I’m not really sure where to begin. Typically I end the year with a big, top-10-albums-winter bash, but 2022 just didn’t really deliver. Or maybe I didn’t deliver. I listened to a lot of albums this year, and I was beyond excited for most of them! But it’s December 31st and I’ve got a small handful to show for it. I don’t like being negative in these end-of-year posts, but goddamn. It’s like everything I wanted to love just wound up being … fine.
Fine’s fine, but with music so easy to find, listen to, and forget, I want more than fine. I want exciting! I want special! I want spectacular! 2022 wasn’t spectacular.
There was also this systemic issue of albums being too damn long. If I were the supreme president of the world, I’d make every musician, band, or artist have to pass a test before they could release an album more than 50 minutes long. Most of y’all shouldn’t be allowed to. Not every deathcore song needs two breakdowns. Not every power metal album needs to end with a ten minute epic that has no goddamn thesis. Kill your darlings!
Maybe my attention span has gotten worse. God I hope not….
That being said, there were some really great moments this year. I got five albums I’m really excited to talk about. I also went down a pretty big Bollywood kick for whatever reason and had a blast, so I recommend everyone try that. Same with K-Pop. Go listen to K-pop! It’s great!
On the live-music front, 2022 was pretty nice. I saw Godsmack, John 5, Trivium, Whitechapel, Royal Bliss, The Lonely Ones, and a handful more thanks to big festivals. That Godsmack show was like two years in the making, too. Thought it would never happen. It was worth the wait.
5. Nickelback – Get Rollin’
Genre: Rock
I’m tired of the world pretending Nickelback are a bad band. They aren’t. Because in a year where most of my favorite rock bands released mediocre albums, Nickelback stepped up to the plate and delivered something extremely fun, singable, and danceable. “Let the record show / I did it all for rock ‘n roll” baby! Is it high art? No. Is it awesome? Yeah. I’ll die on this hill.
They also played around with their sound in 2022. They took a step back from their normal hard rock edge and played up an almost-southern rock twang that works really well and adds all kinds of new atmosphere to their tunes. It’s a neat change of pace that fits in with their discography while not treading on old ground.
I’m also forever a huge fan of their sound production. Nickelback albums just rock. They hit that magical thing where everything sounds big all the time, and nothing sounds small, and I don’t get it but I’m happy to be here.
Standout tracks are “San Quentin,” “Steel Still Rusts,” and “Just One More.”
4. Allegaeon – Damnum
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Three years ago I’d have told you I don’t really care for technical death metal, and then it’s like every year a new tech-death album comes out that rocks so hard I can’t stop listening. Maybe—just maybe—I was wrong. Entheos next year, too! The journey continues!
Damnum is a top-to-bottom masterpiece of death metal. It’s got the speed, it’s got the heavy, it’s got the brutal, and it’s got the scary. But it also has moments that are genuinely beautiful, where either the songs slow down and get introspective, or they speed up but manage a delicate quality not normally found in extreme music. I think it’s this dynamic that keeps the album so engaging from start to finish.
There are also moments of just straight up like, power metal thrown in. Some of the choruses could fit right at home in an Avantasia album—they’re singable and catchy as all hell. That’s what I want from my extreme music. Give me a melody I can hum later. Make it memorable.
Standout tracks are “To Carry My Grief…”, “Bastards of Earth,” and “Only Loss.”
3. Sigrid – How to Let Go
Genre: Pop
Sigrid was a very happy 2022 surprise. One minute I had never heard of her, the next she’s doing a collab with Bring me the Horizon and releasing one of the best songs this year in “Bad Life.” Something about her music is just so wonderfully uplifting and beautiful. For every bit of sour, there’s a followup dose of sweetness, because all sour moments can be overcome. Grief is only a compelling emotion if joy is right around the corner to offset it.
On the sound side, How to Let Go hits pop from a more … European format? I don’t really know how to put it, only that this music sounds pretty different from American and Korean pop music while still firmly existing within that genre soundscape. It’s a bit more chill for one thing, but not in a synthpop kind of way. It’s dance-y, but it doesn’t sound like Eurodance ala Cascada. I like it though. It never gets sonically huge, but it does swell and contract in its own, distinct sort of way.
In that way, the singing and vocal hooks really carry the music. Sigrid is an amazing singer. Just phenomenal. There’s such a high-intensity emotional through-line from start to finish, regardless of the song topic or instrumental that is both engaging and inviting to sing along to. I’m all about that pop music that will get me to open my mouth and completely embarrass myself.
Standout tracks are “Bad Life,” “Last to Know,” and “High Note.”
2. Devin Townsend – Lightwork
Genre: Devin Townend
I’m very new to the Devin Townsend hype train, but he’s quickly grown to be one of my favorite artists. Full speed ahead, and choo-choo! There’s something so uniquely Devin Townsend to his music. He’s the only person that could make these songs. They’re strange yes, but they’re also so emotionally raw and honest, and I think that’s what makes them truly compelling. The fun prog is draws us in, but getting a glimpse into another soul is why we stick around.
Lightwork is a little more digestible than his last full-length—it’s a little less metal and a little more standard, pop-structure formula. Even so, the songs are still full of surprises. You never know where they’ll go, what goofy noises might be sampled, or when Devin will just start screaming. It’s all very fun and exciting, even when the songs slow down.
Every little detail matters here, from the main melodies and drum sounds to the little bells and whistles hidden within the mix. There’s this immaculate level of craft throughout the album that’s very inspiring. It’s also a joy to listen to, especially with a really good sound system.
Standout tracks are “Call of the void,” “Celestial Signals,” and “Heavy Burden.”
1. Rina Sawayama – Hold The Girl
Genre: Pop / Alternative
There’s always one big surprise every year, and in 2022, it was Rina Sawayama. Hold The Girl is one of those masterpiece albums that just kind of has everything. It’s exciting, heartbreaking, danceable, singable, nostalgic, introspective, and a ton more fun adjectives because it’s just that good. One song you’ll be roaring along in upbeat defiance; the next you’ll be on the verge of tears. The emotional swings of this album are just astounding.
Sonically, it’s also a bit of everything. Songs like “This Hell” are just wicked pop anthems while “Send my Love to John” is a straight-up country song; “Phantom” has an amazing guitar solo in it that comes out of nowhere and just works, and “Hold the Girl” is so damn unique I’m not entirely sure what genre it’s in. I love it though! Fantastic tune.
It hits pretty hard lyrically too, covering topics like growing up, forgiving those that hurt you, coming to terms with trauma, finding self empowerment, and discovering yourself. Every song is just dense with something to enjoy. Vocally, Rina sells it all as an absolute powerhouse of a singer. She could throw a dart at a genre board and excel in it.
I really cannot stress enough how good this album is.
Standout tracks are “Hold the Girl,” “Catch Me in the Air,” and “Phantom.”
Nonsense 