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Top 150 Albums of 2022 Part III: 110-91

11/30/2022

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Hello everyone and welcome back to the 3rd part of 10 for Heavy Debriefings' Top 150 Albums of 2022. Today's segment finally cracks into the Top 100 as we get into albums 110-91. In more common years this is where the honorable mentions end and the true list begins, but 2022 was so good that I wanted to expand it to 150 to cover every album I got to fully hear and that I truly enjoyed. So let's get into the rules for the list and then we will get into the list properly.

1.) This is a 10-part List running from November 28th to December 9th. The first week is Albums 150-51. 20 Albums a day in countdown order. The 2nd week is the Top 50 with 10 albums a day counting down all the way to number 1.

2.) There are no EPs, Live Albums, Remake Albums, Cover Albums, or Rarity Albums. It is a list of all brand-new studio albums released in 2022.

3.) The order of each entry is as follows: Band Name, Album Title, FFO (For Fans Of) Section, Paragraph or less description of said album.

4.) The list takes into account albums that are released between January 1st, 2022, and December 9th, 2022. Yes, the last few weeks of the year are not included and there is no reason you should be releasing music in that time frame if you want people to check out your album in a calendar year. That's on you.

5.) This list is mine and mine alone. I was not paid or asked to put any album on this list.

6.) As it is impossible to add every single heavy album in a single year, I can only add what I've heard and enjoyed. If an album is not on here that you feel should have been it is because either A.) I didn't hear it, B.) I didn't hear it enough, or C.) It wasn't my bag...baby.

7.) This is a list of my TOP 150 albums of 2022. Not just 150 albums I heard this year. I heard much more than that and narrowed things down to the ones that I want to showcase. Your favorite album or discovery from this list could be at 1, 23, 78, 104, or 150. You don't know unless you check the whole list and check out anything that may appeal to you. I'm just the messenger giving you good music and my own thoughts, but I really do enjoy every single album listed and recommend you check these out at your own discretion.

8.) Enjoy the ride, make some new discoveries, and check out some new music. If between all 150 albums listed you can't find one that you enjoy, you're reading the wrong list.


And now onto today’s segment of the list

110.) Eternal Candle- Lava
FFO- Progressive Death Metal, Progressive Doom Metal


This a late entry into this list, but it deserves proper attention. This Iranian progressive death metal band truly knows how to write from the heart, and that heart is dealing with a lot of dark emotions. When you first think of Iran, you don't normally think of many metal bands, but this is a fantastic example that good music can come from anywhere. The production is profound, the songwriting is stellar and the lyrics are dark, heartbreaking, and reaching for peace both in mind and around the world. I highly recommend checking this one out for anyone of the Opeth, Katatonia, and mid-era Anathema varieties. There is so much to love here.

109.) Abduction- Black Blood
FFO- Black Metal


The first album from this UK outfit embraces the idea that these songs should be played live in a full lineup. The ante of this band has been propelled and with it comes a progression and fire in the songwriting that was a great change for the better. No matter your style of black metal, there is something here for you, from raw to atmospheric to post to just straight-up black metal; it's all on display and captures a real timepiece of where this entity is in 2022 and maybe hinting at what is to come.

108.) ORM- Intet/Altet
FFO- Epic Melodic Black Metal


This album is not for the faint of heart. Over an hour and a half long, 4 songs total, and all of the dark, evil, heavy, and wicked black metal with a variety of other influences you can candle. It may be a lot to get through but the journey is more than rewarding. If you are a fan of the first 3-4 Opeth albums then this is DEFINITELY a band that you need to listen to and become obsessed with as it hits hard with Opeth vibes but comes out the other side showing they are their own creation. They really are a new standard bearer for the term epic as these songs are quite long. The shortest comes in at 19 minutes and 23 seconds and the longest comes in at 24 minutes and 38 seconds. Give it the time it deserves and enjoy this colossal album.

107.) Semblant- Vermilion Eclipse
FFO- Extreme Symphonic Metal


4 albums in and Semblant has only grown stronger and stronger. The band is firing on all cylinders and all of the extremes of this Brazilian sextet are spread as far as the eye can see. While the songs continue to get catchier, they also can get more brutal, more symphonic, more proggy, and more deadly and that's why they deserve all of the love they can get. This album hits hard and it is awesome to see not only the quality of the band growing but also the audience. Especially if you've never heard of them before, give Semblant a shot as you are missing out on one hell of a great band.

106.) Elegeion- Plight of the Heretic
FFO- Doom Metal, Black Metal, Atmospheric Gothic Metal


After a 17-year break between albums, Elegeion has been recreated with a new lineup and has easily created their best album to date. Whether you are looking for something that is more along the lines of tribal percussion, merciless doom vibes, soothing yet haunting vocals, or just spectacular songwriting, Plight of the Heretic has it all in spades. I hope with this review and others catching onto this, more people will check this band out as they are back and they are back with a vengeance. Sensational and inspiring music.

105.) Bastard- Rotten Blood
FFO- Black n Roll, Thrash Metal


Bastard's sophomore album is exactly the right album at the right time. No frills, just solid black metal-inspired rock, and roll that's as evil as it is heavy and toe-tapping. Just completely solid from start to finish and lasts as long as it needs to be. I can't sell it much better than that. Check it out if you haven't heard enough of this style in 2022.

104.) Trick or Treat- Creepy Symphony
FFO- Power Metal


Power metal is meant to be fun, whether you are fighting dragons, going to war, dealing with personal struggles, or writing the new soundtrack to an unmade Nightmare Before Christmas sequel. Trick or Treat put out the most fun power metal album of 2022. Whether you just want to smile or even laugh at the silliness and cheese on display; you can't deny the songwriting, production, and talent that was made to create this album. Yes, there is more power metal on this list that is higher up on the list, but no other power metal album makes me smile as much as this one does. It's an album that you just may need, go check it out!

103.) Goatwhore- Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven
FFO- Blackened Death Metal, Thrash Metal


Goatwhore has never needed to change their sound, they found it and on every album, they find a way to perfect it even further. This is another example of that. It is simply just a stellar display of blackened death metal and black and roll with the right amount of thrash to create a circle pit at any moment. If you are a longtime fan, you know what to expect here, if you are brand new to the band or have been turned off by the name…stop it and give this album a proper chance. You've been missing out for a long...long time.

102.) Depressed Mode- Decade of Silence
FFO- Symphonic Doom Metal, Death Metal


Not just a great album title; it also explains the decade break the band took until they came back in 2020 and released this mammoth display of melodic and symphonic death doom with Decade of Silence. The songs are haunting and devastating, the vocals are filled with pure pain, and the whole atmosphere gives that death doom you love, with the right amount of symphonic and other elements to make the album truly stand out. It's a dead-cold album, but I wouldn't want Depressed Mode any other way. This is how you add some dynamics to a genre made from pain and sorrow.

101.) Hath- All That Was Promised
FFO- Progressive Blackened Death Metal


The Sophomore release from this east coast stronghold takes what they accomplished on their debut album and cranked up everything to its full potential. The genre-bending is mindblowing and hits you so hard when you don't expect it. While the songs are still cohesive, I love the fact that it takes so much into account for creating the music they want to make and are not afraid of letting their influences and love of other genres run free. This takes genre-bending in extreme metal to a whole new level.

100.) Cult of Luna- The Long Road North
FFO- Atmospheric Metal, Sludge Metal, Post Metal


Cult of Luna has slowly but surely been evolving its sound over the last several years and you really start to hear the fruits of their labor here with The Long Road North. While you can still hear the doom, sludge, and post-metal elements strongly; you hear more than anything the love of more atmospheric moments eerily close to blackgaze, but still on the outskirts of it. The songs feel even stronger than before and filled with a new life. Cult of Luna is in a new chapter of its career and if this is what it looks like now, I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us all.

99.) Undeath- It's Time...to Rise from the Grave
FFO- Old School Death Metal


Undeath has taken the world by storm with this release. So much so, they were the number 1 album of Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2022. They are more than deserving of the title as created a death metal album that the old school death metal fans from Cannibal Corpse to Entombed can love, but just modernized enough for the new era of metalheads that are discovering death metal for the first time that loved other genres that are giving a band like this the time of day. It's no holds barred, when it gets brutal, it's very brutal and the production is just as raw as it needs to be to capture their influences. This deserves the love it gets. If you missed out, give it a shot now and see what you think. Especially those of you who think there is no good new music anymore.

98.) Clutch- Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
FFO- Clutch, Blues Rock, Hard Rock


I'll keep this one short and sweet as this is Clutch's shortest album to date at 33 minutes and 9 songs. It's the best Clutch in the modern day with all new material. If you love hard rock, it's here. If you love the bluesy aesthetic, it's here. If you just love Clutch, they have released their best album since Earth Rocker, and it's not even close. Simply fantastic work.

97.) Ereb Altor- Vargtimman
FFO- Viking Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal


The 9th outing from this legendary band showcases the band at their most epic sounding. Doom, black metal, classic metal, Viking themes, and the love of Bathory are on full display here as tired and true as ever. It's what the band has needed to release and I'm so happy with the final product as this album hits all the territories that I love about the band and continues to give even more than that with other flavorings that make it stand out from the rest of the pack. I love it and you just may as well.

96.) Kvaen- The Great Below
FFO- Black Metal, Speed Metal, Technical Metal


Kvaen is the brainchild of Jacob Bjornfot and the sophomore album is taking the project to the farthest extremes it can possibly reach...so far. The songs are faster, the instrumentation is even stronger and more insane, and is filled with guest musicians to really help make this album even more preposterous. If you like black metal but find it too simple and redundant, you really need to give Kvaen a chance and see how wrong you really are. This is a pinnacle achievement in the genre and I can already tell the next album will be even more bonkers in the best way possible.

95.) Avatarium- Death, Where is Your Sting?
FFO- Doom Metal


Avatarium is now considered Swedish doom legends alongside the likes of Candlemass, and they deserve the notoriety. With their latest album, the band continues to expand their sound but maintain their core doom sound. While the band doesn't need to truly reinvent the wheel at this point, they still make every album have its own distinct sound and that's exactly what's shown off here. If you love the classic doom sound, but want it just different enough, give Avatarium and this album a spin and thank me later.

94.) Temple of Void- Summoning The Slayer
FFO- Death Doom Metal


Temple of Void is the perfect name for the band as every album to date makes you feel like you are lost in the sound and only falling as you enter. With Summoning The Slayer, the band continues to perfect their sound while expanding upon it adding new layers to their sound with more atmosphere and dread. I've seen so many people say this is the best death doom album of the year and they're not wrong for thinking so as this album is simply terrific. It's a grower of an album that on the first album you may even like, but the more you listen and let it sink in, the more it seeps into your soul and takes over and shows its true power. Don't believe me? Why not listen and find out for yourself. Go ahead, do it!

93.) Pensees Nocturnes- Douce Fange
FFO- Experimental, Avant Garde Metal


If their previous album was the soundtrack to a horrific carnival you can't escape from, this album is when the clowns of the carnival break loose and attack the visiting town. This album ends up even being more dynamic and absolutely insane than all of their previous work and has become somehow more attractive to the more sane listener, yet even more terrifying. Words simply can't do this album justice and any real attempt to explain it is futile. All I can say is if you want one of the most outrageously extreme displays of experimental and avant-garde music in 2022, you need to hear this album. It's as bonkers as it is absurd and that's what makes it so intriguing.

92.) Obsidious- Iconic
FFO- Modern Metal, Progressive Death Metal

When you start a band that is 75% ex-members of the previous incarnation of Obscura, you gotta do something that will help you set your own style and make the music that you want to make. So how did Obsidious decide to do this? By becoming more mainstream. Not too mainstream, it still has the technical and progressive death metal flavoring that you know these band members from. BUT! They decided to add much more clean vocals, more riffs you can bob your head along to, and an odd sense that they are truly writing the music that makes the most sense at this point in time. The final product ends in a modernized progressive death metal album that fits no matter if you love growls or not, insane fret-board work or not, or heavy music or not. A truly wonderful album that I don't see enough people talking about, so go on and check this out.

91.) Manic Sinners- King of the Badlands
FFO- Melodic Rock, Melodic Metal, AOR


Manic Sinners put out a debut album for the ages with King of the Badlands. No matter how heavy or mainstream you like your 70s, 80s, and early 90s, rock and metal; there is a song for you on this one. It's super catchy and written by fantastic musicians that really know how to get the older crowd and newer crowds of rock and metal together to create something magical. And this is just their first outing. That sophomore album I know will be even more refined and may become one of the most standout albums of that year. I can't wait to hear it, but until then, we got this and this is simply outstanding.


And there you go folks, 60 albums down and 90 albums to go. Tomorrow we barrel on into Part IV of Heavy Debriefings' Top 150 Albums of 2022: 90-71. Until then this is Josh Rundquist saying, See Ya!

- Josh Rundquist (Heavy Debriefings)
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