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.

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The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 6: 120-111

120. Winds Of Plague - The Great Stone War- The second album by my favorite deathcore act has an ogre and a knight crossing swords. Epic, awesome, and fierce!

119. Watain- The Wild Hunt- The best black metal release of last year has an altar with all you would want on one dedicated to evil: a skull, an inverted crucifix, pentagram, etc. The dark colors help to add that wonderful sense of evil.

118. Suicide Silence- The Black Crown- The third album by one of the best deathcore acts out there was also the last one to have Mitch Lucker on vocals. I think it's their best release, up to now. It also happens to have their best looking cover. A creepy eye, two grim reapers, two snakes, and a ribcage = METAL!!!

117. Iced Earth- The Dark Saga- The fourth album by Iced Earth was inspired by Todd McFarlane's horror/ superhero comic Spawn, and as such the demonicly powered superhero was on the cover. As a geek metalhead, I remember seeing this cover and being like "that is fuckin' awesome!"

116. Iron Maiden- Powerslave-The Egyptian themed cover of this classic and fifth album by Maiden also carried on to their classic "World Slavery Tour". The cover, itself, is beautiful and highly detailed.







115. Heavenly- Carpe Diem- Heavenly are a French power metal band. This is their fifth full length album. While, I can honestly say that I am not a fan of theirs, or care for their style of music, this is about the album covers, not the music. And, as such this is a beautiful and sexy drawing of an angelic chick and a naughty S&M/ metal chick, who are about to get into some lesbian kissing. Yay!




114. Motorhead- Orgasmatron-  The original working title to this, the seventh album by the band, was Ridin with the Driver. It was too late for Joe Petagno to change his artwork, so the train remained. That's fine by me, cause the speeding Snaggletooth train fuckin' rocks!!!






113. Judas Priest- Defenders of the Faith- The ninth studio album has amazing artwork by Doug Johnson. The creature is called the Metallian. This tank-like robotic beast is described in the back of the album as: "Rising from darkness where Hell hath no mercy and the screams for vengeance echo on forever. Only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of the Metallian... Master of all metal." 

112. Whitechapel- This Is Exile- The second album by this killer deathcore band has a a very thin man, with a cloth over his face and barbwire on the lower part of his body. The artwork is beautiful, haunting, and savage. 

111. Warbringer- War without End- The last album in this batch comes from this American thrash band, and has a tank rolling over bones, with demonic soldiers in the background, all occurring in some fiery/ hellish world. By combing war and evil this is pretty much a classic looking thrash metal cover!






 The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 5: 130-121

The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 4: 140-131 

The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 3: 150-141

The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 2: 160-151

The 175 Greatest Heavy Metal Album Covers of all Time Pt. 1: 175-16

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Brand New Talk with Draven Star- Exxxotica NJ 2013

All photography by Negative Pop.
Video shot and edited by Negative Pop.

For my second interview of the year with the beautiful and just way too awesome Draven Star, which I conducted at Exxxotica NJ 2013, we got to talk porn, metal, and more. As always, she's fun as hell, lively, energetic, cute, sexy, and just plain kick ass. See for yourself:

 

 

 

 

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The 10 Best Metal/ Hard Rock/ Punk Albums of the Year

The first thing I wanna address is the title to my long time readers. I know in the past the list has only had the word "metal" in it, but I wanted to avoid the "that's not metal" comment. And, in some cases, it isn't. So, in the end it's the right title to post here. Anyway, on to the subject at hand, this year saw A LOT of really fucking awesome releases. Enough so that the top ten kept changing, well except for my pick for best album. That remained the same from the moment I heard the album in a friend of mine's car. This has to be one of the most exciting years for heavy music, I've heard. So, that made making this list both tough to do and really awesome to wade through as a metalhead. Anyways, it's here, it's done, and now you can see my picks for yourself.

10. AFI- Burials- Perhaps the year's biggest surprise to me came in the form of this amazing album. It's dark and melodic, yet with the right type of sound to not turn-off their fan base. The album gets better with each listen, and is, in the end, the very best album of AFI's career. I would say it's thier masterpiece. Oh and "I Hope You Suffer" is one of the best rock songs of the year!

9. Eyes Set To Kill- Masks- I been a fan of ESTK for a while, but this album has made them one of my favorite bands out there. It's their best work, yet. It's a heavier and harder sound for the band, while still keeping the melody and accessibility that they have sonically. They even went back and picked two songs from their last album, White Lotus, and redid them to make them heavier and even better sounding than they already were! Songs like Haze and Little Liar are among some of my most played tracks of the year!
 


8. A Pale Horse Named Death- Lay My Soul to Rest- The second release from this band is just amazing! A dark and brooding epic that is crushing and emotionally charged. I wonder if they can top this one, but while it won't be easy, I think that they can! This is the definitive album to listen to when you are feeling like shit, or even when you ain't. And, songs like DMSLT, Cold Dark Mourning, and Shallow Grave make them light years ahead of any band even trying to make this kind of metal music.

7. Norma Jean- Wrongdoers- Another band that made their best album of their career has to be Christian metalcore masters, Norma Jean. With Wrongdoers they have streamlined their sound, while still keeping, it heavy and very aggressive with great technicality. It's an album that gets better with each listening and showcases a band that is just head and shoulders above any from the more generic music that others playing this kind of music have.

6. Suffocation- Pinnacles of Bedlam- This was a very solid year for extreme metal and this brutal and vicious release from NY's technical masters of mayhem is a shining example of just that. It ranks as one of their finest works, with the crushing Sullen Days ranking as one of the absolute best death metal tracks of the year!! On a side note, I think this is the best cover on the list.

5. Warbringer- IV: Empires Collapse- Every album they release gets ranked by me, because they are THE best of all the modern era thrash bands. This album continues that tradition with aggression and heaviness to spare. In all, this is the best thrash metal album of the year!

4. The Black Dahlia Murder- Everblack- While, I am a huge fan of these melodic death metallers, I always harken back to Nocturnal, as their best. While, that remains the case, they finally have an album that does comes close. Heavy and technically sound, this one rips from start to finish, and The Evil Dead inspired Raped in Hatred by Vines of Thorns might well be my absolute favorite death metal song of the entire year! I LOVE signing the chorus!!

3. Carcass- Surgical Steel- Holy fuck! It's been ages since a new Carcass came out, but my God have they made up for lost time!! This is one of the greatest comeback albums in the history of metal music! A continuation of the melodic death metal that they pioneered in the classic Heartwork, this is a masterpiece that has been getting rave reviews in every metal site and mag and with GREAT reason. This is their second best album of their career, and I cannot wait to see what they will give us next!

2. Watain- The Wild Hunt- One of my absolute favorite black metal bands continue to prove why they are head and bloody shoulders above their fellow musicians in the sub-genre. An epic, evil, and majestic album, it shows the band growing and experimenting and even slowing down for a ballad or two!! Yet, they always stay true to their wonderfully evil and Satanic sound. The best album to listen to in the pitch black, cold night released this year, and, unquestionably, well to me anyways, the best black metal release of the year.

1. Killswitch Engage- Disarm the Descent- While, it was a continuous moving around in the other rankings, this was the only album that came in at number one and stayed there. Jessie Leach had to become a better signer, as he was replacing Howard Jones (and returning to front the band full time). And, boy did he ever! A great mix of inspiring lyrics, driving grooves, great musicianship, crushing heaviness, wonderful melody, and those aforementioned amazing vocals, makes this their best work since The End of Heartache. I listen to this album all the time and it's great for just about anytime or anything I'm doing. "A Tribute to the Fallen" might be the best song of the year, at least to me. KsE are truly back and better than ever!!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Five Finger Death Punch- The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 2
Winds of Plague- Resistance
Trivium- Vengeance
Avenged Sevenfold- Hail to the King
Five Finger Death Punch- The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Vol. 1
Terror- Live by the Code
Arsis- The Unwelcome

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The Top 10 Metal Albums of 2010

10. Triptycon: Eparistera Daimones- While, Celtic Frost maybe done, lead metal-master Tom Warrior continued on with this debut album from his newest exercise in extreme metal. A perfect follow-up to the last Frost album, this one is a darkly glorious mix of doom and black metal, that stands as a slow, heavy, and gloomy musical exertion.




9. Watain: Lawless Darkness- Man, when it comes to straight-out brutal, pissed-off, anti-Christian black metal few bands can top the out-right viciousness and glorious evil of Watain. And, while their two albums before this are great, it's this one that reigns in as their satanic masterpiece. Heavy and head-ripping this album only get better with each listening. The final song is a long complex track, but every song is heavy and crushing. Without a shadow of doubt, Watain are on the way to become one of the true masters of the blackest of the musical arts.


8. Ov Hell: The Underworld Regime- While, the latest Dimmu Borgir is mostly mediocre and forgettable, this side project by lead signer Shagrath and Gorgorth bassist King Ov Hell fucking kills! Dark, evil, and heavy this is everything that Dimmu ain't right now. With songs dealing with evil and horror, this ranks as one of black metal's best and still undiscovered, by some. I hope they make more albums, cause Ov hell fucking rules!!!



7. Avenged Sevenfold: Nightmare- While, I don't think this is the album of the year, as Revolver picked to be, it is the seventh best of the year. It's also A7X's best work, to date. To come from the tragedy of the death of the Rev, and make such a heavy and angry album is understandable. What is amazing is just how good it is. The opening title track and God Hates Us rip and kill. As always, the band is one of the single most technically sounding bands to achieve mainstream success in many a moon. It also might have the year's best album cover!


6. Overkill: Ironbound- Many times overlooked or underrated (in particular by those on the westcoast), these New Jersey thrash gods have made their best album in years. It's heavy, fast, and kick ass. While, many a list will stupidly not mention it, I gladly throw the devil horns up for them and rank 'em in at #6!




5. Accept: Blood of the Nations- Here is the year's biggest surprise as well as the year's best come back. I never would have thought that a new Accept album, much less with a new signer (he formerly of T.T. Quick), would be so fucking AMAZING! It's heavy and ass kicking and even the ballad works. Shit, he might even be a better signer than the original dude. If you ain't got this yet, you are seriously missing out!!!



4. Dark Tranquillity: We Are the Void- Also an underrated band (and this list seems to have it's fair share of that), this is yet another killer album from one of melodic death metal's best acts. Featuring amazing guitar work, this is just light years of what many bands in the sub-genre are doing. I also happen to be a huge fan of the vocals on this band.



3. Fear Factory: Mechanize- After two mostly forgettable albums the masters of industrial, with tinges of death, metal are back! In fact, this is one of their best albums ever! It's totally brutal, yet completely listenable. As a huge fan of them, I am overjoyed that they are back motherfuckers!!!!




2. Deftones: Diamond Eyes- Much like FF, the Deftones last album was, well, largely forgettable. But, Diamond Eyes is a masterpiece. In fact, also like FF, it's their best in years. At times rocking, at others soft, but always captivating this a beautiful sounding alt-metal trip. The song playing and signing are their peak, and it makes for an album that is more and more listenable each and every time you play it.



1. Sigh: Scenes from Hell- Black metal's most original act have given us not only THE best release of the year (and, I have to say picking the top release this year was NOT easy), but also the most original sounding. In fact, I would say no band sounds anything like they do. And, it is in their refinement (and not just of black metal, but metal in general), that this band succeeds, greatly. The use of horns and the fast, heavy, melodic music is beautiful and haunting. This is art, man, and my favorite album of 2010. And, their, so far, crowning masterpiece.


Honorable mentions:
Disturbed- Asylum
Death Angel- Relentless Retribution
All That Remains- For We Are Many

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Now playing: Fear Factory - Controlled Demolition
via FoxyTunes

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