Another year has passed, and personally, I feel as though it came and went all too fast. I’m wondering if that’s just something that continues to happen the older you get, or if it’s the result of endlessly seeking out new opportunities to interview artists and promote new music within a field that never sleeps. I’ll say it’s both. However, as tiring as the chase for discovering and writing about new music can be, the reward of continuously finding music that makes an impact and inspires me is where a lot of my personal joy comes from.
As always, it can be difficult, sometimes draining, to keep up with the sheer amount of music being released each week. Developing a healthy balance between artists that I see a lot of potential in and bands that I love and admire has been key. There are hundreds of artists and bands out there releasing new music each week, dedicating themselves to their craft, and in the same breath, teams working around the clock to support them and make sure that musical creation gets the support it deserves.
I feel with each year that passes, one thing is for certain: There’s no shortage of good music being released, and that goes for whatever you’re looking for. Furthermore, I feel that New Noise does one of the best jobs covering a wider spectrum of music, keeping the focus on independent, underground music.
If you’re anything like me, you search for that indescribable feeling that music gives you. This year, there were so many great releases, and it’s impossible to limit this list to just a top 10, so for a more exhaustive list of my 2022 most enjoyed releases, you can click here.
Never forget that the main purpose and the biggest takeaway from these is the opportunity to see other people’s lists and go check out releases that we may have missed or not have been able to give a chance. I hope you’re able to discover some new releases through this list, so enjoy!
10. Vomit Forth – Seething Malevolence (Century Media Records)
After grabbing their 2021 demo from Maggot Stomp, I was eager to see just how Connecticut’s Vomit Forth was going to follow up. With the demo previewing “Predatory Savior” and “Tortured Sacrament,” both of which made it on to the band’s 2022 debut full-length, it was clear the band leveled up and was taking no prisoners. Released via Century Media Records in July, Seething Malevolence delivers brutal death metal with an absolutely bludgeoning backbone, hammering out ass-beating slam after ass-beating slam. Vomit Forth produced their filthiest, heaviest recording to date, and I’m very excited to see what they do next.
9. Backslider – Psychic Rot (To Live A Lie Records)
Philly’s Backslider utilizes a collage of sounds to channel a very unique, artistic aggression, and it’s easy to hear that the band are no slouch when it comes to crafting their tumultuous compositions. Although their sound is rooted in raw powerviolence and punk, they’ve managed to evolve tremendously on their 2022 full-length Psychic Rot, released in February of this year. Psychic Rot pulled me in with its jarring atmosphere, instrumental noise experimentation, sound samples, vocal variety, and erratic outbursts, in what I would consider to be the band’s biggest musical achievement to date. This one is explosive and utterly chaotic, an undoubtedly unique contribution to the world of powerviolence.
8. Watain – The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain (Nuclear Blast Records)
Although I didn’t find myself digging into too much black metal over the course of this year, Sweden’s infamous Watain roped my in with their masterful songcraft on The Agony & Ecstasy. Released in April, the album has a top-notch production that also captures the band’s swirling chaos. Watain’s instrumental mastery shines throughout the album’s entirety, utilizing frigid riff tactics and darkened melodies that lace this release with a truly evil presence. The album weaves through various tempos and songwriting dynamics that allow tracks like “Leper’s Grace,” “Before The Cataclysm,” and “We Remain” to all stand out from one another, but hit with equal impact. Watain show off their black metal veteran status with a collection of songs that are as cold-blooded as they are elegant.
7. Darkness Everywhere – The Seventh Circle (Creator-Destructor Records)
This may be one of the lesser-known releases off this list, but make no mistake, Oakland melodeath worshippers Darkness Everywhere came out swinging with some of my favorite riffs of the year on their Creator-Destructor debut, The Seventh Circle. Let the record show that I’m a sucker for that Gothenburg sound, and the melodic elements of bands like At The Gates, Darkest Hour, The Haunted, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, etc., will always ring in my head as some of the most beautiful sounds in metal. It feels like the members of Darkness Everywhere came together with the idea that they were going to let that worship shine, but with their own flavor. I’m a big fan of the over-the-top dueling guitar harmonies and raw vocal attack, but most importantly how everything comes together to create songs that I just really want to keep listening to.
6. Aeviterne – The Ailing Facade (Profound Lore Records)
New York-based experimental death metal group Aeviterne created such an overwhelmingly ominous sound on their latest, it’s impossible to ignore. Unorthodox string work weaves together dissonant intricacies that overlay a whirling percussion, coming together to create a sense of bleakness on The Ailing Facade that devours you whole. A tense but thrilling journey that sees the members of the band thinking way outside the box in terms of composition. Words don’t do this album justice; you have to listen to it for yourself to truly feel the intense, rhythmic stimulation at work.
5. Take Life – You Are Nowhere (Translation Loss Records)
This one has been perhaps the most punishing listen of the year for me. Through the use of explosive drums, utterly heavy riffs, and maniacal screams, the collaboration between Rob Fusco (One King Down, Most Precious Blood, Recon) and Rafe Holmes (Insvrgence), as well as Matt Guglielmo (drums), created one of the most catastrophic sounding metallic hardcore releases in recent years. Even with their more barebones approach to songwriting, each track has a honed-in heaviness and deliberate attack, with an immensely dismal atmosphere. Not to mention, a snare pop that’ll blow a hole through your chest. This one is an all-out, abrasive piece of pissed off ‘core that leaves a lasting sting!
4. Deadbody – The Requiem (Closed Casket Activities)
The Requiem by West Coast death metal/hardcore outfit Deadbody is the 2022 release that came out of left field and completely took me by surprise. Hammering grooves, demolishing riffs, and pummeling blasts make this EP one of the most invigorating of the year. Deadbody write ass-beating songs full of attitude and aggression, perfectly suited for any lover of extreme metal. By attaching their own set of balls to the style of death metal, the members of Deadbody pull off something that’s as exhilarating as it is heavy, all in pursuit of breaking the neck of all who press play.
3. Daeva – Through Sheer Will And Black Magic… (20 Buck Spin Records)
Through Sheer Will And Black Magic… not only provides a whirlwind of razor-sharp riffing and ferocious, Hellhammer-style drummage, but an entire album filled with an inescapable infernal atmosphere. The band’s thrashing, technical guitar wizardry puts a spell on the listener, while a reverberated shriek cries out with pure nostalgia. Mashing together the attack of German thrash classics and the atmosphere of some of Norway’s finest black metal, Daeva took their sound to much higher heights than I could have ever imagined.
2. Rotten Mind – Unflavored (Lövely Records)
I fell in love with Uppsala, Sweden’s post-punk/rock group Rotten Mind back in 2020. That year they released their full-length album Rat City Dog Boy, which came jam packed with undeniably great songs, and ever since then, I’ve been trying to get their name out there as much as possible. Returning this year with Unflavored, once again, the band has floored me with their catchy hooks and punchy, energetic sound. There’s a very upfront and vulnerable nature to the lyrics that, when paired with the lead melodies within each song, makes them that much more potent. With this not necessarily being a style of music that I consider myself a usual listener of, Rotten Mind have definitely become a gateway into the world of post punk that I realize I’ve been missing out on. This album possesses an infectious energy that I fell in love with this past year.
1. Sumerlands – Dreamkiller (Relapse Records)
When this one came out, it grabbed my attention right away and quickly became a favorite. Having been raised on bands like Scorpions and DIO, this one strikes a very personal and nostalgic chord with me. With so many classic metal/rock elements done so right, Dreamkiller houses a collection of highly addictive songs that possess a true metal magic. Sumerlands’ new vocalist Brendan Radigan amplifies soaring choruses a top majestic melodies, leaving you with no choice but to belt out every word. Also featuring acclaimed producer, engineer and guitarist Arthur Rizk, guitarist John Powers, drummer Justin DeTore, and bassist Brad Raub, this tried-and-true, bulletproof lineup deliver one of the greatest heavy metal listening experiences of the year.
For Sean McLennan’s full list of most enjoyed releases of 2022, click here.
