Best albums of 2022

[lettard]

43 minutes ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

I like how Force Majeure is his number 7, currently. Is he from the future? Or are promo copies already circulating?

Yeah and he has Diamond Star Halos in there too   I'm hoping future...then we can get more info off him 

[auslander]

At the halfway point it is probably a good time to do a top 5 of the year so far.

For me it is:

Crashdiet - Automaton (gets better with each listen)

Kissin' Dynamite - Not the End of the Road (an early contender)

John Elefante - The Amazing Grace

Bloody Heels - Rotten Romance

The Cruel Intentions - Venomous Anonymous 

* note I still have a big list of new releases to pick up that may change this.

[Glen]

my top albums probably looking like this, but can't put in any order yet 

Treat

Ronnie Atkins 

Degreed

Dan Reed Network

Kissin Dynamite

Ghost

Reckless Love

Crashdiet 

Black Swan

[tts42572]

For me at the midway point:

1.  Kissin' Dynamite - Not The End of The Road

2.  Crashdiet - Automaton

3.  Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos

4.  Degreed - Are You Ready

5.  Black Swan - Generation Mind

H.E.A.T, Shiraz Lane and Skid Row are probably the releases I'm most looking forward to in the second half of the year.  

[lettard]

atm...

Devil's Train

Kissin' Dynamite

Degreed

Black Swan

Dan Reed Network

Caught In Action

Treat

Crashdiet

Ronnie Atkins

Giant

then with CiS,H.E.A.T,Tango Down,Gen Radio,GoK still to come with many others...things will change.

Edited June 30, 2022 by lettard

[The Rocker]

In No order
Treat
Altzi
Black Swan
Kissin Dynamite
Rust n Rage
Raider
Iconic
 

[Glen]

does anyone know if these have a release date yet or are likely to be 2022 ?

Defiants

Harem Scarem

ModX

Threshold 

🍺👍

[auslander]

On 7/6/2022 at 4:18 AM, The Rocker said:

In No order
Treat
Altzi
Black Swan
Kissin Dynamite
Rust n Rage
Raider
Iconic
 

Only just got the Iconic album... dah-um! For a project group that's a smoking slab of bluesey hard rock. Like a reviewer said, sounds like Whitesnake, in a good way.

[tobi is an animal]

8 hours ago, Glen said:

does anyone know if these have a release date yet or are likely to be 2022 ?

Defiants

Harem Scarem

ModX

Threshold 

🍺👍

Harem Scarem and Threshold are looking like 2023. 

I know Harry and Pete were taking a bit of a break, as Harry was moving his studio, and Pete said that they weren't feeling inspired at the moment.

I have no idea what happened to the Threshold album; from what I could tell it was pretty much finished at the end of 2021, and slated to be released first half of 2022, but nary a peep about it.  Is it a vinyl shortage thing? 

Edited July 12, 2022 by tobi is an animal

[Glen]

33 minutes ago, tobi is an animal said:

Harem Scarem and Threshold are looking like 2023. 

I know Harry and Pete were taking a bit of a break, as Harry was moving his studio, and Pete said that they weren't feeling inspired at the moment.

I have no idea what happened to the Threshold album; from what I could tell it was pretty much finished at the end of 2021, and slated to be released first half of 2022, but nary a peep about it.  Is it a vinyl shortage thing? 

re threshold I think he is just going in to record vocals, might still be 2022 🤞

[tobi is an animal]

On 7/12/2022 at 1:19 PM, Glen said:

re threshold I think he is just going in to record vocals, might still be 2022 🤞

I think the new Threshold single might be out tomorrow. Holy fuck! 

 

[whiplash1972]

Top releases of 2022 so far for Mr Snyder...  yep... bad production and all, Journey is in there . ;-) 

 

[auslander]

1 hour ago, whiplash1972 said:

Top releases of 2022 so far for Mr Snyder...  yep... bad production and all, Journey is in there . ;-) 

 

Other reviews are stating the bad production is only on 2-3 songs and has been overemphasised by criticism.

[whiplash1972]

52 minutes ago, auslander said:

Other reviews are stating the bad production is only on 2-3 songs and has been overemphasised by criticism.

Well, the bad production is there throughout, but like I said in the Journey thread, hidden beneath it is a decent album, particularly if you drop your least favorite 3-4 songs from the running order. Regardless, I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews for the album out there, so it’s obviously not a big issue for some folks. 🤷‍♂️
 

Great production can’t save a bad song, but bad production can drag a great song down a bit unfortunately. 
 

On a different note, I always like watching Brendon’s stuff, as there are usually a handful of releases that I didn’t even know about in his lists. 👍

[auslander]

36 minutes ago, whiplash1972 said:

Well, the bad production is there throughout, but like I said in the Journey thread, hidden beneath it is a decent album, particularly if you drop your least favorite 3-4 songs from the running order. Regardless, I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews for the album out there, so it’s obviously not a big issue for some folks. 🤷‍♂️
 

Great production can’t save a bad song, but bad production can drag a great song down a bit unfortunately. 
 

On a different note, I always like watching Brendon’s stuff, as there are usually a handful of releases that I didn’t even know about in his lists. 👍

He is right about the Def Leppard album. I find that it took me 4 listens to fully appreciate it. It's a good album. I could do without the two Alison Krauss tracks, but other than that there are some really good songs deeper in the tracklist. I know it is popular to hatd on the Leps in HH, but I feel people are missing a good album. 

[whiplash1972]

14 minutes ago, auslander said:

He is right about the Def Leppard album. I find that it took me 4 listens to fully appreciate it. It's a good album. I could do without the two Alison Krauss tracks, but other than that there are some really good songs deeper in the tracklist. I know it is popular to hatd on the Leps in HH, but I feel people are missing a good album. 

If I were to do my 2022 top 5 list right now, Def Leppard are definitely in it…  I find myself enjoying it more and more with each spin.

FYI, the deluxe version of DSH features a Joe only version of “Lifeless”. I don’t mind the version with Alison Krauss, but I absolutely can NOT get into “This Guitar”; it’s the lone song that I usually skip. 

[tts42572]

13 hours ago, auslander said:

He is right about the Def Leppard album. I find that it took me 4 listens to fully appreciate it. It's a good album. I could do without the two Alison Krauss tracks, but other than that there are some really good songs deeper in the tracklist. I know it is popular to hatd on the Leps in HH, but I feel people are missing a good album. 

Same here.  

The Krauss tracks are well done and "nice" songs I guess but they do zero for me and are easy skips.  And the two piano ballads (Goodbye for Good This Time and Angels) are basically the same....nice songs, but pretty boring and ultimately skips for me.

I'm good with the rest though and feel like the album flows way better when those 4 songs are lopped out.

[tobi is an animal]

On 7/17/2022 at 8:06 PM, auslander said:

I know it is popular to hatd on the Leps in HH, but I feel people are missing a good album. 

 I feel if people don't like the album, they are not missing out on anything.  I really don't understand how you could reach any other conclusion.

[CMGiordano]

Early hitters for me (only in alphabetical order because I have to remember what came out this year by sorting):

Crashdïet - Automaton

City of LIghts - Before the Sun Sets

Cleanbreak - Comning Home

Spirits of Fire - Embrace the Unknown

Fatal Vision - Once

Iconic - Second Skin

Lionville - So Close to Heaven

 

And of course, new efforts from H.E.A.T, Sunstorm (despite the fact that I think they should have just started a new project around Ronnie Romero all together), Generation Radio, Shiraz Lane, Skid Row with Erik Grönwall, and the Defiants are all ones I'm also looking forward to

[Ponen]

3 hours ago, CMGiordano said:

Early hitters for me (only in alphabetical order because I have to remember what came out this year by sorting):

Crashdïet - Automaton

City of LIghts - Before the Sun Sets

Cleanbreak - Comning Home

Spirits of Fire - Embrace the Unknown

Fatal Vision - Once

Iconic - Second Skin

Lionville - So Close to Heaven

 

And of course, new efforts from H.E.A.T, Sunstorm (despite the fact that I think they should have just started a new project around Ronnie Romero all together), Generation Radio, Shiraz Lane, Skid Row with Erik Grönwall, and the Defiants are all ones I'm also looking forward to

Ahh haven't listened to Crashdiet yet. Will have to check that out. 

The Defiants is the one I am really really looking forward to. A bit too early to say this but am pretty sure their new one will most likely finish as my fave album of 2022, as with their previous two albums the year they were released. 

[lettard]

That Crashdiet is excellent 

[CMGiordano]

8 hours ago, Ponen said:

Ahh haven't listened to Crashdiet yet. Will have to check that out. 

The Defiants is the one I am really really looking forward to. A bit too early to say this but am pretty sure their new one will most likely finish as my fave album of 2022, as with their previous two albums the year they were released. 

I'm a bit ashamed to say I never really gave their sophomore album a fair shake. Not sure why, but I still haven't really listened to it properly. 

But since Danger Danger is one of my favorite bands and Rob Marcello is... well, Rob Marcello, it's hard not to be excited about the forthcoming record anyway.

[tobi is an animal]

Q3 update:

 

1. Battle Beast – Circus Of Doom

2. Soilwork – Övergivenheten

3. Blind Guardian – The God Machine

4. Ghost – Impera

5. Gunshine – Gunshine

6. Slash - 4

7. Skillet – Dominion

8. Ronnie Atkins – Make It Count

 

Eagerly anticipated new releases from Avantasia and Threshold to finish out the year.

[Glen]

top 10 for me so far in no order

Treat

Ronnie Atkins 

Degreed

Dan Reed Network

Kissin Dynamite

Ghost

Reckless Love

Crashdiet 

Cats in Space

Muse

[rickinmd]

Really?

I am a big fan of RL.

Didn't like the new one at all.

Matter of taste, I guess.