The 20 Best Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2022

Another great year of hard and heavy music is passing us by. With things finally getting to "normal" bands were actually able to tour and support their releases. As is usually the case, you'll see some classic bands ranked alongside of newer ones. So let's not waste any more and get to the list.

Honorable Mentions:
Dark Funeral- We Are the Apocalypse
Slipknot- The End, So Far
Kreator- Hate Uber Alles
Bad Omens- The Death of Peace of Mind

20. Meshuggah- Immutable- Tons of bands try to be like them, but hardly any can touch the shear crushing heaviness that Meshuggah deliver. Something they continue on this devastating album. 

19. Castrator- Defiled in Oblivion- The best new death metal band of the year has to go to this brutal and uncompromising all female act from New York. It kinda sucks that no one is talking about them, cause they need to be! One of the most underrated releases of the year, I probably listened to it more times than many established and more discussed death metal releases.

 

18. Shadow of Intent- Elegy- This has been a great year for deathcore, and one of the finest albums released is this mix of brutality, groove, and melody. It definitely defines Shadow of Intent as one of sub-genre's finest bands.

17. Ibaraki- Roshomon- Perhaps the year's most exciting and singularly identifiable releases is this long awaited side project by Trivium's Matt Heafy. Featuring appearances by Ishahn, Nergal of Behemoth, and Gerard Way of fucking My Chemical Romance this is an amazing mix of metalcore, black, and progressive metal. Also, "Ronin" is one of the year's best singles!

16. Dream Widow- Dream Widow- A death/ thrash/ groove metal album by Foo Fighters for their horror flick Studio 666, this might be the most year's most pleasant surprise. It's also heartbreaking to think that this the last recording to feature the late, great Taylor Hawkins.

15. The Warning- Error- The Warning is a group comprised of three sisters from Mexico, who gained popularity via playing Rock Band on YouTube and covering Metallica's "Enter Sandman" (which the band, themselves, loved). This is their make label debut LP and might just be the best one of the year. It's catchy, driving, and rocking played by three immensely talented, young ladies. Some of my favorite songs of the year are actually on here!

14. Infected Rain- Ecdysis- Mixing elements of metalcore, nu-metal, death metal and groove metal, this band from Moldova have been around for some time, but this is their finest release yet. Effortlessly catchy, groove filled, and heavy you'll wanna bang your head, mosh, and sing along to it. Frontwoman Lena Scissorhands has certified herself as one of my favorite singers. She has a great scream and a beautiful melodic voice. Ecdysis has some great songs with choruses that will stick in your head with just one listen. "Longing" is particularly awesome in that department! She even teams up with Heidi Shepard of Butcher Babies on the kick ass "The Realm of Chaos".

13. Fit for an Autopsy- Oh What the Future Holds- Fit for an Autopsy continue to deliver amazing album, after amazing album. But, this time they may have outdone themselves. Not only is this their best record yet, which is no mean feat, but one that will go down as a future deathcore classic. In a year with many great releases in this style of music, Oh What Future Holds stands as the finest one.

10. Megadeth- The Sick, the Dying... And the Dead!- In my humble opinion, this is Megadeth's best work since Endgame. This is especially true in terms of being a record I want to go back and listen to. Dystopia was quite good, but I rarely go back to it. Don't even get me started on utter shit like Thirteen and Super Collider. This album though, with a very timely title, is fast and angry. And, I actually want to and do go back to it, quite often, even. It stands as hands down the best thrash metal release by an old school band of this year. Plus, Mustaine teamed up with Ice motherfucking T on the awesome track "Night Stalkers"!

11. Goatwhore- Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven- One of my favorite bands, Goatwhore, show no sign of slowing down. In fact, their latest is fast, merciless, and evil, and yet they manage to once again write great hooks. This one will make your head fall right off from you banging it so fucking hard!

10. Watain- The Agony and the Ecstasy of Watain- My personal favorite black metal band are back with what is the best album of this subgenre that I have from this year. It's fast and evil with highly memorable tracks that latch on to you with one listening. Songs like "Serimosa" and "Black Cunt" are among the best extreme metal songs of 2022.

9. Dorothy- Gifts from the Holy Ghost- I first heard Dorothy when I caught her opening up for Halestorm a couple of years back. I was immediately caught by her amazing voice and hard rocking tunes. But, it wasn't till this ass kicker that I truly became a fan. One of the finest hard rock albums of the entire year, it features catchy and rocking tracks fronted by one of the best vocalists in the genre in the form of Dorothy Martin. Songs and lyrics trade between the inspiring and fun ("A Beautiful Life"), the fun, anthemic, and hard ("Black Sheep"), to the sexy and hard rocking ("Hurricane"). In fact, according to Spotify, Dorothy was my most listened artist this year with the absolutely amazing and dark "Rest in Peace" being my most listened to song. Which makes sense, cause it might just be the best single of 2022!

8. Lamb of God- Omens- Some of the more established acts like Slipknot and, more so, Machine Head and Rammstein, delivered either good or adequate enough releases, but nothing to call home about. However, Lamb of God truly delivered the fucking goods. Crunching and adrenaline charged, this release gets my vote for the record to kick ass to. It is certainly my favorite workout album of the year. Plus, "Omens" gets my vote for the best title track of 2022, or at the very least the one with my favorite chorus.

7. Venom Prison- Erebos- Welsh band Venom Prison have been doing the death metal since at least 2015. But, with Erebos, they have given us what I predict will be become their future classic. Featuring incredible musicianship and one of the best vocal performances in extreme metal in 2022, in the form of Larissa Stupar, this release stands as an absolute skull crusher. 

6. Municipal Waste- Electrified Brain- My pick for best, and definitely my most listened to, thrash metal album of 2022 is the latest from these crossover kings. It's fast as fuck and immensely fun to rock out to. Honestly, I think it is thier very best since their genre classic The Art of Partying.

5. Bloodhunter- Knowledge Was the Price- My pick for THE most severely underrated album of the year is this release from Spanish these meldo-death masters. Fronted by Diva Satanica, who also fronts one of my favorite bands in Nervosa, this is one of the most addictive extreme releases of 2022. But, with killer songs like "Sharpened Tongues Spitting Venom Inside", the title track, and "Medea's Guidance", how can it not be? Seriously, you guys are sleeping on this one! Get with the program and listen to it right now!

 

4. Halestorm- Back from the Dead- The best hard rock band of the modern era delivers, not surprisingly, the best hard rock record of 2022. Anthemic, catchy, badass, and enpowering, Lzzy and her bandmates give us ass kicking song after ass kicking song. From the title track to "Strange Girl" and pretty much every other song on here, give us tracks to sing along to and rock the fuck out!

3. Corpsegrinder- Corpsegrinder- From the moment I first heard this, the first from the solo project of the Cannibal Corpse vocalist, this was a strong contender for record of the year. In fact, it would've been had it not been for the next two coming in later in 2022. Regardless, this remains a badass and crushing record with fun and wonderfully violent lyrics. It also has one of the best (if not in fact THE best) and most awesome album covers of the year.

2. Bloodbath- Survival of the Sickest- As you can see death metal rules the top three positions of this list. And, this one came damn fucking close at topping it. In fact, if you say it does, I wouldn't disagree. Anyway, the point is this sick and devastating extreme metal from one of the true lords (I mean they are a supergroup that actually works awesomely) of this style. How can you not love heartwarming tracks like "Putrefying Corpse" (with Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, no less!), "Malignant Maggot Therapy", and "No God Before Me"?! Also, "Zombie Inferno" is one of the best album openers of 2022.

1. Revocation- Netherheaven- And, the year's very best release comes from a band that has become one of my favorites in the extreme metal landscape. Complex, brutal, and evil, Netherheaven continues to prove that Revocation are worthy of all the praise that they get. Which is great cause this was one of my most anticipated records of 2022, and it more than lived up to my expectations. 

What were your favorite hard rock and metal releases? Let me know in the comments section below? Also, let me know if there is anything you are looking forward to next year. 

Also also, want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! Finally, I wanna thank you for your continued support. These last two years have been very hard for me, thanks in large part to the passing of my doggy Zoey. As such, I am sorry for me making less often posts. Hopefully, 2023 will be better in all departments, for all of us.

Read More

The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2017, Pt. 2: 10-1

10. Morbid Angel- Kingdoms Disdained- Morbid Angel are back, motherfucker with the best album they have made in years and the best album from an old school death metal band in 2017. My full review: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2017/11/morbid-angel-kingdoms-denied-album.html

9. Myrkur- Mareridt- This might piss of some of the more hardcore cvlt readers out there, but, for these ears, Myrkur- Mareridt is the very best black metal album of 2017. She simply drips with so much talent. The album is bold and complex, with various influences that make sound fresh in a world a of bands trying to be like other bands. She was a wonderful voice that ranges from beautiful and haunting to ethereal to menacing. As much as I adored her last full length, studio album M, this album actually tops it.  Not only is this my most played black metal album of last year, but one of my most played, period! Also, the video to "Ulvinde" is one of the coolest of 2017, beautiful, haunting, and horrific, much like her music is. 

8. Thy Art Is Murder- Dear Desolation- Without a shadow of a doubt, Dear Desolation is THE deathcore album of the year. It is heavy, has a great groove to it, and is awesomely aggressive and seething with unadulterated anger. The unrelenting music adds up to the finest album the band, has put out to date. Dear Desolation is a pummeling aural experience with some the most memorable songs of 2017, like "Slaves Beyond Death", "Puppet Master", and the title track They will make you wanna break some fucking shit!

8. Chelsea Wolfe- Hiss Spun- I fucking LOVE Chelsea Wolfe! There is little else of a way to describe how I feel about her and her amazing music. What is truly amazing is how she gets better and better with each following album. She is continuously putting out classics. Hiss Spun is incredible beyond mere words, an album that is more and more rewarding each time you listen to it. Heavy, in both emotion and sound, there is no way in hell that this is not metal. Her voice is majestic and cannot be compared to anyone else. It is one of the best the rock world has seen in the last couple of years. The excellent production brings every thing to life perfectly. I should also mention that the dark and soul crushing "16 Psyche" is one of my favorite, if not, in fact, favorite, single of the year.

6. Body Count- Bloodlust- From the moment I heard this album, I immediately became obsessed with it. While, the preceding album from them, Manslaughter was a very solid release, this is their first truly great work since their classic debut. Angry, timely, and ass kicking to 100th degree this IS the metal soundtrack for the world we live currently. The violent and pissed off lyrics fit perfectly with the strong musicianship on-hand. Songs such as "No Lives Matter", "The Ski Mask Way", and "This Is Why We Ride" will have you signing along and jumping into that motherfucking pit!

5. Power Trip- Nightmare Logic- This is THE album for those of us who reminisce of the old days of 80's thrash metal. Made to make you want to mosh and kick some fucking ass, this will get you thrashing around like a fucking maniac. Recalling bands like Anthrax and Nuclear Assault, at their peak, it incorporates both Bay Area influences and crossover thrash that has resulted in rave reviews from fans and critics. As the word of mouth swelled over, one might have been worried that this one got overrated. I am here to tell you fuck no, it did not! Songs like "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)", "Soul Sacrifice", and the title track, are ones that you will to not spot listening and banging your head to! On a side note, the video to the aforementioned "Executioner's Tax" is the most wonderfully 80s metal video of 2017!

4. Goatwhore- Vengeful Ascension- A monster of thundering and wholly memorable blackened death and thrash metal, with Vengeful Ascension, Goatwhore have made the definitive classic of their career. My full review: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2017/06/goatwhore-vengeful-ascension-album.html

3. Warbringer- Woe to the Vanquished- Warbringer NEVER fail to make my best of list when they put out an album, and that is with good fucking reason. They are one of the best thrash metal band currently making music. And, Woe to the Vanquished is their best album, yet, and one of the best thrash metal records of the last couple of years. Unrelenting, fast, and crushing this fucker will make you move. In my humble, "Remain Violent" is easily one of the very best singles of 2017.

2. Trivium- The Sin and the Sentence- I am a huge fan of Trivium, and while I like all their albums, to one degree or another, anything after Shogun, just has not felt up to snuff. That is until this album. The Sin and the Sentence is not just their best sine that masterpiece, but ranks among their best work, period. I liked this album from my first listen, but its real power lies in each listen after that. It simply gets better and better after every time you hear it. It is GREAT to hear Matt Heafy scream again, and, of course, the musicianship on display her, from the entire band, is utterly mind blowing. Perfect to sing along and headbang to this is not just the second best album of last year, but the finest mainstream metal album, as well. 

1. The Black Dahlia Murder- Nightbringers- For two albums in a row, a band has topped this list. I maybe mistaken, but I do believe that is a first for a band on this site to accommplish. But, when the band is as great as TBDM, there should be no surprise. Abysmal was a magnificent record, but somehow they topped it with Nightbringers. In many ways, it feels like the real follow up to the perfection that is Nocturnal. From the artwork, to the album title referencing the night, to the very music itself, this is the album for anyone who said that they peaked with that aforementioned disc. Dark, technically strong, and utterly battering this is a masterwork of mello-death. Songs like the absolutely KILLER opener "Widowmaker", the merciless "Of God and Serpent, of Spectre and Snake", the rollicking title track, the awesome "Matriarch", the wait... EVERY fucking song rules on this album, every single one is a fucking 5 out of 5. As such, there is no other choice but to declare Nightrbingers the best album of 2017!

The 20 Best Hard Rock & Metal Albums of 2017, Pt. 1: 20-11

Read More

Venom Inc, Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust, and The Convalescence at Gramercy Theatre NYC 9/2/17

This past Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, I was on hand at Gramercy Theatre to cover a real ass kicker of a show, headlined by the legendary Venom Inc. They were accompanied on the tour by three truly fucking amazing bands. For those not in the know, Venom Inc, are actually speed metal/ proto-black metal pioneers Venom, themselves, in the form of original band members Mantas and Abbaddon. But, with the awesome Demolition Man on vocals and bass and original singer not Cronos.

Before the concert started the friends, and fellow journalists, that I was hanging with, got to run into Demolition Man (below, at my right) and Mantas (at my left, I am the dude in the Star Wars hat, in case you are wondering). Both of them are such nice guys! My friend Ken Pierce of PiercingMetal.com took the pic as well as any others where you see me with posing with band members.

The opening acting are deathcore act The Convalescence. Though, I have heard before of this band, this was my first time actually hearing their music. And, I can honestly say that I totally dug it! They play an adrenaline and breakdown filled take on the sub-genre, but with added benefit of keyboards. This adds a very melodic sound to the aggressive and energetic groove. They also have a very cool stage presence with corpse paint styled makeup, as well as a cool and evil looking keyboard.

 

 

The next band up are thrashers Toxic Holocaust. Though, the band is mostly a one man act by way of Joel Grind (right), they tour as an actual band. And, man do they ever kill! I been a long time fan, but seeing them live is a completely different experience. They are so heavy and bring such energy to their music that I was an even bigger fan, once their set was over! The sound of thrash metal that Toxic Holocaust plays definitely mixes crossover elements with German thrash influences as well as taking some elements from extreme metal, too. The result had the mosh pit fired up!

 

Set List:
War Is Hell
Wild Dogs
In the Name of Science
Reaper's Grave
Death Brings Death
Gravelord
Acid Fuzz
The Lord of the Wasteland
Silence
Nuke the Cross
Bitch 

 

 

 

 

It was then time for Goatwhore to take the stage. I been a fan of these guys since their classic A Haunting Curse and have been following their career from on. But, I never got to experience their music live, either. Their current album Vengeance Ascension is a masterpiece that might just be the best in their career, thus far. It is most certainly one of the very best albums of this year! 

They played a lot of songs off of that album, like the blistering ''Under the Flesh, Into the Bone'', ''Forsaken'', the title track ''Vengeful Ascension'' (all of which are some of my favorite tracks of the year!), and more. They also played some classics from their catalogue such as ''When Steel and Bone Meet'' and ''Baring Teeth for Revlot''. They closed their set with the killer fan favorite and modern classic ''FBS'', AKA ''Fucked by Satan''!

Their performance is filled with powerful energy and ferocity, as well as amazing musicianship. It's a battering musical experience that had the crowd, and, especially the pit, energized. I know that I, myself, was headbanging and really got into it, while taking these pics in the photo pit. They are without question one of the best live acts in extreme metal!

 

 

 

 

During the course of the night, I also got to meet members from the rest of the acts. They were all so friendly, cool, and down to earth and were happy to meet fans. It made an awesome night that much more fucking cool!.

 With Keith Wampler and Katie McCrimmon of The Convalescence

 With Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust

 

 With three of the members of Goatwhore and Liz

Like many a metalhead, I have been a fan of  Venom for ages. But, I had never seen them live. As such, my anticipation to see them play was off the charts. The fans were also feeling the excitement for these legends to come out and kick everyone's ass. And, they more than delivered on that! They bought the house down like the influential masters of metal that they are.

They just recently put out their first album under the Venom Inc moniker. Called Avé, it is a ripping and ass kicking album of old school speed/ thrash/ proto-black metal. They played a couple of songs, of that. And, of course, they also played many of their classic tracks.

Set List:

Ave Satanas
Welcome to Hell
Metal We Bleed
Die Hard
Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)
Warhead
Blackened Are the Priests
Carnivorous
Dein Fleisch
Don’t Burn the Witch
Leave Me in Hell
War
Black Metal
Countess BathoryEncore:
Sons of Satan
Witching Hour 

Throughout their set the fans were going crazy! They sang along, cheered, and chanted (Venom! Venom! Venom!). And, of course, the mosh pit was on fucking fire!

If you are a fan of Venom, then you must see them Venom Inc live! In all, this was an absolutely killer concert, from start too finish. One that kicked all of fucking asses straight to the very pits of motherfucking hell, itself!

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Read More