Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Greyhaven-This Bright and Beautiful World
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
The Smile-A Light for Attracting Attention
SZA-SOS
Tove Lo-Dirt Femme
10.Bad Omens-THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND:
Making quality alterative metal has become this bizarrely elusive artform in large put due to the genre being spearheaded by artists that have been making this kind of music forever and have gotten complacent enough that they don't really put much energy into making music that is catchy or memorable in any way. So, when Bad Omens comes along and writes something that is not only loaded with soaring hooks, bouncy riffs and honest emotion, but possesses enough elements from other genres (primarily to metalcore, pop and electronic) to constantly mix up the song structures, it's a refreshing breath of fresh air that should serve as a blueprint for anyone who shares their dedication to fighting the staleness of the genre.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Like a Villain 2. Nowhere to Go 3. Just Pretend
9.Animals as Leaders-Parrhesia:
Welcome back Animals as Leaders, you were missed. Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes and Matt Gartska indulge their softer, jazzier side on their 5th LP Parrhesia, and it results in some of the more intoxicating, hypnotic compositions the instrumental powerhouse has ever written. Honestly, it would probably be higher on the list if it were a bit longer. 9 tracks that clock in at just under 37 minutes after a 6-year layoff just isn't enough damn it!!!
Favorite Tracks: 1. Conflict Cartography 2. Red Miso 3. Monomyth
8.Revocation-Netherheaven:
We should all strive to have the same level of consistent proficiency at our jobs as Revocation does. David Davidson and co. has managed to drop a riffy, energetic tech death record that boasts a cornucopia of extreme metal undertones (melodeath, thrash, prog) and an abundance of face-melting guitar solos every 1-4 years since 2008 and that hot streak continues with Netherheaven-an anti-organized religion opus that just might be the heaviest material they've ever recorded. This enduring legacy of prolonged excellence should not be taken for granted nor it should be undersold, so kudos to Revocation for continuing to make repeatedly crafting terrific records look completely routine.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Strange and Eternal 2. Galleries of Morbid Artistry 3. Diabolical Majesty
7.Cave In-Heavy Pendulum:
After taking some time to heal and refocus following the tragic death of longtime bassist/co-lead vocalist Caleb Scofield in March 2018, Cave In returned with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency on their 1st proper LP in 11 years (their 2019 LP Final Transmissions was a collection of demos they recorded shortly before Scofield's death). Heavy Pendulum is both a deeply melancholic and uplifting album that explores the highs and lows of their recent experiences with grieving Scofield's death and the world at large in the only that Cave In knows how: Through sludgy guitars, colossal-sounding drums and booming vocals that range from guttural screams to alt-rock singing that producer Kurt Ballou then mines into this spacey stoner metal symphony that sounds simultaneously pristine and scuzzy as all hell. To put it much more succinctly, Heavy Pendulum is sick as shit and it's awesome to have Cave In back making great music after all they went through.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Floating Skulls 2. Heavy Pendulum 3. New Reality
6.The Weeknd-Dawn FM:
The 2022 musical year kicked off with a major shock when The Weeknd dropped an album on the 1st Friday of January with basically zero advance notice. For me at least, that shock quickly turned into delight once the infectious oddity that is Dawn FM entered my ears. Abel Tesfaye manages to use his flair for creating preposterously catchy 80's-inspired synthwave, funk and nu-disco tracks as the backdrop for a bold concept album about the joy of finally exiting purgatory (aka life on Earth) and transitioning to the afterlife where limitless opportunity and happiness awaits (the album is framed in a way that each song is supposed to be something that is playing on the radio to sooth the person while they wait to cross over to the other side). Making something that manages to be equally offbeat and accessible at the same time is just a testament to how The Weeknd hasn't allowed his growing superstardom to compromise his unique artistry.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Less than Zero 2. Sacrifice 3. How Do I Make You Love Me?
5.Wormrot-Hiss:
Wormrot's Hiss the grindcore answer to Turnstile's Glow On. The Singapore trio redefines what this notoriously fast, noisy genre is capable of by incorporating bursts of relatively clean singing, pleasant melodies, and string instruments without losing sight of their identity as a relentless buzzsaw that takes pleasure in pummeling the listener into oblivion with the borderline apocalyptic rage that their music exudes. Fingers crossed that they'll continue on their subversive path of destruction now that vocalist Arif "Arif Rot" Suhami-who retired from the band following the recording of Hiss to focus on his family-is no longer in the fold.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Your Dystopian Hell 2. Voiceless Choir 3. Weeping Willow
4.Fallujah-Empyrean:
Massive upheaval within their lineup and some very stagnant songwriting made Fallujah's last record Undying Light a thoroughly forgettable outing. They faced a similar set of challenges on their latest record Empyrean as everyone but guitarist/primary songwriter/sole remaining founding member Scott Carstairs and longtime drummer Andrew Baird quit or got booted out before they commenced the writing process. However, unlike on Undying Light, they hired people that mesh well with the group's style (new vocalist Kyle Schafer has a range and bite to his screams that is reminiscent of their initial frontman Alex Hoffmann and veteran mercenary bassist Evan Brewer unsurprisingly lays some down complex basslines that shouldn't be humanly possible) and Carstairs didn't let yet another major lineup shift his focus. These two simple measures paid dividends as Empyrean is a triumphant return to form for Fallujah. While none of their previous detractors will suddenly become a fan after hearing Empyrean, the record marks an exquisitely crafted return to their classic atmospheric progressive/technical death metal sound that's full of beautiful melodies, sweeping solos and plenty of good old-fashioned heaviness and after releasing something so half-hearted the last time around, that's really all they needed to make it a winner.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Duality of Intent 2. Artifacts 3. Radiant Ascension
3.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Omnium Gatherum:
COVID and Australia's subsequent strict, lengthy lockdown kept the perpetually busy King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard from writing and recording an album together for a little over 2 years. Omnium Gatherum was the 1st time they were to reunite in person since the sessions of Infest the Rats' Nest in the spring/summer of 2019 and they took full advantage of the occasion. Their 20th LP (and 1st ever double album) sees King Gizz basically distill every single influence (everything from stoner metal to hip hop to psychedelic rock/pop to jazz fusion to blues is covered on this record album's 16 tracks) they've ever had into a single release. While not everything works on a pure songwriting basis, it's such a gloriously unfiltered window into the distinctly weird minds of King Gizz that its occasional missteps don't really matter. Omnium Gatherum is the loud, proud celebration of their influences and each other that they needed to make and that's what makes it the most endearing record of theirs that I've heard yet.
Favorite Tracks: 1. Presumptuous 2. Gaia 3. The Dripping Tap
2.Vein.fm-This World is Going to Ruin You:
Continuing the theme of comebacks is Vein-whose return was a bit different than the acts mentioned earlier in this piece as theirs involves the presence of a new legally required band name and the introduction of a mellower sound. Of course, the ascending Massachusetts math/metalcore outfit's idea of "mellowing out" is adding some calm before the storm moments in the form of eerie dissonant and ambient sections as a way to transition between the frantic fits of visceral madness that serves as the band's guiding light. Having these elements work in tandem makes This World is Going to Ruin You a different type of memorably chaotic, devastatingly heavy experience than their debut Errorzone and a great sign that Vein understands how to experiment within the framework of a sound they've proven they excel at.
Favorite Tracks: 1. The Killing Womb 2. Hellnight (feat. Jeff Smith) 3. Inside Design
1.Tallah-The Generation of Danger:
Matriphagy wasn't Tallah's debut album, it was a fucking warning shot. The Generation of Danger is a work full of unrelenting chaos, aggression and unpredictability that fuels this nightmarish world that will delight any extreme music-lovng sick that is able to get on its monstrous wavelength and send everybody else running for cover. Metal hasn't sounded this nasty in at least a decade and it's so exciting to hear a young band develop a sound that is so unapologetically vicious. The fact that technically dazzling drumming, mammoth breakdowns, exquisite down-tuned guitar grooves, prominent turntable scratches and a vocalist that can go from rapping to pig squealing to singing and back again in the span of 5-10 seconds are also a part of this evil little party is really nice.
Favorite Tracks: 1. The Hard Reset 2. The Impressionist 3. Wendrid
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