2022 was a weird one. The year, as we all know, has been one of the darkest yet in recent history. And it shows in a fair number of excellent pitch-black records that hit our shores. On the other hand, many a prog outfit sent in pretty spectacular wares that only sailed past a famed 10/10 by a very slight margin. Even a significant number of snazzy Heavy and Power Metal records showed up at our imaginary doorstep, and for cause.
Some old masters resurfaced from their hidey holes and showed their still significant savoir-faire. Whereas some young guns came forward with genre-breaking records that took us by storm. It was a wild ride that brought a ton of new material worthy of a Top 10. And a lot of it was (finally) post-Covid with new ideas and boundless creative energy. A somewhat disorganized avalanche of rock, metal, and folk that we had trouble containing. But as always, chaos breeds excellence, and this year has been living proof of that. Thus, let the fun ‘n’ games begin.
The RMR’s 2022 Top 10 Records beckon you!
Saxon – Carpe Diem
True, there has been a trickle of pretty snazzy Heavy Metal outfits that came online over the last few years. And that made the older echelon of the RMR review committee really happy. But it takes the gnarly old weeds that still dish out their heavily metallic punishment after all these years to show us measly n00bs how to play real (old-style) metal. So, here’s to the grizzled warhorses of Saxon, whose last record took us by surprise first, and then by storm. Credit where credit is due.
Moonshade – As We Set the Skies Ablaze
Hot damn. Moonshade really raised the temperature of our overheated summer even more back in July 2022. At the height of the heat wave over here, they sent us the Melodic Death Metal scorcher of the sunny season. A red-hot piece that deliciously ravaged our ears with its unctuous flow of snazzy metal, slightly blackened to taste, and delivered with a ton of energy. That’s one helluva record that hopefully made Insomnium rethink their quality strategy for their upcoming record. Meantime, put on your crash helmets and let this one roar for a gazillion spins.
Seyr – Flux
Flux is a record that you never want to encounter as a debut. And I’m serious about it. Because here is the thing. How on earth are they going to best this piece as a sophomore album, and then shine on one of those future Top 10 record lists that will surely emerge over the next years? Yep, with a lot of difficulties, that’s how. The newbies of Seyr really knocked our socks off with their idea that prog should be harsh, punky, and full of groove at the same time. But hey, difficult to explain. Fact is – however – that we relished that record back when it came out and still listen to it today. And so should you.
Darkher – The Buried Storm
Ethereal soundscapes dreamily waft over to subdued yet powerful metallic vibes. And all that floats in on Jayn Maiven’s smoky and seemingly effortless musings. This record proved to be one of the surprises of the year 2022. The RMR crew really wasn’t sure what to expect. Rinse and repeat or some genuine progression over the reflections of the past? Fortunately, the band got us an extremely strong melancholy selection of tracks that gorge with sometimes brilliant ideas. A non-metal album that is often more metal than the real thing out there. Or let me call it Post Metal, even if this isn’t quite correct, to say the least. So, here’s to one of the most out-of-the-box experiences this painful year had on offer. Enjoy!
Ellende – Ellenbogengesellschaft
Enigmatic, yet menacing soundscapes high on atmospherics that flutter by like some scary dark metallic butterflies. Just to dissolve into some of the vilest Black Metal imaginable. Ellende brought us a memorable reminder of today’s society’s woes, full of wild animals and ambient reflections. An accomplished medley of hot ‘n’ cold. Refined soundscapes and harsh metal in a cold embrace, sprinkled with this harsh yet strangely alluring Teutonic language of theirs. This Post Black Metal thing doesn’t get any better. Stay with them awhile.
Wilderun – Epigone
Epic productions on a grander-than-grand scale seemingly are this band’s daily bread. Epigone is yet again a piece of masterful metal geekery that we haven’t quite seen reproduced to date. A smooth collection of vibrant ambient, perfectly arranged sounds and melodies, followed by a thunderous, dystopian end. A perfectly accomplished masterpiece that reached us early in the year – and stayed with us ever since.
Slaughter The Giant – Depravity
Who would have thought that a Melodic Death Metal piece from a band not called Insomnium would make it onto the 2022 Top 10? Right. Nobody, and now we got two of them. Yet here, Slaughter the Giant almost scorched us to kingdom come and got away with it. This is Death Metal on another plane of existence, a multi-dimensional experience of sorts. Mortal metal foisted on the unsuspecting masses that oscillates between death throes and the opera of the undead. Go figure, but it worked – almost to perfection.
Splintered Throne – The Greater Good of Man
The museum-ready antiques of Saxon already got undue praise on this here 2022 Top 10. But what about a younger generation that kinda hit us like a friggin’ freight train out of the left field? True, the folks from Splintered Throne ain’t no garden-fresh variety either. But boy, did their lusty brand of Heavy and Power Metal truly try to destroy our music machine over here. So, more kudos to a genre that many already pronounced dead. And show these guys some love, they truly deserve it.
Sidus Atrum – Spiral of Life
Blackest metallic extremes that somehow eerily co-exist with Post Black atmospherics and a gluttony of weird elements should never sound coherent. Right? Well, nope. Yulia Lykhotvor single-handedly managed to make us almost burn our loudspeakers to the ground with her darkest musings. The record’s a decadent bag of frills for any lusty metalhead out there with a taste for eccentric shades of black. Dusk and her embrace reinvented in stratospheric blackened and grand soundscapes. Not something we heard before but strangely reminiscent of one of the darkest years in our recent history.
Kampfar – Til Klovers Takt
Aye, we know. The tepid stench of the vile mainstream seems to hover all over this. And yet. Once old masters speak, things get serious, so get off my case. Kampfar here got us one of the most elaborate Black Metal records available in 2022. Traditional yet crafty, and truly exceptional, the band expertly mixes age-old church burner tubes with modern, even avant-garde Black Metal undercurrents. Thus, this piece is a true reminder that the old blackened art is still alive and – indeed – thrives in those darkest corners of the olde metal multiverse. A mightily malevolent piece that truly deserves to be at that very spot of this horrible year’s list.
The RMR Right Honorable Selection!
As always, we get those bands that just about missed the official Top 10 ranking. And – in truth – we should probably switch to a Top 15 or something. But for the Unholy Year of the Lord 2022, the RMR Review Committee decided to keep this section alive. It would be sad to let these folks out in the cold. So, here are the near-misses of this decidedly well-garnished past 12 months.
Fellowship – The Saberlight Chronicles
If you ever yearn for some great Power Metal, this record should be in your collection. Many a PM band finally drowned in forced silliness and an ocean of cheese. Yet The Saberlight Chronicles display that picture-perfect balance of sugar, cheese, and unbridled power-laden fun. At times it may seem a bit too polished for its own good. And that is – well – because it is. But apart from that small flaw, this turned out to be the best that Power Metal had to offer in 2022 – and maybe for the past years, too.
Denigrate – Blackguard
After a long pause, Denigrate let loose and sent a doomy, gothic piece, high on Melodic Death Metal vibes. It’s probably one of the most pig-headed records 2022 produced. A piece without regard to genres and self-inflicted conventions. This is true extreme metal music, solely shaped by the wishes of the band. And that’s precisely how it should be. Thus, the band created a beacon shining prettily in the midst of all that darkness it blackguardly depicts. We’re still smitten with its mysterious ways to this day. I guess, a few more spins will be in order to get to the bottom of this.
Tranzat – Ouh La La
How could we resist a band using vile swear words straight in their first song? And then, they overdosed on lobster and wine straight away. ‘Xactly. We couldn’t. Tranzat here just ran over us like a French food truck with their terribly delicious approach to outrageous overkill of – well – everything. And that urge to keep things way out of the box and out of control garnered them one of those coveted spaces on our limited Top 10 list. There you go.
Gramma Vedetta – The Hum of the Machine
Here’s to a record that fascinated us to no end. But it also polarized the hell out of some in the reviewers’ community who bluntly labeled it as some sort of atrocious noise pollution. And for sure, it is a funky piece that stubbornly heads down its rocky path. Not an easy listen, a record that needs some a lot of investment of time and energy to sink in. And this is a difficult ask in today’s fast-moving world. Yet, it hit a very positive nerve over here at the RMR review committee – and we stand by our first evaluation, even if this may draw some flak further down the road. Space travels through The Machine. So, let’s exchange a few grams of soul and land on – Dune. Or something.
Sidious – Blackest Insurrection
2022 was a year that made us yearn for the blackest and tersest of Black Metal with all those (potential) catastrophes lurking at every corner. Some alloy so deeply ingrained in its Scandinavian lore that we just couldn’t resist. So, along came Sidious and their ferociously blasphemous new record. And indeed, ’tis truly hellish fare. Black Metal, the way it should be enjoyed. The Dark Lord on the prowl, that kind of thing.
Infanteria – Patriarch
Can the past as a Metallica cover band be a good thing? Well, it can. But only if you mix yer wares with other shiny objects. Infanteria here chose to meddle in the unfathomable depths of prog and then thrash the hell out of it. And out came a record that amazed us more than once. The band somehow managed to produce the musical equivalence of mixing oil with water. Not possible you say? Well, challenge fucking accepted. Hit play if you dare.