Turns out my final top three was right under your noses this whole time, plot twist innit? Basically a Nolan movie.
Narrowing down such a prolific year for good music to only ten albums was super tough but ultimately I'm quite happy with this selection.
Last year my three top favourite bands all released albums and unsurprisingly took their places among the top three ; this year however, my top picks include recent discoveries, more underground acts and there's quite a good deal of female representation going on this time around, contrary to none in my 2021 top picks, which is always nice!
Without further chit-chat, let's crack on with our final list of 2022 shall we :
1.) Chat Pile - God's Country :
There's still a pandemic out there, we spent most of the year in fear of a global conflict and nuclear catastrophe, climate change is rearing its ugly head more and more each year and the rich only get richer while the poorest get poorer.
God's Country is the soundtrack to this dystopian, very real, man-made mess and is undoubtedly the album that left the most powerful and impactful lasting impression upon me.
From the scarring imagery of opening track Slaughterhouse to the deeply unnerving suicidal mental breakdown of the album's conclusion, things can get very intense on God's Country, especially if you're not in the happiest of places yourself, but I just could not get enough of the visceral, unhinged darkness this album has to offer.
2.) Crippling Alcoholism - When The Drugs That Made You Sick Are The Drugs That Make You Better :
Yeah, these two top picks alone could probably get me a free ticket to therapy but just like with Chat Pile, I simply could not get enough of the universe and the sounds of this album.
Two individuals, making music at home with the means they have at hand; no massive budget for PR, mixing/mastering, no huge label, etc... Just a passion project that was birthed in the shadows with barely any following.
And yet, this is one of the best crafted and put together album I've heard all year.
The songwriting and performances are absolutely fantastic and so captivating;
it's just the perfect mix of goth and noise rock with some mathcore elements sprinkled in like spasmodic outbursts which, combined together, create an unforgettably unique ensemble as well as a horrowing experience, dripping with discomforting nihilism.
3.) GGGOLDDD - This Shame Should Not Be Mine :
Another record that is hard to swallow and is by no means light and easy listening (sensing a theme here) due to the very distressing personal experience that lies at its core.
Cold, harsh, industrial electronics clash with a fragile voice filled with beauty and strength but also burdened with the weight of lingering trauma; I don't think I had heard anything remotely similar to this before and it immediately captivated and moved me deeply.
An essential album of 2022 without a doubt.
4.) Messa - Close :
Ever since their 2016 debut, Belfry, Messa have not made a single misstep, but Close brings the band's artistry and songwriting skills to unprecedented heights.
Sprawling compositions that have so much to offer, be it doom, classic hard rock, blues, jazz, black metal and of course, middle-eastern folk music that acts as both a musical and thematical guiding thread throughout the journey this album takes you on; driven by one of doom's most powerful and charismatic voices at the moment.
5.) Ithaca - They Fear Us :
I completely lost my shit in 2019 when I first heard about Ithaca and their debut full-length, The Language of Injury. But as good as that album was, this sophomore is such a massive improvement on every imaginable front.
My god is this record pissed off, and in a year like 2022 was with its fair share of reasons to be pissed, They Fear Us offers both a very serious, cathartic release of that anger but also a super fun and positive outlet for pent-up rage.
They Fear Us also had some of my favourite production all year and I'm so, so happy I got to mosh to some of its tunes last summer.
6.) The Dear Hunter - Antimai :
My interest for The Dear Hunter had been on the decline for the past couple of years and I am so glad they proved me how foolishly wrong I was to think so with this new release.
As if the expansive world of the Acts wasn't enough already, Antimai creates a brand new story of dystopian social inequities to sink your teeth into with some of the grooviest, most infectious progressive rock you'll hear for another good while.
Antimai felt like the musical equivalent of watching an enjoyable and well produced blockbuster and I absolutely loved it for it.
Again, some of my favourite production as well as compositional work in 2022.
7.) Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory :
Throughout their career, Rolo Tomassi have never sounded like one specific band or genre as they did things in their own lane ; and this new material sees them continuing to carve their unique sound and legacy with an approach to songwriting that is as mature as it has ever been before.
In equal parts beautifully touching and blisteringly aggressive ; Where Myth Becomes Memory is such an impactful record, even more so when you read into the themes the band get across through their music.
And my god, that piano work which ties everything together just speaks to my soul.
8.) Conjurer - Pàthos :
On their sophomore album, Conjurer prove that they are so much more than a riff arsenal, in case that needed proving; Revealing a much more vulnerable, profound, serious and mature façade of themselves as a band through the topics and themes upon which they build their perfect combination of post-metal, black metal, doom and sludge hardcore.
Yes they have sick riffs, but they also have emotional depth to go with those too.
Seriously, I can never get past the climax of All You Will Remember without getting goosebumps or teary-eyed
9.) Celeste - Assassin(e)s :
The first time I listened to this record at the start of last year, I knew it would stick with me. Whether due to its tar-black depictions of domestic abuse, depression, misogyny or its relentlessly crushing mix of black and post-metal ; actually, make that both.
What a miserable and decidedly heavy (in more ways than one) listen this is.
10.) Secret Gardens - Everbloom :
With all the bleak, existential misery that made this list and also constituted a good chunk of 2022, Everbloom felt like a reassuring hug, or a loved one telling you its going to be okay, there will be better days ahead.
Even without taking the emotional side of things into consideration, Everbloom is just so lovingly crafted and it shows.
Every track stands out on its own and has something different and of value to offer ; and if its closing track doesn't make you feel a certain type of way, I'm sorry to have to tell you, but I'm afraid you might be lacking a certain vital organ that allows you to keep functioning.
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