Best of 2022

The past 12 months were a period of immense numerical, symbolic and ideological intensity. A year marked with the dividing prime number 2, 2022 expectedly saw the world become an even more polarised realm of extreme opposites, with cultural and political tribalism corrupting all aspects of daily life. Dusting off the crippling pandemic with hope and joy of new beginning was quickly overshadowed by war, economic crisis and climate anomalies, and against a different but just as bleak background, music rose up to the challenge yet again. 

Doom and gloom aside, although 2020 and 2021 can be considered as some of the best years for modern metal and alternative music in a while, 2022 easily topped them. It proved a significant period for me too, finally getting around to launching this website and starting to fill it with reviews, charts, playlists and all that nerdy goodness. As a result, I got to listen to much more music, much more often, and more than doubled the list of bands and genres I follow, which I enjoyed immensely. Side bonus, I got to talk and even interviewed few amazing acts that I cannot wait to see blow up in the near future.

In my Best of 2021 review, I started with a little overview of my listening habbits and Spotify Wrap overview, so it's only fitting to share another brief look at my personal musical 2022 in numbers and statistics. My main goal was to listen to as much music as I can, preferebly discovering new bands and updating all playlists with all the ragers that were coming on a daily basis until the very last day (and I mean it, it's not like Darko just dropped a huge EP on 31 Dec...).

We have Spotify to give us all the juicy data, and there wasn't anything surprising there, considering the ammount I spend with exactly those 5 bands listed on the side. Outside of that, I managed to check out 206 individual releases, from which 150 were full studio albums, 37 EPs and 19 others (reissues, live albums, anniversary drops, etc. In other words, I more than doubled 2021, so that is one tasks successfully accomplished last year (first world problems...)!

I'm gonna try to be as brief as possible, going over the good, the great and the best that defined 2022 as the unstoppable raging party that it really was, at least on the music front. First and foremost, we witnessed the outcome of what started back in 2021, namely the grand ascend of the likes of Lorna Shore, Bad Omens, and Eskimo Callboy, with all the viral moments they enjoyed. Established powerhouses like The Devil Wears Prada, Architects, Motionless In White and so on, more than delivered, and then there was the weird TikTok gang to make random acts more popular than ever. But above all, 2022 was the year of the newcomers and we witnessed some phenomenal debuts that are bound to shape our future.

The modern metal got even bolder and louder, with bands really getting behind the teatrical and embellished grandeur; operatic choirs, apocalyptic symphonies, dramatic organs, dark atmospheres, menacing vibes all becaming a part of our daily lives. On one side, you can thank Lorna Shore's popularity for that, but there is also the likes of Brand of Sacrifice and the deathcore gang in pushing the trend forward, with plenty of others joining forces in the quest of making metal more epic and cinematic than ever before. And then there is the legend Misstiq who single-handedly made classic orchestration the hottest thing around.

In other news, nu metal not just came back in style, but appeared to be stronger than ever before. Forget about those elitists of the early 2000s telling you how bad it was, more than 20 years later the genre is alive and kicking. Korn, SlipKnot, (hed) P.E. and Drowning Pool all dropped new albums with their impact still shaping the scene, including some of this year's finest albums and EPs by the likes of Architects, Northlane, Thornhill, Spiritbox, Bad Omens, I Prevail, Borders, Tallah, AVOID, Ocean Grove, and just about every record that came out. Elements of alternative metal, electronics, grunge, hip-hop are now a must-have and whether you like it or not, the irony of nu metal being appreciated in 2022 is brilliant.

Last year, I finnished with the easy prediction that Australia will set the trends again, and looking at the past twelve months now, I strongly believe the Upsade Down produced the finest and most innovative music across the entire scene. Aussies really ralied their best, starting with the latest by Northlane, Thornhill, Parkway Drive, Void of Vision, Ocean Grove, and Alpha Wolf, going through In Hearts Wake's unmissable 'Green Is The New Black' documentary, and ending with debuts and breakout releases by Pridelands, Windwaker, The Gloom In The Corner, Saviour, The Comfort, Reliqua, Ocean Sleeper, and adopted NZ heroes Banks Arcade, all of these a must-listen to. Last but not least, as usually in the middle of it all was UNFD, fresh off celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2021 and cementing their place as the beating heart of the modern metal and alternative scene in Australia and beyond.

Hardly a surprise to anyone, the UK followed suit and kept on pushing the boundaries of what modern metal could and should be. The usual suspects were as active as always, Architects dropping another stellar record, While She Sleeps and Bullet For My Valentine extending their fantastic 2021 release, and Bury Tomorrow regroupring and teasing an outstanding 2023 drop. Then you have Bleed From Within raising the bar even higher, Oceans Ate Alaska returning with a blast, Invisions stealing the show with their spectacular breakthrough Deadlock, and the likes of Borders, Malevolence, Cowboy Jumped Ship, October Ends, Boston Manor, Monuments, and many others all making powerful statements.

I'm beyond happy to see Central Europe just as determined to keep on delivering fresh talents and extremely high quality modern metal and alternative releases. Aside from Rammstein and Caliban doing what they do best, and Electric Callboy remaining steady on their path to greatness, Germany delivered plenty of unmissable releases by the likes of Future Palace, Oklahoma Kid, SETYØURSAILS, Chaosbay, Blacktoothed, League of Distortion, Our Mirage. Amongst all these, one has to give credit to the driving force that are both Arising Empire and Christoph's Sawdust Records, ralying local talent relentlessly.

France gave us more music from Landmvrks, ten56., Betraying The Martyrs and Novelists, Switzerland dropped Paleface on us all, Denmark revealed Cold Night For Aligators, and then there was Scandinavia, reclaiming their place at the top of the European scene. Sweden unleashed its full potential with Aviana, Meshuggah, Amon Amarth, The Halo Effect, Soilwork, ALLT and Eyes Wide Open, Finland answered with Amorphis and Blind Channel, and Norway made sure to raise the bar with Trollfest and Once Awake. All in all, you could find raging records all over the continent and I am sure 2023 will have plenty of surprises to top that.

Being located right in the middle of that melting pot of rising new bands and ever-expanding modern scene surely had its perks, mostly in the endless streak of insane gigs that I managed to attend. I finally felt the pandemic truly over and enjoyed all those concerts from the past few years all going ahead. In less than a year, I got the opportunity of seeing Gojira, Parkway Drive, While She Sleeps, Lorna Shore, August Burns Red, Bury Tomorrow, In Flames, At The Gates, Imminence, Orbit Culture, Novelists, and Alien Weaponry, eight of these for the first time, and all in their absolute best uncompromising form.

Obviously, you cannot cover the modern music scene and leave the USA outside of the picture, but it is also near impossible to cover all fronts there and we have learned to expect the best. The usual states got us covered throughout the year, but for me the clear winners were The Devil Wears Prada (MI), Bad Omens, Lorna Shore (NJ), Bad Omens (VA), Fit For A King (TX), Motionless In White (PA), AVOID (WA), I Prevail (MI), Underoath (FL) and Left To Suffer (GA), to highlight a few regional heroes for their unmissable releases.

I can carry on listing countries, states and continents all day, and still wouldn't cover every band and album that are worth mentioning. I am sure this geograpy and music crossover is also getting a little boring, but I hope this makes whoever is still reading extend their radar beyond their comfort zone. Point is, the global market and streaming services are giving us millions of ways to find and listen to new music by new bands all the time, so there is really no excuse for remaining a narrow-minded self-proclaimed gatekeeper anymore.

With that little swipe, I intend to finish this overview of the modern scene in 2022, and below are my annual charts of the top 20 albums, top 5 EPs, as well as the label, breakthrough and re-issue of the year, and the one band to watch for next year. I am already excited to dive deep in 2023 and see how well it performs against the huge expectations and demants that the post-2020 metal world have brought on us. Bring it on and don't forget to stay tuned for much more reviews, charts and playlists!

Best EPs of 2022:

5. Left To Suffer - End Dying Forever

4. Alpha Wolf x Holding Absence - The Lost & The Longing

3. Betraying The Martyrs - Silver Lining

2. Void Of Vision - CHONICLES II: HEAVEN

1. Spiritbox - Rotoscope

Best Albums of 2022:

20. AVOID - Cult Mentality

19. The Gloom In The Corner - Trinity

18. Miss May I - Curse of Existence

17. Silverstein - Misery Made Me

16. Oklahoma Kid - Tangerine Tragic

15. Future Palace - Run

14. Electric Callboy - TEKKNO

13. Fit For A King - The Hell We Create

12. Bleed From Within - Shrine

11. InVisions - Deadlock

10. Lorna Shore - Pain Remains

9. Windwaker - Love Language

8. Banks Arcade - Future Lovers

7. Pridelands - Light Bends

6. Thornhill - Heroine

5. Architects - Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit

4. Northlane - Obsidian

3. Aviana - Corporation

2. Bad Omens - The Death Of Peace Of Mind

1. The Devil Wears Prada - Color Decay

Best Re-issue/Deluxe Edition of 2022:

Landmvrks - Lost In The Wave (Complete Edition)

Breakthrough of 2022:

Borders - BLOOM SEASON

Label of 2022:

UNFD

One to watch for 2023:

Afterglow