Best albums of 2022

[tobi is an animal]

With nothing on the horizon for the remainder of the year, my final list for 2022 is as follows. 

1. Avantasia - A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society 

2. Threshold - Dividing Lines

3. Battle Beast – Circus Of Doom

4. Soilwork – Övergivenheten

5. Blind Guardian – The God Machine

6. Ghost – Impera

7. Gunshine – Gunshine

8. Slash - 4

9. Skillet – Dominion

10. Ronnie Atkins – Make It Count

 

[AlphaMale]

On 11/6/2022 at 7:00 PM, KarpetRydOFunk said:

What's GOC? 

Geoff on cock, of course. 

[auslander]

On 9/15/2022 at 5:49 AM, lettard said:

Well they are all now released and CiS will definitely be in(where i'm naw sure...or who drops out for it)...maybe H.E.A.T gets in cause unlike most I really like it...Tango Down & Generation Radio are good but some great moments...GoK was to me a bit of a let down if I'm honest....the Top Notch disc and the new Madhouse are also very good.

Some more release to come before 2023...Chez Kane, Captain Blackbeard , Perfect Plan , Wildness , Grand , Satin , Skid Row , The Dead Daisies , Smash Into Pieces plus a few I'm probably forgetting so we'll see.

I'll do what I always do and spend the month of December playing all the contenders over and over until I come up with the end List.

I really like the HEAT album as well. All that I really wish they included was some more cowbell.

[auslander]

I've been busy buying these last couple of months so my finalists will be from this lot. I will need the next month of listens and re-listens to decide on the top ten.

Alter Bridge

Black Swan

Bloody Heels

Chez Kane

Classless Act

Crashdiet

Dance With the Dead

Def Leppard 

Deraps

Devicious 

Devin Townsend 

Disturbed 

Dorothy

Dynazty

Fans of the Dark 

Giant

Girish and the Chronicles 

Heat

Iconic

Jethro Tull 

John Elefante 

Journey 

King's X 

Kissin Dynamite 

Muse

Noiseworks 

Ozzy Osbourne 

Porcupine Tree 

Queensryche 

Restless Spirits 

Sammy Hagar & the Circle 

Scorpions 

Skid Row

Slash

Stabbing Westward 

Star One

Stryper

The Cruel Intentions 

The Cult 

The Midnight

The Pretty Reckless 

Vypera

Still to buy:

Treat - The Endgame
Cleanbreak - Coming Home
Wildness - Resurrection

[tts42572]

Update for 2022 as of now for me.  I doubt this changes but will edit if it does.

1.  Kissin Dynamite - Not The End of The Road

2.  Skid Row - Gangs All Here

3.  Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos

4.  Crashdiet - Automaton

5.  H.E.A.T - Force Majure

Honorable mention:  Degreed, Nickelback, Thundermother, Black Swan, New Roses, Ronnie Atkins.

Most disappointing for me was easily Shiraz Lane....I expected to love that album with how much I've enjoyed all their other recent output but that album was like a kick in the nuts....Just did not like it at all.  I think I've got one song from it that made my main playlist (Scream).  For me they just lost the catchy melodies they had on Carnival Days and Vibration.

KD was an easy pick for the top spot.....Just a fantastic album.  Also dug Skid Row's comeback album with Erik Gronwall which renewed my interest Skid Row.  Def Leppard get my third spot.  Yeah, I know many hate it but I dug it and for me it blows away their past couple albums.  They at least got back to making some fun, catchy tunes and that's really all I want from them at this stage as I know they're never doing Pyromania again.

Crashdiet was my surprise of the year.  I've never been into these guys before but this album really grabbed me.  I also spent a lot of time listening to Rust and found myself really enjoying that album also.  I've been trying to get into some of their earlier albums but have to say they aren't really grabbing me.  

As for H.E.A.T, I'm a little surprised I liked this album as much as I did as I never cared much for their first 2 albums with Kenny.  But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with it.  I think the only tracks on it I don't care much for are One Of Us, Paramount and Demon Eyes.  I dig the rest though and for me this album is much better than those first 2 albums.

There's really not much separating my next five of Degreed, Nickelback, Thundermother, Black Swan and Ronnie Atkins.  Basically have a handful of tracks on each one of them that I enjoy and all are pretty good listens.

Edited May 3 by tts42572

[Glen]

Almost impossible to separate my top 10 as most could easily swap position (especially 1 & 2 !!). But I gave it a go.

1. Threshold - Dividing Lines

Only just recently released but this was always going to be a huge album for me. 5 yrs since the release of Shires but the wait was worth it. This is a masterpiece in my opinion - melody, lyrics, vocals, musicianship, hooks all amazing.

2. Ghost - Imperia

For a long while this was top of the pack and was definitely my most listened to album of 2022. The last 2 Ghost albums were amazing and this is no different. Great production, arrangements - this something really different and unique. Best gig of 2022 as well - their show at London O2 was stunning

3. Muse - Will of the People

Biggest surprise of the year. Never would have imagined that a Muse album would feature in my best of list let alone end up no 3!! Easily their best album to date , love every track. Short at just 37 mins, but I love that. No filler, all killer album. Brilliant lyrics and subject matter as well

4. VHS Collection - Night Drive

Never has an album title been so accurate. This album is made for night time driving - just an awesome vibe, brilliant songs. Top job all round

5. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings

Monumental metal album. Dark, deep lyrically, crunching Tremonti riffs. Love it.

6 Kissin Dynamite - Not The End of the Road

Another surprise for me. Never been the biggest KD fan but man they nailed it on this. Barely a filler in sight and easily the best pure melodic rock album of 2022

7. Degreed - Are You Ready

Another top quality album from one of my fav bands. Really hate the song Radio though which keeps this out of the top 5

8. Dan Reed Network - Let's Hear it for the King

I do dearly love this album, and agonised a bit over its placing, but the albums above are just too good. Massive return to form and I pretty much love every track with 'I See Angels' probably bring my fav ballad of 2022

9. Cats in Space - Kickstart the Sun

Another album which could be top 5 on any given day. Just a couple of weaker tracks pull it down slightly but stuff like the title track & Smoke & Mirrors are top drawer. Brilliant vocals as well.

10. Iron Allies - Blood In Blood Out

Late addition to my top 10 but my God this album is awesome! Best thing Reece has been on in years and old school metal album of the year imo. Just crunching metal and sensational solos. Go to gym album


So now we come to honourable mentions - in no order - all v good albums in their own right :

Reckless Love - excellent attempt at synthwave
Chez Kane - another great 80s throwback
Skid Row - Erik breaths new life into old dogs
Palace - great bunch of feel good songs
Crashdiet - best album since GW
Treat - more great modern melodic rock
Black Swan - better than the debut
Ultraboss - v nice synthwave album
Ronnie Atkins - Bit of a dip but still v nice
Young Gun Silver Fox - best Westcoast 2022


Do there you go, 20 great albums which I would recommend. I really good year in music with a few surprises for me. 👍

[KarpetRydOFunk]

18 hours ago, auslander said:

I've been busy buying these last couple of months so my finalists will be from this lot. I will need the next month of listens and re-listens to decide on the top ten.

Alter Bridge

Black Swan

Bloody Heels

Chez Kane

Classless Act

Crashdiet

Dance With the Dead

Def Leppard 

Deraps

Devicious 

Devin Townsend 

Disturbed 

Dorothy

Dynazty

Fans of the Dark 

Giant

Girish and the Chronicles 

Heat

Iconic

Jethro Tull 

John Elefante 

Journey 

King's X 

Kissin Dynamite 

Muse

Noiseworks 

Ozzy Osbourne 

Porcupine Tree 

Queensryche 

Restless Spirits 

Sammy Hagar & the Circle 

Scorpions 

Skid Row

Slash

Stabbing Westward 

Star One

Stryper

The Cruel Intentions 

The Cult 

The Midnight

The Pretty Reckless 

Vypera

Still to buy:

Treat - The Endgame
Cleanbreak - Coming Home
Wildness - Resurrection

I thought you hate Synthwave. Why did you buy The Midnight?

[auslander]

2 hours ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

I thought you hate Synthwave. Why did you buy The Midnight?

I've been coming around. The cream of the crop are good. Issue I have is for every Lebrock or Midnight there are 20 shite artists. But yeah, I have been buying a bit of the best artists. For me, the best synthwave release of 2022 is Dance of the Dead. It is like the soundtrack to a John Carpenter film never made. It really rocks in places too.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

1 hour ago, auslander said:

I've been coming around. The cream of the crop are good. Issue I have is for every Lebrock or Midnight there are 20 shite artists. But yeah, I have been buying a bit of the best artists. For me, the best synthwave release of 2022 is Dance of the Dead. It is like the soundtrack to a John Carpenter film never made. It really rocks in places too.

As much as I love the Synthwave genre, I'm not very adventurous towards it. I generally allow the folks here to steer me in the right direction. I don't think I've listened to Dance of the Dead. 

[AlphaMale]

4 minutes ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

As much as I love the Synthwave genre, I'm not very adventurous towards it. I generally allow the folks here to steer me in the right direction. I don't think I've listened to Dance of the Dead. 

Same.

[auslander]

32 minutes ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

As much as I love the Synthwave genre, I'm not very adventurous towards it. I generally allow the folks here to steer me in the right direction. I don't think I've listened to Dance of the Dead. 

Sorry I meant Dance With the Dead

 

 

 

 

[Geoff]

Haha, a couple of you guys keeping pretty quiet about changed minds on synthwave, after being pretty vocal about how terrible it is/was?

I must say, I never got into the dark synth stuff like Dance With The Dead... more for the fact that I need vocals with the synthwave I really dig. I've actually heard a few dark synth bands this year I've passed on, with vocals, that I wonder if there'd be interest in here? Just gotta try to remember who they were... 

As for the best of the year, not sure what to make of this year. There's an absolute tonne of good to very good albums, but when I look at the top end I'm not exactly blown away by any amazing albums. Good ones, and a lot of really excellent songs this year... but my highest rated album this year is 82%... which is a good album, but nothing looks like even threatening the 90% mark this year, which seems extremely unusual. The best of last year, for instance, seems a lot better than the best of this year. Still, I can't complain as there's been a lot of good music... just not as many great entire albums. 

[Glen]

Well I love my top 10 and it was basically impossible separating them.

All killer albums imo. 

[Geoff]

18 minutes ago, Glen said:

Well I love my top 10 and it was basically impossible separating them.

All killer albums imo. 

Yeah, I was reading your list thinking that I was happy for you that you were that invested in your favourite albums this year. The albums in my list are far better than those, lol but I'm not sure I'm quite as passionate about them as you are about your top 10. Not sure, I say, as I will wait until the end of the year to see how my penned thoughts end up. 

Anyway, I'm going to check out this VHS Collection thing tomorrow to see what that's all about. Otherwise, of your list, that Iron Allies one must be the curveball of the year, surely. Cannot for the life of me personally see what you see in that, but to each one's own, and glad you dig. 

[Glen]

2 hours ago, Geoff said:

Anyway, I'm going to check out this VHS Collection thing tomorrow to see what that's all about

best synthwave 2022

[Glen]

2 hours ago, Geoff said:

Otherwise, of your list, that Iron Allies one must be the curveball of the year, surely. Cannot for the life of me personally see what you see in that, but to each one's own, and glad you dig

Well u don't like old school metal do you. lol

[Jez]

18 hours ago, Glen said:

Almost impossible to separate my top 10 as most could easily swap position (especially 1 & 2 !!). But I gave it a go.

1. Threshold - Dividing Lines

Only just recently released but this was always going to be a huge album for me. 5 yrs since the release of Shires but the wait was worth it. This is a masterpiece in my opinion - melody, lyrics, vocals, musicianship, hooks all amazing.

2. Ghost - Imperia

For a long while this was top of the pack and was definitely my most listened to album of 2022. The last 2 Ghost albums were amazing and this is no different. Great production, arrangements - this something really different and unique. Best gig of 2022 as well - their show at London O2 was stunning

3. Muse - Will of the People

Biggest surprise of the year. Never would have imagined that a Muse album would feature in my best of list let alone end up no 3!! Easily their best album to date , love every track. Short at just 37 mins, but I love that. No filler, all killer album. Brilliant lyrics and subject matter as well

4. VHS Collection - Night Drive

Never has an album title been so accurate. This album is made for night time driving - just an awesome vibe, brilliant songs. Top job all round

5. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings

Monumental metal album. Dark, deep lyrically, crunching Tremonti riffs. Love it.

6 Kissin Dynamite - Not The End of the Road

Another surprise for me. Never been the biggest KD fan but man they nailed it on this. Barely a filler in sight and easily the best pure melodic rock album of 2022

7. Degreed - Are You Ready

Another top quality album from one of my fav bands. Really hate the song Radio though which keeps this out of the top 5

8. Dan Reed Network - Let's Hear it for the King

I do dearly love this album, and agonised a bit over its placing, but the albums above are just too good. Massive return to form and I pretty much love every track with 'I See Angels' probably bring my fav ballad of 2022

9. Cats in Space - Kickstart the Sun

Another album which could be top 5 on any given day. Just a couple of weaker tracks pull it down slightly but stuff like the title track & Smoke & Mirrors are top drawer. Brilliant vocals as well.

10. Iron Allies - Blood In Blood Out

Late addition to my top 10 but my God this album is awesome! Best thing Reece has been on in years and old school metal album of the year imo. Just crunching metal and sensational solos. Go to gym album


So now we come to honourable mentions - in no order - all v good albums in their own right :

Reckless Love - excellent attempt at synthwave
Chez Kane - another great 80s throwback
Skid Row - Erik breaths new life into old dogs
Palace - great bunch of feel good songs
Crashdiet - best album since GW
Treat - more great modern melodic rock
Black Swan - better than the debut
Ultraboss - v nice synthwave album
Ronnie Atkins - Bit of a dip but still v nice
Young Gun Silver Fox - best Westcoast 2022


Do there you go, 20 great albums which I would recommend. I really good year in music with a few surprises for me. 👍

Some choice picks there. That VHS Collection album I only heard it a month or so ago, but it's really good. 

[Geoff]

8 hours ago, Glen said:

Well u don't like old school metal do you. lol

I don’t think I discriminate against any kind of rock or metal in complete terms… I just like good songs.  

Don’t get me wrong, not saying I think it’s a bad album or anything. I guess to me it sounds like modern Victory with a different singer. It is what it is… just genuinely surprised you rate it so high, but it’s cool. Life would be boring without surprises, or something like that. 

 

 

[Captain Howdy]

Haven't bought as many albums as I would have liked to due to lack of funds from not working, but those I have bought I have enjoyed them all. Could not put them in order though as I go back and forwards on a few of them. Of the albums I have bought, these are the best

Chez Kane

Megadeth

Girish & The Chronicles

Bloodywood

Electric Callboy

Black Swan

Billy Idol (EP)

Halestorm

Fozzy

New Horizon

Durbin

Nickleback

Reckless Love

Scorpions

Thunder

 

There are four albums that stood out of those though, and as I say I go back and forward on which one would be number one, and to be honest any one of these could take the top spot on any given day

Chez Kane, Megadeth, Scorpions & Reckless Love

[whiplash1972]

Mr Snyder’s top 22 of 2022

Keep in mind that he seems to have much more varied tastes than a lot of us here… although I have albums by everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Slayer in my collection, so we all have our varied likes and dislikes. But anyhoo…

 

[Glen]

God only knows what people are seeing in that def Leppard album? Was no 1 in classic rock mag as well.

Pretty average to these ears. 

[Geoff]

10 hours ago, whiplash1972 said:

Mr Snyder’s top 22 of 2022

Keep in mind that he seems to have much more varied tastes than a lot of us here… although I have albums by everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Slayer in my collection, so we all have our varied likes and dislikes. But anyhoo…

 

Yeah, I watched it this morning for interest's sake and it reminded why I lost interest in his channel. Nothing against the dude at all. We all like what we like and no one will like any of my favourite albums of the year and that's cool. Main thing for me about this one was that it felt to me like something you'd get from a Rolling Stone columnist, featuring all the "big" albums of the year only. Plus, he had two Red Hot Chlli Peppers albums in there, which is a red flag abort mission symbol if I ever saw one. And that's not to say one needs rare/obscure albums in a list to seem cool and if this is what he likes best when all things are considered, who's to argue with that?

Of the youtube guys, this fella is a bit more catered to listeners on this forum, even if he does lean towards a few heavier metals as well-

 

[whiplash1972]

The Metal Voice 2022 Fan Vote Top 15

This was the top 15 ranking, out of 200 plus albums entered and 6290 votes

1- Stryper- The Final Battle 
2- Megadeth- The Sick The dying and the dead
3-Queensryche- DNA   
4-Ripper - Return to Death Row
5-Ghost Impera 
6-Voivod Synchro Anarchy
7-Ozzy Osbourne Patient number 9
8-Skid Row The gangs all here
9-Saxon Carpe Diem 
10-Tony Martin Thorns
11-Scorpions Rock believer
12-Sword III  -
13-Alter Bridge - Pawns and Kings
14-Blind Guardian-The God Machine
15-Kings X-Three Sides of one 

https://www.themetalvoice.com

 

 

[auslander]

A lot of good albums in that lot. Agree with the Stryper choice. It is their best since "Fallen". 

Looking at that list you can't help but appreciate how many veteren bands are still releasing great music. 

[Metal T]

BLACK SWAN and SAXON .....