The Top 5 Albums Of 2022

Rock on fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

A few days ago, I showed you what I thought were the 5 best games of this year, and now we move to the best albums of 2022. Kinda like last year, I picked out an interesting bunch of releases to put here. Some aren’t going to be surprising to you, but you might be surprised as to where they got put, and without spoiling things let me say that I have strange bedfellows at my no. 1 this year. So, without further delay, here are my top 5 albums of 2022. Let’s begin!

5) Battle Beast - Circus of Doom (Song) & Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9 (Song)

I said this at the start of the year when I updated the overview (Read here), and I will repeat myself here: Battle Beast have turned things around after one okay album, and one album that was god-awful! It was definitely shocking that Circus of Doom was as great as it was, when you considered what the band’s last record was. The metal came back, the heaviness came back, the vocals came back, and even some of the geekery from their first 3 releases came back in force. There is a little bit of weakness at the beginning with some of the tracks, but even then the whole package is wonderful to listen to. As a way to start off 2022, this was a damn good album, and left me cautiously optimistic for the future!

Another album that left me cautiously optimistic was the return of the Blizzard Of Ozz! We last heard from Ozzy with Ordinary Man, and while I disliked/hated (Take your pick) it nowhere near as much as some fans & critics, I can easily understand some people’s distaste towards it. With Patient Number 9, I don’t get the hate & criticism it receives. Like I said back in October, it does suffer similar issues when compared to it’s predecessor, but there are much more smoothed out. Not only that, but it got a bit of that old-school sound & feel thanks in part to the guest musicians that came in to help Ozzy. If you were turned off by Ordinary Man’s flaws yet liked much of the music on that record, then Patient Number 9 is a good substitute!

4) Korn - Requiem (Song)

Nearly 30 years since their first album, Korn continue to hold the Nu Metal banner aloft despite their style no longer being popular, and Requiem is yet another feather in their storied cap. Dark & Heavy like their last release was, but with a subtheme of releasing negativity from one’s self, the 9 songs on here (10 if you got the Japanese release) are some of the best that they’ve put out since 2013. It may go by quick, and it may grab the balls & twist sometimes, but listeners can’t deny that the overall quality is anything but damn good. Give this early 2022 release a try, and hear it for yourself!

3) Septicflesh - Modern Primitive (Song)

Good to see you guys again!

The last time I talked about my no. 1 Death Metal band of all time on one of these lists, it was about their 2017 release Codex Omega. I admit that at times I was harsh to it for not being on par with the majesty that is Titan (Though not necessarily on my top 5 in 2017), but it hindsight I realized that it’s still fantastic in it’s own right. Modern Primitive on the other hand is definitely a step in the right direction to obtaining that Titan status, and I couldn’t be happier. It still has an identity crisis like Codex Omega does, but this time around things seemed much more focused & controlled, rather that just letting it all out. There’s definitely a more solid direction with the music on this release, even though you may get lost as the album plays. No, this album is definitely not Titan.....but it’s in the ballpark at least, and I couldn’t be anymore thankful for that.

2) Sabaton - The War To End All Wars (Song) & Hammerfall - Hammer of Dawn (Song)

The strength of Sweden has returned!

The last time I talked about Sabaton, it was their first full-blown journey into the trenches of World War One with The Great War. It may have gone by quick, but it was one of the richest records in terms of historical references & facts. Under 3 years later, and we’ve returned to the Western Front with The War To End All Wars! In comparison to their previous release, TWTEAW takes a slight backstep when compared to the band’s prior record. Make no mistake: it’s nice to see Sabaton look at WW1 again, and they definitely don’t disappoint with the stories they tell! That being said, things are ever so slightly more upbeat on this album than their output from 2019. Not so much that it disrupts the flow & mood of the music, but enough that you feel it once in a while as the album plays. Regardless, it was nice that the preeminent Power Metal historians came back in 2022 with cannons blazing & flags waiving high, and I look forward to whatever they have next!

And let’s not forget Hammerfall! Their last album Dominion was the first time that I really let their teeth sink into me, and I never minded the bite since. Tragically, I was supposed to see them (Along with Beast In Black & another band) in 2020, but we know all too well what that year was like at this point. If there was a good point to that plague-ridden time, it would be that it allowed bands to work on music without the distraction of touring & the public, and we certainly got that with Hammer of Dawn! Not too far removed from their last release, Hammerfall managed to craft another fantastic Power Metal record that does just enough new things to differentiate it from albums before it. From beginning to end it made sure I was smiling the entire run time, and that’s exactly what Power Metal is supposed to do!

Before we get to my number 1, I want to talk about some honorable mentions. 2022 had a big bunch of fantastic music this year, and figuring out what goes where was somewhat difficult. My honorable mentions this year were perhaps especially painful, as I didn’t want to put either of them here. The albums here are just as good as everything else on this list, and I have nary a complaint about these two, so without any further delay, here are 2022's honorable mentions.

HM1) Everfrost - Frostbites (Song)

I didn’t want to put this one here. I definitely didn’t! Anyone who’s read my blog since late 2019 knows that I’ve been singing the praises of these beautiful Finnish weebs from top to bottom, and Frostbites is no exception. The reasons why Frostbites isn’t on the main list is twofold: there are only 4 songs on this EP, and outside of the opener I’ve never watched shows that the other 3 tracks are from. I can brush off the 2nd complaint without much fuss, but four songs!? Maybe I misread something on their Facebook page (I wouldn’t be surprised if I did), but it sounded like that this was going to be a full release! Regardless of those 2 points, I can’t deny that Everfrost still got it! There have been some lineup changes since Winterider (Some of which were pretty significant), but they still successfully present anime & manga through a Power Metal lens just as well as their last 2 releases, and given that the next thing coming out is their third album.....I can only say that Frostbites leaves me excited for what’s to come!

HM2) Kreator - Hate Über Alles (Song)

True story. I actually had this album tied with one of my number one albums of this year. It was tied with that record for quite some time, until perhaps a more appropriate partner showed up at the beginning of last month, and thus these Germanic titans were relegated to the honorable mentions section of this list. Make no mistake: Hate Über Alles is a tasty dish that Kreator has baked for us. There are spots where it may be undercooked a little, but this Thrash Metal monstrosity still has a lot of brutality behind it. Mille & the rest of the band harness the power of what we’re all feeling right now: political foolishness from all sides, a dying world, apathy of not being able to fix things despite the work getting put in, etc. The band has always had a way of working with these subjects like a master artist, and in the year of 2022, Hate Über Alles is a perfect representation of how many of us are feeling.

1) Rammstein - Zeit (Song) & Devin Townsend - Lightwork (Song) & Nightwork (Song)

Yin & Yang. That’s what I felt 2022 needed to end on. A little bit of serious, and a little bit of light as well. This year was definitely a rollercoaster when it came to things that took place. A lot of it was bad, but a lot of it was good also. So much so, that the two albums I put here kinda embody black & white when it comes to emotions. For starers, we have the returning Germanic juggernaut that is Rammstein, and I said it back in 2019, and I’ll say it again: the band’s album after nearly a decade was like meeting an old friend. An old friend you haven’t seen in a decade, but he’s changed a lot, yet those changes were all done for the right reasons. It was a welcome surprise, and really gave fans something awesome to gnaw on for a while. A year later, and a great plague kept everyone at bay from enjoying life, but if there was a good thing about it, it would be that it allowed bands to record & produce music without the distraction of touring. Rammstein was one of those bands, and they spent their time crafting a sequel to their incredible return.....and boy oh boy what a sequel we got.

If their 2019 release was like meeting a lost old friend, then Zeit is like briefly losing contact with said friend, and finding them again. They’re still the same like they were 3 years prior, but it seems as if they went through some hell, and have gained a philosophical edge to their outlook on life. They’re still badass & metal, but Zeit was recorded during one of the toughest periods of the beginning of this new decade, and as such there is the vibe that maybe there’s a little more to the music now. Not necessarily across all of the tracks, but the moment you feel this vibe it’s quite obvious. While I don’t believe that Zeit surpasses their self-titled album from 2019, it does manage to comfortably tie with it, and I couldn’t be any happier.

Then, on the light side of things, we have Devin Townsend! When my lists last encountered the Mad Canadian, it was through his emotional 2019 release, Empath. It was incredible, warming, and one of that year’s best releases. However, HevyDevy is always creating things, and during 2020 & last year he managed to put out some fantastic music. 2022 is definitely his best year so far, and Lightwork is proof of this. Recording much of the material during the Pandemic, the  album also marks the very first time that HevyDevy worked with a producer to help guide him, and the end result might very well be the most focused record that Devin has ever done. That doesn’t mean it’s his most boring, as there are still plenty of Devin’s quirks & oddities in each & every song, and while it may lag behind Empath in terms of emotional heaviness, the music will still hit you hard all the time. As a way to give face to what we’ve all been feeling since 2020, Lightwork is perhaps the best piece of media to do so!  

However, there’s also the companion to Lightwork as well I gotta talk about. Titled Nightwork, this is a selection of B-Sides & Demos that didn’t make it to the main album proper, and that’s a shame since everything on this release is just as good as what was on the primary record (Outside of a few-second filler track)! Nightwork definitely has the weirder & more aggressive songs, and the flow of the tunes definitely feels more bizarre, but in a good way that only Devin Townsend can do. As with Empath & Transcendance, I find it baffling that these songs are considered demos, when they’re just as well made as what you could listen to on Lightwork. Regardless, Nightwork shows off Devin Townsend’s talent just as well as what was on the main record, and complements that CD nicely!

And these were the top 5 albums of 2022. Kinda like last year, this is certainly an interesting batch of records to talk about at the end of this year. However, I think it’s kind of appropriate, given how up in the air life was. So, in perhaps an surprise twist, I actually have one final end of year list coming. Before that however, I got a review for an album that brings the holiday spirit in quite the metallic kind of way. See you soon!



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If you’d like to look at what I thought the best albums were of last year, check out the link below:

Top 5 Albums of 2021