Best of 2022: Quarter 3

Month after month, we are going closer to 2022's inevitable grand finale, and with that comes a month packed with album charts, AOTY debates, individual awards and nostalgic overviews of what has so far been a brilliant year for modern heavy music. Before we delve deeper into its turbulent final season, lets go back over the last three months and look at the twists and turns that the third quarter delivered in spectacular fashion, with 20 best singles, records and accompanying videos that shaped the period.

Once Q1 set the stage with a blast, and Q2 took it further into out wildest dreams and expectations, Q3 promised to get the stakes even higher. The usual suspects kept dropping relentless bangers, each firmly set on their album release cycle, while several rising bands delivered powerful statements of intent. Somewhere in that beautiful chaos, we even witnessed the premieres of few of 2022's masterpieces and strong album of the year contenders, as well as that one release that caused emotional wreckage on its path.

20. The Halo Effect - 'In Broken Trust'

A blast from the past in a modern shell, Swedish melodeath supergroup The Halo Effect seamlessly blended the best of oldschool In Flames and Dark Tranquillity in their latest single 'In Broken Trust' leading to the reveal of the nostalgic debut Days Of The Lost.

19. Borders - 'GODLESS' (ft. Elijah Witt of Cane Hill)

As if Borders were not already raising eyebrows with their fresh in-your-face rapcore, recruiting the beast Elija Witt from Cane Hill was a genius move, turning 'GODLESS' into an exemplary modern banger and hyping their upcoming debut BLOOM SEASON even more.

18. Darko US - 'Evolving' (ft. Shaolin G)

Modern deathcore phenomenon Darko US followed on their last year's self-titled debut with a series of psychotic ragers leading to the latest mind-twisting 'Evolving' featuring Shaolin G, marking the official premiere of their fantastic sophomore effort Oni.

17. Slaughter To Prevail - '1984'

Never one to stay quiet, Slaughter To Prevail finally revealed their brand new single '1984', making their official position on recent and ongoing events more than clear in typical bone-crushing fasion.

16. Currents - 'The Death We Seek'

An event worthy of its own standalone article, modern metalcore legends and SharpTone's secret weapon Currents are officially back in their signature passionate form with 'The Death We Seek' as the first single since their 2020 masterpiece The Way It Ends.

15. Once Awake - 'Sculpture'

A true force of Scandinavian nature, Norwegian heavyhitters Once Awake continued dropping exemplary modern melodeath bangers with 'Sculpture', paving the way for their upcoming album number 4 tasked to top the fantastic Bridgeburner from 2020.

14. I Prevail - 'Self-Destruction'

Not really to miss or ignore, I Prevail released their furious single 'Self-Destruction' ahead of the sudden premiere of their latest album TRUE POWER, finally finding their missing spark against all expectations, success and hatred.

13. Stray From The Path - 'Needful Things'

Modern hardcore powerhouse Stray From The Path kept on dropping furious singles until the eventual grand reveal of the widely acclaimed Euthanasia, with their latest bouncy banger 'Needful Things' serving as its perfectly suitable opening.

12. Afterglow - 'Worn Out'

After having the absolute pleasure of interviewing them, Mexican modern metalcore outfit Afterglow followed their magnificent single 'Like a Wave' with 'Worn Out' and 'Dissonant Echo', confidently laying the foundation of their upcoming stellar debut record.

11. Miss May I - 'Free Fall'

Finally ready to unveil their brand new and long-awaited album Curse of Existence, Miss May I dropped the last single 'Free Fall' as yet another amazing step during their monumental return to the very top of the metalcore scene.

10. Fit For A King - 'End (The Other Side)'

Following the raging single 'Reaper', Fit For A King came back swinging with 'End (The Other Side)', a clear statement of intent ahead of their upcoming The Hell We Create scheduled for 28 Oct and looking to top the brilliant yet surprisingly divisive The Path (2020).

9. Orbit Culture - 'Vultures of North'

Easily one of Sweden's and Europe's most promising modern melodic death outfits Orbit Culture returned to their primal crushing form in brand new single 'Vulture of North', raising the bar even higher than their previous Shaman EP from 2021.

8. Oceans Ate Alaska - 'Nova'

We forgot how much we missed Oceans Ate Alaska until a series of relentless singles, culminating in the modern metalcore fury 'Nova', led to their stunningly technical and diverse third record Disparity that premiered a month ago.

7. Alpha Wolf ft. Holding Absence - '60 cm of Steel'

With seemingly nothing in common but their SharpTone Records, English beauties Holding Absence and Aussie beasts Alpha Wolf teamed for the certified banger '60cm of Steel', masterfully blending the best of both worlds in the unique The Lost & The Longing Split EP.

6. Electric Callboy ft. Conquer Divide - 'FCKBOI'

An attempt at pop-punk and easycore anthem seemed like a surprise move at the time, but you could trust Electric Callboy to execute it to perfection, teaming up with Conquer Divide, and eventually topping it with the eagerly anticipated TEKKNO in September.

5. Banks Arcade - 'Used'

Easily the most underrated and least known band to drop an absolute masterpiece this year, rising AUS/NZ band Banks Arcade kept on wreaking chaos with the bouncy nu-metal-driven 'Used' before finally dropping their huge debut record Future Lovers via UNFD.

4. Architects - 'deep fake'

Continuously pissing of fanboys in style, Architects built on the momentum with 'deep fake' and 'tear gas', cementing the fantastic direction of their modern sound and revealing the surprise date of their upcoming record The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit for 21 Oct.

3. Aviana - 'Illuminate'

Against all odds, Swedish metalcore visionary Aviana finally released their instant classic Corporation, a collection of 9 raging singles that flawlessly showcase everything modern metal could and should be, 'Illuminate' the last part of that synth-driven groovy goodness.

2. The Devil Wears Prada - 'Time'

Single upon single, The Devil Wears Prada gradually unveiled the sheer brilliance of their maturing sound, 'Time' just a fraction of the perfectly balanced Color Decay that came out just a few weeks ago and is firmly set on claiming 2022's Album Of The Year title.

1. Lorna Shore - 'Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames'

In a moment of pure audio-visual genius, Lorna Shore evolved into their final form that is both scary and beautiful, hinting towards the modern classic that Pain Remains is shaping to be, with 'Part I: Dancing Like Flames' and 'Part II: After All I've Done, I'll Disappear' easily the most emotional pieces of extreme music I've ever listened to.

All of these singles already added across my 'Modern Metal' and 'Modern Alternative' playlists on Spotify, with most reviews linked in the story. Stay tuned for more and looking forward to the grand overview of 2022 to start in just 2 months!

The 10 Most Anticipated Records For Quarter 4:

Lamb Of God - Omens (Nuclear Blast), 7 Oct

Lorna Shore - Pain Remains (Century Media), 14 Oct

Boston Manor - Datura (SharpTone Records), 14 Oct

We Came As Romans - Darkbloom (SharpTone Records), 14 Oct

Outline In Color - Coast Is Clear (Thriller Records), 14 Oct

Architects - The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit (Epitaph Records), 21 Oct

Fit For A King - The Hell We Create (Solid State), 28 Oct

October Ends - PHASES (UNFD), 28 Oct

Borders - BLOOM SEASON (Arising Empire), 18 Nov

Tallah - The Generation of Danger (Earache Records), 18 Nov

Wildcard: Parkway Drive - 'The Greatest Fear'

Last quarter, I included a wildcard out of sheer respect for Parkway Drive and it is only fitting to repeat this with their second single 'The Greatest Fear' to come out of their divisive seventh record Darker Still which is so much more than meets the eye.