What a wild ride 2022 has been. We all sat back and watched as the economy crashed, gas prices rose, and we felt the dread of waking up without a job. Like so many (including many of you, no doubt), those uncertainties hit the Grier mansion in June. As the year began, the anxiety of the tech layoffs soared out of control. Like other tech industries, ours made a massive cut in February and March—decimating (x50) of my team. We knew it was coming, but who it would target was unclear. “We are stable now,” they said. “We can’t promise more cuts, but not this year,” they promised. Fast forward to June, when I attempted to log in to my computer one sunny morning. No such luck. As I attempt to reach out to IT, I receive the news—I lost my job. Bewilderment, confusion, frustration, and sadness hit me as I put down my headphones and picked up the bottle. Joining the throng of others on LinkedIn, I scrambled to find a new job. Thankfully, a contract gig fell in my lap a month later, and I settled in to erase the pain placed on my friends and me.
Six weeks later, as I continue to hear of ex-colleagues jumping ship for calmer waters, I receive a message. They made a mistake and want me back. Not only that but to lead what’s left of the team they destroyed. As one would expect, I ignored it—even thinking, “fuck off”. After a couple of days of consideration, I realized 1) this current job bored me—siloing me off into my own world without guidance—and 2) there’s so much more I can do for that team. So, after some negotiation, I took the plunge. Over two months now, upper management finally allows me the freedom to adjust processes and rebuild morale. With it came long hours, exhausting weekends, sleepless nights, and creative—yet brain-numbing—strategy. But it’s been great.
All that to say, my review numbers are low this year compared to previous ones. At times, listening to anything became a chore. I’d find myself driving with the radio off and working at my desk with no headphones. Even AMG, my outlet for over eight years, became the extra work I didn’t have the energy to do. But, even with that and my dislike for nearly everything the other writers reviewed, it’s been a solid year for metal. As with every era of this site, newbies rolled in and—overly excited because they haven’t achieved burnout just yet—overrated everything they touched. As the legacy of 4.0ldeneye persists, everyone’s scores skyrocketed. As their lists emerge for consumption, they’ll surely be overlapping—each writer masturbating over solid 2.0-2.5 releases. With no one to count on, there’s only me to provide a list of unique and truly remarkable albums in this, the Season of Lists. I will not go the way of the wankers. I will stand firm and ensure the mighty falsettos continue their metal reign.
#10. Belphegor // The Devils – Like another band on this list, Belphegor are truly kings of their domain. Since the early ’90s, they’ve released good and great albums—but never bad ones. And, unlike so many other black metal outfits these days, these Austrians stay trve to the only deity worth mentioning: Satan. While others explore Odinism, frighten themselves with the Necronomicon, conjure and (try to) control demons with the Ars Diabolica, or meddle in National Socialism, Belphegor continues to explore what founded the genre in the first place. What the band did differently on The Devils is push beyond that comfortability they’ve protected for years. The Devils charges forward without fear or reservation into melodic passages, clean vocals, female chants, and symphonic atmospheres—all while maintaining the viciousness so familiar to their sound. Nothing is ever truly beautiful and safe as all these layers and elements unravel. Employing Obscura’s David Diepold on the drums was a masterstroke. When the drums hit, they hit hard, and the guitars have no choice but to join the vortex. Some will argue my score and place it higher on the list than yours truly. But there’s no doubt that The Devils is a killer album that finds the band full of exciting surprises.
#9. Them // Fear City – Yep, Grier did it. He put Them into a numbered slot on his end-of-the-year list. For the ridiculousness of the vocals, the cheese ball lyrics, and the “let’s make The Warriors a rock opera” attitude, Fear City is the most fun I had all year. Sure, it helps that vocalist Troy Norr not only sounds like King Diamond but was part of a King Diamond tribute band. Those facts aside, Fear City is genuinely a Them record and not a falsetto-screaming copycat. Though the album’s story is far from original, it’s tweaked ever so slightly that it fits the band. It follows our protagonist (if you can call him that) from Hemmersmoor to New York City, where to hunts down his nemesis’ kin. The album takes you through a NY club (“Retro 54”) to the 191st Street tunnel (“191st Street”) and across the Hell Gate Bridge (“The Crossing of Hellgate Bridge”) to find his prey. But nothing goes as planned when KK meets his target in “The Deconsecrated House of Sin.” KK might not have achieved his goals, but the band surely did. Fear City is a fun story-centered adventure with old-school licks, fast-running bass work, and some of the most addictive choruses in the band’s history.
#8. Eruption // Tellurian Rupture – While I regret the opening paragraph of this review—and the subsequent therapy recommendations—I don’t regret loving this record. Nearly five years since Cloaks of Oblivion, Eruption returns with a thrashtastic monster. Combining elements from Forbidden and Metal Church with vocals akin to Warrel Dane and Stu Block, there’s no way I could stay away. While Cloaks saw the band improve on all fronts, it’s got nothing on Tellurian Rupture. This new release finds this Slovenian quintet snapping the chains and emerging from the reservations that held them back on Cloaks. The result is a record that is both unhinged and on the straight-and-narrow. The first-pumping chorus of “Aegeon’s Wrath” will have you screaming the Kraken’s name in vain. And the cannot-listen-to-one-without-the-other duo of “Praise the Serpent Queen” and “Gone With the Floods” will have you suffocating in Iced Earth-esque aggression that’ll send you to bed with choruses pounding in your brain. Not only has Eruption released one of my favorite thrash albums of the year, but Tellurian Rupture’s mix and master might also be my favorite.
#6. Midnight // Let There Be Witchery – I’d like to take this opportunity to get something off my chest. If you find Midnight boring, you’re a fucking idiot. I recently saw Midnight and Mercyful Fate sandwich Kreator like they were tuna salad on the stage. Like their stage performance, Midnight writes records as if they’re in your living room playing an exciting setlist just for you. It’s always a party of burning swords, stale beer, and the scent of grave dirt when this black/thrash trio releases a record. Resurrecting the blackened slop of Venom and infusing it with clay from the tomb of Hellhammer, you know everything they do is gonna be disgusting. But it ain’t all filth and ripping guitar solos. Unlike previous releases, Let There Be Witchery is a tight record from beginning to end. With ten concise tracks, this new record focuses on bringing out the best in each. You can find the patience necessary to craft songs like the Motörhead beauty of “In Sinful Secrecy,” the old-school sliminess of “Nocturnal Molestation,” and the crushing headbangability of “More Torment.” While the band has never released a bad record, Let There Be Witchery climbs the rung.
#3. Second to Sun // Nocturnal Philosophy – If you go back through Dok Tor Grier‘s top-ten lists, you’ll find that Second to Sun shows up a lot. What’s surprising is how many times I’ve listed them in such a short amount of time. Since 2018, I’ve listed them three times, and here they are again. While prolific, Second to Sun has maintained its strength, if not grown stronger, with each release. This year, this Russian outfit tries something different. Breaking course from their classic album and song structure, Nocturnal Philosophy is a compact, five-track record that flows like a novel you can’t put down. With a songwriting structure that never fails to draw you into its dark, dissonant atmospheres, Second to Sun pushes that to its limits. From the initial gripping moments of “North Metal Legion,” the bait is set. By “Veter,” you’re fully investing in taking this meal no matter the cost. Once the title track hits you across the jaw, it’s too late—the hook is set. Your only wish will be a swift death when pulled from the water.
#1. Kampfar // Til Klovers Takt – Make fun of their name, but Kampfar is nothing short of a remarkable band. This band has led the pagan pack for nearly thirty years, and their releases remain relevant. Not only that, but they continue to show us what else the genre has in store for us. Their career exists in two eras: when Thomas Andreassen was in the band and when he wasn’t. Being a diehard fan of the Andreassen era—with albums like Mellom Skogkledde Aaser and Kvass—it was hard to accept his departure. Instead of trying to recreate the period before, Kampfar pushed on. With the release of Profan, they cemented themselves, once again, as the leaders of the pack. Over the last few years, they injected more atmospheres, and Viking-hardened cleans into the mix. With this year’s Til Klovers Takt, the band took a step back to evaluate everything they’ve achieved. Looking to the past and present, Til Klovers Takt gathers it all and puts it into the future. From the classic sounding “Lausdans under Stjernene” to the freakishly fast “Urkraft” to the epic closer, you can’t find a better album of this style in 2022. After the release of 2015’s Profan, I didn’t think the band could top the arrangements, songwriting, and calculated tracklist. I was wrong. And good on them for proving me wrong.
Honorable Mentions
- Autopsy // Morbidity Triumphant – I’m not much of a death metal fan, but when it comes to the filth and grotesqueness of Autopsy, I’m on board. I worship Autopsy’s entire discog, and Morbidity Triumphant joins its predecessors in vile glory.
- Exhumed // To the Dead – Exhumed, like Autopsy, is the kind of death metal I adore. Where Autopsy puts me in the mood for violent slasher flicks, Exhumed pummels me into pulsating soup on the operating table. After all these years, it’s incredible that they can still do that to me.
- Soulfly // Totem – This was an even bigger surprise for me than it was for you. After years of bashing these guys, I can honestly say I have an album of theirs I genuinely love.
- Falls of Rauros // Key to a Vanishing Future – I know this’ll be on many a list, and it nearly made mine. Falls of Rauros remain a significant player in the atmoblack world, and Key to a Vanishing Future cements that legacy.
- Xentrix // Seven Words – I’m not gonna lie. I gave up on Xentrix decades ago. But since their rebirth with a new vocalist in 2017, I’ve been listening. And this year’s Seven Words won’t get out of my head.
Disappointments o’ the Year
- Abbath // Dread Reaver – What looked like a promising release instead turned out to be a one-man show with nothing more than Abbath’s guitar and voice. Who needs to hear the rest of the band, right? To add insult to injury, slap on one of the worst productions of the year, and you get the Dreaded Reaver.
- The AMG Staff and Commenters: You’re all idiots.1
Songs o’ the Year
You can’t listen to one without the other…
- Eruption – “Praise the Serpent Queen”
- Eruption – “Gone With the Floods”
