second song, the more driving "Kill Like I Do, there is less of the Sisters of Mercy vibe that first brought them into prominence.  The 80s thing is there but in more of a Depeche Mode new wave fashion on songs like the title track. The vocals are often breathy and smooth on the verses, and he belts it more on the chorus. 

The title track has a Cure like guitar that comes in over the more synth wave sounds. It's Dancey cold wave that gets warmed up with this organic touch. The softer whispered vocals, are nothing like Andrew Eldritch , and when he goes into a croon there is more feeling to it this time around. The 80s drum machine stylings are dialed in pretty hard.  "Turn to Cold" works on most levels there is just nothing in it that moves me more than the first three songs and works off a retro throb. The sounds shift and create a different dynamic on "Corium" that works better. The vocals are a little higher than where he normally sings giving it a more Trent Reznor feel. The drums are stronger on "Sea Sick" This and the industrial touches carry the song as the vocals sit back in the mix. 

"Moonlit Tsar" is another song powered by a solid groove though the vocals here contribute more than the previous. The synth riff is also catchier. More of a piano sound is used on the last song. The vocal also has more of a Nine Inch Nails feel, making this almost an homage to the ballads of "Pretty Hate Machine". Hey no one else is doing it so I am on board. I like how the song progresses dynamically when the other synth sound comes in. I will give this album a 9,5, it is a wonderful step forward in songs writing that shows maturation and has earned frequent listens thus far. 

 

Night Sins : "Dancing Chrome"

The first thing that hits me about the Philly act's new album is the depth and maturity. By the second song it's apparent there is more of an electronic thing going on here. It's less Sisters of Mercy then their previous releases though the vocals are still uttered from a coffin. There is more of a new wave synth sound at the beginning of the title track which darkens considerably when the vocals come in. The low baritone croak is mixed back behind the synths.Some of these tones  are brighter than what you might expect from them leaving the vocals to keep things creepy.  All the songs are within range of  the three minute mark.

They do find a more organic sound with reverb ringing guitars on "Enamored and Nailed Shut". The vocals seem to be sinking back further with each song. There are some punchy accents in place that help give this more balls than your average dark wave band.I didn't even notice the guitar solo in this song until the second listen.  There is a harsher noise tone to the beginning of  "Schizoid Ice"  which is more of an interlude than a song. "Daisy Chain" has more of an old Depeche Mode feel, think 'Black Celebration". "Spire and Ecstasy" dips back into a sound that you might find more typical of this band, a cavernous cold wave. There is a upbeat tone to "Heaven's Eyes" the only problem is the vocals are once again buried.

This album has the most experimental edge to it.It really begins to grow on me with repeat listens and will not disappoint any one who is already into them though they stick pretty true to who they are up to this point so I don't see it really wining over a larger audience either. I will round it up to a 9. My only complaint is the production and how I would like more clarity from the vocals.But aside from that the third time is the charm for this Philly based band

Night Sins : To London or the Lake

The newest album by the Philly goths has a more dancey Sisters of Mercy like energy, that was merely alluded to on their last album here it is more fully realized along with a lusher guitar sound. Lyrically there is more of a bdsm them, as tongue and cheek as it might be on " Bound Around the World" and " Dear Marquis".  Sometimes the vocal tone reminds me of Bella Morte, the twinkling guitar helps to hide this. The synths are at time more minimal than you would expect from this sort of dark wave, but overall there is a greater scope of sounds being employed here. The vocal production is also stepped up, with delay and reverb adding trippy nuances .

When they get mired in over wrought clichés, the guitar rescues the songs with it's web of melodies. The album at times begins to lean more heavily into cold wave and finds itself closer to VNV Nation  and steps away from the post- punk years of it finds it self in murkier waters. I don't think this is their strength as a band but it does reassure me that these aren't just hipster jumping on an ironic Joy Division band wagon, and this album is a rather deliberate step away from the Joy Division sound.

They journey deeper into the more cold wave direction on "Heaven In Snow" but this feels like it is more  balanced in blending this with their more familiar sound. The driving bass of death rock returns on " Neon Light Intoxicants" . The guitar and bass do must of the work as the vocals here tend to wander around. The line " All the young lovers are cold and dead" is the only one that really grabs me on this one.

The vocals on the verses of the title track display the new depth of emotion being utilized here, this album makes what you have heard from them previously seem one dimensional and they have done it with out sacrificing any of the bat cave darkness. This would keep the dance floor in motion as well as any of the 80's great they are deriving their inspiration from. This is still  to some degree derivative of their influences,  but is overlooked when you let the songs take you.

I'll go ahead and rate this one a 9.5  as it grows on me with each listen, the shift towards a more cold wave sounds at times is going to take a few more listens for me to adjust to and reminds me to much of what I see as the more mediocre era of goth where the emphasis was more on the dance floor fashion show than the instruments being played on stage.

Night Sins : New Grave

From the ever elusive Avant Records, comes Night Sins this Philadelphia band who gets the death rock label and comparisons to Sisters of Mercy and I don't hear either. Dark wave...yes, in fact the first song it me as a cross between early Cure and Depeche Mode. The singer comes across very Gahan in the vocal department, though the vocals are set back cooly into a blanket of reverb to give a more retro sound.

In the song "Shoot me up" there is a keyboard melody which if you really wanted to reach for straws you could try to draw comparisons to Sisters of Mercy but it could also be seen as be seen as phrased similar to "Love will tear us apart " or even early New Order. I wouldn't call these guys dancey, yet they don't have the punk edge of death rock, but i find their overall sound to be soothing to the cold inside when the medication is worn off...ok or when you don't have insurance to get any if we are going to be honest here and since the winter moths can b the darkest I find this sort of thing very soothing. Though the snare hits in a away that I wouldn't think of a dance , it does lend it self to White lethargic head bobbing.

The Joy Division comes on stronger on "Spectral Bliss", the singer doesn't have the heft on his lower register to pull off the Andrew Eldritch but he makes the most with what he does have. "The stranger" the vocals strain to go lower, but the guitar makes up for where they fall short and overall the guitar playing on this album is where it shines as the rhythm section gets the job done but doesn't take a lot of chances, the bass player if this was going for a death rock thing could stand to drive this a little more , but as it is he still has its presence known, though more of that could be due to the mix which is excellent in capturing the early eighties feel. With "Goth revivalist " stuff I am going to really put it under the microscope because I heard all of it on the first go round.

I like the movement in the song "The Eternal giver" , the vocal placement compliments it well and this could be one of the moments where they come close to earning the death rock moniker. it also happens to be where the singer injest the most emotion into his delievery. the Sisters of Mercy hook, kind of reappears on "Wild Eyes" though it still resembles closer to say black celebration era Depeche Mode, the vocal hooks float more rather than having the aggression of an Andrew Eldritch.

the snare hit harder on Winged thing , the vocals continue to just flaot in a unaffected manner , leaving the guitar to try and bat clean the whole mix on this one is awash in effect, though doesnt have a swirl but gets lost in the descent to the bat cave until the last minute of the song when it picks up some drive .

Knife in the sky takes a stab at get dancier. the remain undefined and continue to wander in the shadow behind the band, they could stand to play better with others and jump into the pocket with the guitar so they melodies would have some punch. I have heard it said that death rock was a bunch of punk rock kids that were really into Halloween , which an over simiplifaction the punk roots of it need to hammered home, a band like Alaric totally gets this, because when 45 Grave and Christiam Death were out the lines between punk and what would be known as goth were blurry at best.

I rounded this one up to an eight for feeling it captures the albums starts stronger than it finishes but it might just need to grow on me , you can even round this up another half a point of you didn't catch these guys influences back in the day so only have Vh1s recollections of the eighties to go on. Despite the microscope I hold this one under and the highbar that's been set for these guys I would recommend this none the less which says something for this as well as my score which means I enjoyed eighty percent of this the other twenty just need more form and function from the song writing.