The 10 Best Hard & Heavy Record Releases Of 2022

Every year there are a countless number of exceptional albums released under the umbrella of heavy music. 2022 was no different in that it supplied the metal and hardcore scenes with a variety of genre bending releases from both experienced and up and coming bands. This year however, the latter made more of an impact with regards to genre bending LPs, although it was just as busy a year for metal and hardcore’s veteran bands.

And that’s not to say that the heavy music greats have gotten stale. In fact, this year saw albums that paved the way for a litany of new bands, while also seeing releases that raised the bar for already renown bands. Not to mention, a few of the acts featured on this list have only just released their finest work over this past year. Considering all of this, the future is bright for all genres of heavy and aggressive music, and if one thing is certain it’s that the there’s no better time to be tuned into the metal and hardcore scenes than now.

The following are what I believe to be some of the best heavy and hard hitting albums of 2022:

10. It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave – Undeath

Joining the ranks of the current ‘old school’ death metal resurgence, Undeath are no doubt one of metal’s finest new bands and one with a knack for writing eviscerating death metal hooks. This year saw the release of the band’s sophomore LP It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave, a 35 minute LP bearing a reminiscent production to Floridian death metal classics all delivered with the unyielding charisma and absurd humor of Undeath. However, it’s one thing to simply adopt an ‘old school’ aesthetic and Undeath manage to not only double down on classic death metal tropes here, but they package it in a way that’s remarkably palatable and catchy. For those craving back to back pummeling riffs, ‘stompy’ breakdowns, and a pinch of twisted dark humor, look no further than Undeath’s latest LP.

9. Dissolution Wave – Cloakroom

Switching gears to a more experimental heavy release, Cloakroom’s Dissolution Wave is like a barrage of fuzzed out doom guitars with bright hard-hitting garage drums, all pushed through the pedalboard of a blissful shoesgazer. While this is certainly an outlier from any other band or record on this list, the top tier songwriting and dynamic musical escape found on Cloakroom’s latest LP cannot be undermined. Dissolution Wave may not be what your average listener considers to be ‘heavy’ or aggressive sounding, but it’s experimental heavy songwriting done right coming from a band that appeals to more than one particular scene.

8. Dreamkiller – Summerlands

For those who fancy a flurry of face melting guitar solos and triumphant choruses, look no further than Summerlands’ LP, Dreamkiller. Taking inspiration from 80’s heavy metal giants Scorpions, Iron Maiden, and Ozzy Osbourne, Summerlands mix all the best parts of anthemic European metal with the fine tuned riff writing heard in modern bands. The sheer musical talent showcased on Dreamkiller is truly mind boggling, particularly with the band’s vocalist Phil Swanson who seems to be operating on a level of his own. Clocking in at 35 mins, Dreamkiller doesn’t overstay it’s welcome considering it’s very much an homage to heavy metal’s greats, but it revisits these long loved musical tropes from the perspective of a new generation and ultimately refines them for the modern metal and rock crowds.

7. Hygiene – Drug Church

While Drug Church are past the point of being considered ‘up and coming,’ they’re Easily one of the most overlooked bands from today’s hardcore scene. Turnstile has deservedly become the band who’s flying the flag for today’s scene, but Drug Church is the band these newly indoctrinated hardcore fans should immediately be turning to upon entry. With Hygiene Drug Church strip their quirky nihilistic songwriting to it’s core, making for the band’s most refined work to date and moreover an album that’s required listening for today’s hardcore punks.

6. We’re Not Here To Be Loved – Fleshwater

Blending the flair heard in metallic hardcore with alternative-metal melancholy, Fleshwater have made an impressive debut with their LP We’re Not Here To Be Loved. Quite the contrary from the album’s title, the band is seemingly getting love from all corners of metal and hardcore for reinventing tropes heard from early 2000’s bands like Deftones and Converge. Upon first discovering Fleshwater it was striking to see just how much attention they’ve garnered off their debut, however the sheer brilliance of the band is glaringly obvious after one play through — nearly all nine tracks hit with the force of an addictive lead single.

5. Krüller – Author & Punisher

As far as experimental music goes, Author & Punisher has been honing one of the most intuitive metal soundscapes for over a decade. However, with their seventh studio album Krüller, Author & Punisher is finally hitting its stride. Krüller sees the one man band combining industrial sludge metal with doomy synth-wave all the while placing a stronger emphasis on vocal writing and melody. It’s truly astounding the variety of genres packed into Krüller but the biggest success from the album comes from its refreshing perspective on ‘heavy music.’ You’d be hard pressed to find another record from 2022 that pushes the boundaries of metal and modern music production like Krüller does.

4. Ecstasies Of Never Ending Night – Devil Master

Offering the raw production heard on early black metal records but with a punk rock attitude, and showcasing instrumentation reminiscent of an Iron Maiden record, Devil Master have crafted a metal elitist’s worst nightmare with Ecstasies of Never Ending Night. However, even on paper the genres that Devil Master experiment with don’t sound like they’d fair well together, but the end result is quite the opposite on their third LP. Whether it’s with the harsh blackened vocals or the rapid punk pace of the drums, the band excels in taking these motifs to the extreme, moreover blending them so eloquently together on Ecstasies of Never Ending Night.

3. Pain Remains – Lorna Shore

Standing as metal’s biggest breakthrough band of the past couple years, Lorna Shore grabbed the scene’s attention with 2021’s …And I Return To Nothingness EP, but they prove that they’re on a playing field of their own with Pain Remains. With their fourth LP the band are as extreme and technical as metal can get, but what’s most impressive is how Lorna Shore manages to remain melodically appealing to non-extreme metal connoisseurs. The litany of orchestral beats heard throughout this record certainly helps in guiding the listener through the assortment of face pummeling breakdowns and riffs, though the success is found in how well Lorna Shore blends these elements together. Lorna Shore are the ones waving the flag for extreme metal these days, and it’s quite clear why after experiencing Pain Remains.

2. Feel It All Around – Soul Blind

Making waves from New York’s Hudson Valley, Soul Blind have revitalized grunge music with their debut Feel It All Around but with a punchier hardcore twist. Usually when a band plays off legendary acts like Soundgarden and Alice In Chains it doesn’t always bode too well, but Soul Blind have slipped past as the exception. After Injecting a heavy dose of emo and hardcore into grungy guitar riffs, Soul Blind have delivered one of the most enjoyable hard hitting albums to grace the heavy music scene in 2022. Feel It All Around succeeds not only in it’s experimentation with these sub-genres, but its consistency throughout all eleven tracks. Unquestionably, Soul Blind should be on your radar even if you find yourself as an average enjoyer of rock and heavy music.

1. Immutable – Meshuggah

Standing as quite possibly metal’s most influential band since Pantera, Meshuggah have changed the sonic landscape of heavy music for the last 20+ years. While the Swedish outfit may not be be revolutionizing the genre with their ninth LP Immutable, they’ve once again proven that they’re one of modern metal’s most eclectic and technically moving bands. There are few bands capable of putting listeners through a cacophonous trance like Meshuggah do, all while maintaining the absurdly heavy climaxes they routinely reach on Immutable. Despite being a hefty beast of an album at 66 minutes, Immutable will take you through a journey that’s well worth your time no matter your familiarity with Meshuggah.