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Motorhead - Orgasmatron

Enslaved - Eld

Enslaved - Isa Enslaved - Monumension

Morbid Angel - Abominations Of Desolation

Sacred Reich - Ignorance (1987)

Razor - Violent Restitution (1988)

Sadus - Chemical Exposure

Watchtower - Energetic Disassembly (1993) The Last Tomb - I (2020) The Haunted - One Kill Wonder (2002) Akhlys - Melinoë (2020) Kalisia - Cybion (2009) Kalisia is a French progressive death metal band whose only album is Cybion. The band took years to create this record, which is really more progressive than technical. A real gem for the ears.

S.O.D - Speak English or Die (1985)

Overkill - "Horrorscope" (album) Been over the moon since I found out "Scorched" is due out on April 14. Album #20 is going to be absolutely killer. Listened to 6 Overkill albums throughout the workday today. April 14 cannot come soon enough.

Danzig - Danzig

Obituary - Cause of Death

small world. lol

In the Shadows by Mercyful Fate Innate Passage by Elder The Graveyard by King Diamond Fairly meagre haul today. I saw Elder in my wishlist but not sure if I'd actually listened to it. Sounded cool so picked up. Also, KD and MF I hadn't heard because you can hardly go wrong with those. And supporting a "major" label, Metal Blade, that does actually make releases available on bandcamp.

Been working on my list on and off since Christmas, which is nearly a month now. Listened to a shit ton of albums, some of them multiple times, and I've chopped a lot of good stuff off. I'm sure I've forgotten about some stuff as well, but that'll happen when you're working with 250 albums. It seems to be fairly stable for the last few days now and I'm not finding much more fat to trim, so I guess that means it's about as ready as it's ever gonna be. Stroke of midnight Jan 20th, not too bad for me, I've gone into February a few times. Once again I've separated all my lists into different sub-genres. I've said many times that Finnish black metal is far and away my favorite kind of black metal, and this year is no different with 27% of my black metal picks being from Finland. (Not counting Order of Nosferat because I didn't know how many percentage points to award just for a Finnish drummer) My lists this year have been grouped sort of geographically, not in any qualitative order other than my #1 AOTY by Diaboli being listed first. Asterisks denote my top 10 black metal albums. As usual I haven't seen too many of my 2022 favorites appearing on many other lists. Black Metal: Top 22 of '22 Diaboli - Pagan Gods Rise Finland AOTY** Rienaus - Luciferille Finland * Grieve - Funeral Finland Serpentfyre - Baptism of Shadows Finland * Förgjord - Ruumissaarna pt. 1 Finland Licht des Urteils - Uhraamo Finland Piolun - Rzeki Goryczy Poland * Order of Nosferat - Nachtmusik Germany/Finland (their latest from December is good too) Drudensang - Tuiflsrijtt Germany Storm Kvlt - Europas Weg zum Grab Germany * Vorgfang - Skammens Stein Norway * Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort Norway Tugt - Ved Lysets Ophør Denmark Aara - Triade II: Hemera Switzerland * Serpentshrine - Allegiance to the Myth Norfolk VA Cerberus - Unrelenting Chaos Quincy Mass Fogos - Corpses and Ashes España * Kringa - All Stillborn Fires, Lick my Heart! Austria Spectral Corruption - Requiem Slovakia * Šakal - Jav, Prav, Nav Serbia Atra Mors - Morbid Killers and Other Deaths in Music Italy Wampyrinacht - Night of the Desecration Greece * Alright that takes care of the black metal, and now here comes everything else. I've left off comps and EP's in the interest of brevity. I've used asterisks to indicate some of my personal favorites. Lots of other cool shit that just missed making my list but I can't keep everything on. I normally do my list with all the album covers but besides Hungarino no one else seems to be doing that anymore so I didn't bother. Also didn't do write-ups for each album this year because that'd probably take me another two weeks. Death Metal: 16 Vacuous Depths - Corporal Humiliation dm Tampa Florida * Obsidian Hooves - Illuminating Void dm Los Angeles * Temple of Void - Summoning the Slayer dm Detroit * Father Befouled - Crowned In Veneficum dm Atlanta GA * Pneuma Hagion - Demiurge dm San Antonio TX * Imprecation - In Nomine Diaboli dm Houston TX Trenchant - Commandoccult dm Austin TX The Chasm - The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow dm Mexico/Chicago Encryptment - Dödens Födsel dm Sweden * Flesh Crusher - Bastardized, and Demonic Possession, (figured 2 EP's = 1 full length) dm Sweden Cryptic Hatred - Nocturnal Sickness dm Finland Desecresy - Unveil in the Abyss dm Finland Deathcult - Of Soil Unearthed dm Switzerland Sedimentum - Suppuration Morphogénésiaque dm Quebec Concilivm - A Monument in Darkness dm Chile Descent - Order of Chaos, Aussie death Brisbane * Deathgrind: 2 Sickrecy - Salvation Through Tyranny deathgrind Sweden * Vomitrot - Rotten Vomit deathgrind Sweden * Black/Death: 7 Sepulchral Rift - Void Sorcery blk/dth Sweden * Blood Chalice - The Blasphemous Psalms of Cannibalism blk/dth Finland * Abhorrency - Climax of Disgusting Impurities blk/dth Sacramento CA * ChaosMancer - Procreation of the Unholy blk/dth Colombia Vicissitude - Neolithic Necrocannibals murky blk/dth Wellington New Zealand Abolition Ritual - Cosmonemesis blk/dth Italy * Stillborn - Cultura de la Muerte blk/dth Poland Black/thrash/death/crust: 7 Skumstrike - Deadly Intrusions black/thrash Montreal Quebec * Nocturnal Graves - An Outlaw's Stand black/thrash/death Melbourne Australia Ironhawk - Ritual of the Warpath black/speed/punk Tasmania Perversion - Dies Irae death/thrash Detroit MI Cruz - Confines de la Cordura death/thrash/crust Spain * Slavenkust - Slavenkust, death/crust Poland Terminal Filth - Death Driven crust Germany If anyone cares my 3 most listened to albums by far of the past year weren't even from last year, they were... Killing Joke - Killing Joke, 2003 Vargsang - In the Mist of Night, 2014 Social Distortion - White Light, White Heat, White Trash, 1996

god dammit mark

Ahab - The Coral Tombs Ok but not good enough that I need a third listen My Dying Bride - Turn loose the Swans

Immortal - Pure Holocaust Immortal - Blizzard Beasts

Ok, let's get this one on the record! I wish I was on here bullshitting with you bastards more but work and life, you know the drill. Many thanks for everyone's posts and humoring my diatribes. EPs/Demos: (no particular order) ESKHATON – Horracle. Brutal black death. Australia. EP Tomb of Annihilation - End of Time. Melodic DM. Richmond VA. EP Malum Mortuus - Ashes of the Traitor's Cross. Black crust thrash. Denver Necroblasphemy - Necroblasphemic Rites (Demo). OSDM grind. Germany Shrouded Infinity - Through Caverns Unknown. DM. USA Deviants - Legion (EP). Death-thrash. Chile Nahasheol – KAAOSOTH. Black dark metal. Netherlands Saudade - From Desire to Demise. Black. UK Devouring Famine - Dirge for the devoured(Demo). Raw black. USA YRR - Sokeiden Valtakunta. Black. Finland Mørkt Tre - Марення Осені. Atmospheric black. Ukraine Abysm Diabolis - Visions from the Haunted Realm. OSDM. Canada. EP QRIXKUOR – Zoetrope. Black atmospheric death. UK. EP Left Cross - Promo 2022. Death. USA Eschatology – Eschatology. Black /Black-n-roll. Sweden/Poland Prehistoric War Cult - Under the Sign of the Red Moon. Fuckin’ war. Germany. Full Lengths: (in no particular order) Concilivm - A Monument in Darkness. DM. Chile. Heavy fisted repeated punches to the gut DM. Primordial Serpent - Kingdom of Darkness and Despair. Black. Canada. Serpentshrine - Allegiance to the Myth. Black. USA Cabinet - Claustrophobic Dysentery. Black death doom. USA. Just the most heavy and nauseating DM you could find in 2022. Axxmaxxius Devastruktor - Blood Seeps into the Black Earth. Death grind. Australia Druids – Shadow Work. Psychedelic Doom. USA. My college self would have blown a gasket discovering this. Many years later this is still jaw-droppingly good despite my love of goat metal. Dinbethes – Balans. Dutch Black. Netherlands. Very cool, atmospheric and somehow sounds original. A black metal stand out this year. Autonoesis - Moon of Foul Magics. Space Black thrash. Canada. Each fret gets a run in this black metal moon shot. Fun for light years. Nexwomb – S/T. Black death. USA. Unrelenting and uncompromising DM. Defiatory – Apokalyps. Thrash. Sweden. Pretty straight forward thrash metal, but thrash will never die. Misþyrming - Með hamri. Black. Iceland. I won’t argue with anyone who makes this AoTY. Its easily that good. Cult of Extinction - Gnosis of the Wicked. Black Death. Germany Ritual Mass - It Ever Turns. War grind. USA Manticore - Endless Scourge of Torment. Brutal black death. USA. A shade less excellent than Persecutory, but right in line with the same punishing black/death assault. Desolate Shrine - Fires of the Dying World. Black death. Finland. Excellent, if not a touch on the depressing side. This one faded some as the year went on tbh. Suppression - The Sorrow of Soul Through Flesh. Death thrash. Chile. Could have cracked the top 10 depending on the day. Lunar Tombfields – The Eternal Harvest. Atmospheric black. France. Mulyfication – Feed. Cavernous DM. Ukraine. Surprisingly lively and fresh considering it is moldy-corpse DM. Satan's Blade - Curse of the Blade. Metal. USA. I love elaborate genre-bending, but this is can only be described as metal. Necromutilator - Oath of Abhorrence. Black death thrash. Italy. Goaty in all the fun ways. Abhorrency – Climax of Disgusting Impurities. War. USA. Cross between Ascended Dead and Profane Order, so yes it is painfully good. Schizophrenia - Recollections of the Insane. Death thrash. Belgium. Back with a new banger! Critical Defiance - No Life Forms. Thrash. Chile. These guys slay! Imprecation - In Nomine Diaboli. OSDM. USA Void Wraith – II. Black. USA. Serpentfyre - Baptism of Shadows. Black. Finland. THOS ÆLLA - Sempiternal Mobocracies. Blackened thrash. USA. Almost too much guitars...but not too much at all. Ares Kingdom - In Darkness at Last. Death thrash. USA. Right up there with Besieged as the best still doing it. Rotborn - On the Perspective of an Imminent Downfall. OSDM. Brazil. It is rotten but really good. Brazilian OSDM and not Sepultura worship. Vessel Of Iniquity - The Path Unseen. Black death noise. UK. Sanity testing extremity that attacks the boundaries of music. Top-10: (order-ish) Thebes - Ziggurat Beyond the Unseen Shroud. Atmospheric black doom. Hits all the right feels for an atmospheric black/doom without getting boring or sad. Desecresy - Unveil in the Abyss. Cavernous DM. Finland. And just like that these guys come roaring and rumbling back with a flawless album. Same sound, but better execution. Blackbraid – Blackbraid I. Black. USA. I don’t do black-folk but this transcends. It also slays. Beyond Mortal Dreams - Abomination of the Flames. DM. Australia. Intense and immersive, this is DM taken to a higher level that most bands only aspire to. Karmanjaka - Gates of Muspel. Melodic progressive black. Sweden. So cool and varied. I feel like a cool person because I like this. Persecutory - Summoning the Lawless Legions. Black death. Turkey. Another band that returned to perfect their sound. Punishing, but layered and deliberate. Perdition Temple - Merciless Upheaval. Black Death. USA. Never heard of these guys but this one is death-fucking-tastic. Reminds me in all the best ways of the Polish style of punishing and exact black death that I love. Golgothan Remains - Adorned in Ruin. Blackened DM. Australia. These goats have evolved into a new disturbingly heavy and complex monstrosity. Besieged - Violence Beyond All Reason. Death thrash. Canada. When you kick out the best death thrash in recent memory you deserve your spot, even if countless bands have tried the same style. Greatness is greatness. Spectral Souls - Towards Extinction. DM. Peru. I don’t gaf, I kept hitting play on this and it never disappointed. Just a fun, raucous, barely contained and at times out of control extravaganza of metal enthusiasm.

G.B.H - City Baby attacked by Rats (1982)

The obituary (new album today!) I read of L-M-P said her mum and kid were scientologists...and she was married to Michael Jackson during the pedo-years, so perhaps not the sharpest knife in the drawer....but there is something sad about Elvis' name dying with her. Pretty young too. Oof. So far bought this morning: The Coral Tombs | Ahab (bandcamp.com) New album released today. I used to like these guys about 15 years ago but never bought an album until today. That was back when I was illegal downloader scum. For the kids today who would rather stream music on Spotify or Apple Music, which is technically "legal" but pays artists practically the same (i.e. nothing), you are the new scum. The Stench of Redemption | Deicide (bandcamp.com) Inexplicably my favourite of the Deicide output. ...and waiting for the pre-order of new Obituary to release. Goddamn, the day (Friday 13th!) is over for half the world and I'm still waiting for those Floridian wastrels to wake up and press the release button.

Black Sabbath - Live in paris 1970 Sounds absolutely fantastic, before the band got too snowblind, and was still a tight unit who gigged all the time. And I think this is also the first time I got a good look at Iommis finger-thimbles.

Inquisition - Invoking the majestic Throne of Satan

Bathory - Under the Sign of the Black Mark

Autopsy - Severed Survival

Katatonia - Dance of December Souls (1993)

....TOO THE STATION !!!!!!!....... ....still The Greatest single moment in all of television history.....

Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick

Amebix - Monolith

Bathory - Nordland I (2002)

Morbid Angel - Domination Man I love this album. So riffy, so well written and at times so pissed off! Cancer - Death Shall Rise Also one of my favourite DM albums. Pantera - Far Beyond Driven Really been digging Pantera of late. Possibly excited about a probably-not-but-I-can-dream Aussie tour.

Bathory - Twilight of The Gods

Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black Nevermore - Enemies Of Reality

When I bought my ute just under 10 years ago the dealership price for a major service was $1400. I told them at the first free service that they'd never see me again. Since covid though cars have become a huge joke. 18 months wait times for delivery, $50K average price, 10 year old second hand cars rising price by up to 30%. It's a shit time to buy a new car but a great time to sell a good used car. It blows me away how much debt some people must have. All these people with their million dollar houses, two cars worth 60K each, a caravan worth more than $100K. Then there is the people who are putting their kids through schools that charge upwards of $10K per year per kid. I'm old enough to have said goodbye to debt, and needing debt, but it's just as well because owing the kind of money some people must owe would scare the shit out of me.

@Arioch and @markm..... I had Lore on my wishlist but liked the album cover of the new one better so picked that one up. The only Elder I had previously was Reflections which I listened to a fair bit a few years ago. When comparing to new one I'd say all Elder is a bit interchangeable. Like really good atmosphere but if you are a fairweather fan needing a recommendation, you probably only need one album. Similar to how I really like King Buffalo but am forced to admit someone only casually interested could get a fix from any of their albums and not really have missed anything by not hearing the others. N.P. Black Harvest | GREEN LUNG (bandcamp.com) Probably my favourite discovery of the last year. I have managed to miss seeing these guys live both opportunities I had - once at the local pub when I went down but it was sold out and then opening for Clutch a month ago when I had a ticket but accidentally double-booked with a weekend away. Shameful. Ominous they've signed to Nuclear Blast, apparently. They have a great organic sound, but I think it is in the NB contract you have to use Andy Sneap to make all their bands sound the same.

This is one of many things the Bandcamp model gets right. Musicians can set a number for how many times someone gets to stream an album for free before they're asked to purchase. The default is 3 but one can set it to anything. We can also turn it off to make streaming unlimited. Seems totally fair to leave it in the hands of musicians. On a different topic, I am not lamenting the current absence of political rants or bizzare non-sequitur disquisitions on the nonexistence of objective reality or supposed dietary harms caused by vegetables. Shit gets old fast.

I wanted to respond to some of GG’s statements after a post where I initially questioned his desire to weigh on anything and everything that pops into his head. I started it, so to speak and figured it was worth addressing some of the points he made. The initial exchange was in the-what are you listening to now? I believe this is the appropriate thread. I sat on it for a few days, so here goes….. GG, we have a long history dating back to Metal-Fi. you’ve always asked for a straightforward pull no punches style so I know you’ll take this in the spirit it’s intended. I had meant to respond to a couple of your posts but didn’t have time to last week and wanted to gather my thoughts first. Goatmaster General Said: It is lamentable that this is how I have come to be seen by some of my forum colleagues, as this cranky irascible guy with the bad attitude who hates everything, the proverbial old curmudgeon shaking his fist at the skies. I don't see myself that way of course, not remotely, but I suppose it's understandable how others might get that impression, especially if they only know me by my internet persona. A question to start off with-kind of a non sequitur-what exactly is an internet persona? I know your IRL persona to a limited extent having met you in the flesh and I agree that your internet persona as you call it, your doppelganger as it were and the real man (behind the mask?) whom I met are two entirely separate things. My impressions after meeting you were of a guy who is fairly low key and not the oversized, opinionated, borderline obnoxious personality you sometimes present online. Internet persona: I find this a curious distinction. Most of us that post, I don’t believe, separate our two selves. Now, I may present more articulately online as I can choose my words and use the U of Google, but I’m pretty much the same guy- just Mark whether online or IRL-not “Marky Mark” btw, that's just annoying. I am (I’m Me). From time to time it does occur to me to make a conscious effort to restrain myself and bite my tongue. A little self editing would not be a bad thing. When we M-F outcasts came to the forums here, I wondered and hoped you and Dead might have learned from your time at M-F; behavior that I am convinced played a role in the exodus of posters from M-F and your subsequent ousting from the Vortex, all of which I was witness to. Taking accountability for my own verbose tendencies, I'll add that I may have been part of the downfall of M-F as well. But, clearly, a small group of posters rehashing and repeating the same points over and over became redundant and a turn off to a number of the so called non goat crew. In fact, some of our better "friends" who left told me so privately. It was disappointing to me as I had found a nice home there with some great guys who enriched my listening and I think was entirely avoidable. Dead, who has been conspicuously absent as of late, seems to have tempered his rantings but in your case, I am wondering if the old adage is true, that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. As an older dog myself, I’d like to think that I can still learn a few and adapt to my surroundings and try not to beat dead horses or repeat stump speeches ad nauseum. But I can assure you I mean no harm. My aim is simply to entertian. We're all friends here, right? A little prodding shouldn't be such a big deal. If we can't have a free exchange of ideas among our metal forum comrades then what's the point? I don’t doubt that you mean any harm. You blurt without thinking things through that much. You are absolutely entertaining. Certainly, we should be able to exchange our ideas as long as the exchange includes tolerance and respect for different personality styles. It needs to be said that there is a difference between joking between friends and put downs and insults. Personality differences aside, I think you lose sight of the fact that we all come here for different reasons. Sometimes I feel you want to force your expectations on the rest of us. Surely you realize, others don’t necessarily want to interact online in the brash way you do. Most people want to join a forum to share their interest in music, get some recommendations and call it a day. I’m prone to long discussions myself as evidenced by this post. That disclosure aside, this next point may sound a little harsh, but I think there’s a kind of arrogance thinking that anyone’s opinions are so fascinating that everyone would want to read everything you write. I’m often thinking, does he really think anyone is going to take the time to read all this redundancy? He’s said this 100 times before. And, IRL, I don’t think you behave this way. It’s bizarre to me. I have observed that most civilized people in our society allow themselves to be guided by the old adage: if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all. But that's just not me. For better or worse I'm gonna give you both barrels, the bad along with the good. Naturally I expect others to do the same (because who doesn't love reading a good rant or witty quip about some shitty band?) although clearly most of us aren't prepared to go that route and prefer to stay quiet and keep their more negative thoughts to themselves, as is of course their perogative. Sure, ranting is amusing, and at the end of the day you, I and anyone else can behave any way we like within the parameters the moderators set. Personally, I'm one to comment about genres or albums I don’t like that are being hyped, but generally, I’m more inclined to comment on a band or album that I DO like than I dislike, especially if it’s an album someone loves. I just don’t take pleasure in shitting on other peoples’ music because as you’ve written, music is something that makes you feel something, it’s emotional and most people have deep personal connections to their favorite music. Look we’ve had a lot of great dialogue and we’ve had our share of disagreements. I enjoy having an internet metal community as you do. You present yourself in your “online persona” as a highly opinionated individual. So, no, I'm not prepared to go your route as you stated above. We each have our own route. If I seem to get riled up from time to time, it's not because I'm "butt hurt" as you like to say, it's because I find overly opinionated people difficult to stomach and frankly exhausting to be around. They suck all the air out of a room or forum. I have enough challenging personalities in my personal life and at work. It's not the way I choose to interact with people here. This should be an enjoyable experience, a way to share and learn about music, and not (for me, anyway) to engage in endless chest beating, adolescent pissing contests. We are grown men.

01 Worm - Bluenothing (20 Buck Spin) 02 Immolation - Acts Of God (Nuclear Blast) 03 The Chasm - The Scars Of A Lost Reflective Shadow (Luxinframundis/VIC) 04 Hearse - Traipse Across The Empty Graves (Sinistrari) 05 Old Sorcery - Dragon Citadel Elegies (Essential Purification/Dungeons Deep) 06 Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville) 07 Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! (Universal/Tradecraft) 08 Corpsegrinder - Corpsegrinder (Perseverance) 09 Spectrum Mortis – Bit Meseri - The Incantation (Listenable) 10 Vacuous – Dreams Of Dysphoria (Me Saco Un Ojo/Dark Descent)

OBITUARY - Dying Of Everything

Sacred Reich - Independent

MALTHUSIAN - MMXIII MESRINE - Obsessive Compulsive STINKER - Doomed Earth FATUM - Life Dungeons FATUM - Time Passes To The Dark

Monstrosity - In Dark Purity (1999)

Man there's a lot of music I've never heard (of) this year. Here's my Top 21 list (why 21? Because why not?) 1. GGGOLDDD - This shame should not be mine Easily the best album of the year. Emotional, cathartic and empowering. This isn't really metal, but there's certainly heavy sections. I think this would appeal to the likes of @markm and.... 🤷‍♂️ 2. Jordfäst - Av stoft Just like previous album, Av Stoft is a fantastic journey through hardships and torment via the vehicle of black metal. Jordfäst play folk metal in the very essence of the word; recalling a 18-19th century layer of working class toil on their music and lyrics, without using accordians or folk songs. The perspective is always the worker, looking up at the unjust rulers and the unjust sky. 3. Saints n Sinners - Rise of the alchemist When I first heard this in march it was clear that this was gonna stay with me for a long time. The greatest power/heavy metal album of the year comes from.... fucking Turkey? Yep, with incredibly catchy riffs and choruses and a singer evoking Bruce Dickinson without the needless higher register wailings, SnS is fucking phenomenal and I can't wait to see where they go next. 4. Erzfeynd - Muspilli / Behaft bekert / Wyrm / Split The lone German has had an incredibly productive year and while most material was written last year, 2022 saw the literal ketchup effect of no less than 4 EP:s/splits, and they all rule. This is by far my favourite discovery of the pandemic years and I can't recommend him enough. 5. Misthyrming - Með hamri It's Misthyrming, you know it rules! 6. Besna - Zverstva A hidden Slovakian gem of atmospheric black metal coupled with hints of post-metal. A really wonderful treat, and a band that I think will break big with their next album, similar to what happened to Gaerea. You heard it here first. 7. Ultra Silvam - The Sanctity of Death Just as viciously sharp as The Spearwound Salvation, but with slightly more refined song writing. The chaotic feeling of wheels coming of is intact though! 8. Venus Principle - Stand in your light A mellow, rocking, beutiful album featuring ex-members of Crippled Black Phoenix, with paired male and female vocals. 9. Tchornobog/Abyssal - Split Tchornobog (and all Markov Soroka's bands) have quickly become one of my favourite entities of dark, abyssmal churnings and the split did not only not disspoint, but also introduced me to U.K.'s Abyssal. Both bands deliver 20+ min songs that both wreck minds and corrupts spirits. 10. Absent in Body - Plague God A honest to god super-group that actually delivers. Featuring current or former members of Amenra, Neurosis and Sepultura AIB's main strength is the atmosphere of dark corruption in the music and the absolutley filthy vocals of Colin van Eeckhout (I think). I would also like to highlight the excellent lyrics who also has a very distinct and rhythmic pacing to them. The lyrics could work just as well as spoken word-poetry. 11. Cult of Luna - The Long Road North The undefeated kings of posthardcore/metal. The Long Road North is like the perfect blending of Vertikal and A Dawn to Fear; futuristicly cold and arboreally hostile, while also infinitely beautiful. 12. An abstract illusion - Woe A modern take on death metal with breakdowns, synths, but without falling into the trappings of death/metalcore or djent. 13. Mortuus - Diablerie The true forgotten gem of 2022 black metal. I don't think I've seen this on any AOTY list. This is mid-paced orthodox black metal with a great balance between atmosphere and agression. Topnotch stuff. 14. Egregore - The Word of his law American death metal with a very out-there approach. It's like listening to a round metal cube forcing itself into a square wodden hole. 15. Moonlight Sorcery - Nightwind: The Conqueror from the Stars These Finns surprise-dropped this EP towards the end of the year and just like "Piercing..." there are fleet-footed black metal with a huge dose of 80's shred guitar and tons of charm. Standout track is definitely "Constellations". 16. Shaam Larein - Sticka en kniv i världen The only doomrock band on the list, so you know they must be great! Has a bit of the occult rock flair but packs a lot more attitude and brassknuckles than your usual Devil's Blood-clone. Great, soulful vocals from Shaam too. 17. Kvaen - The Great Below You know this one. The Funeral Pyre set the meloblack scene ablaze two years ago and it's no surprsie The Great Below continues with equal prowess. 18. Kuggur - حصاد ضَوْءٌ النُّجُوم An electronic, ambient album by former Sólstafir drummer Gummi, musing on the artistic similarities between Icelandic and Middle eastern folkmusic. The result is beautiful. 19. Det Eviga Leendet - Reverence Swedish black metal band with Jacob from Mare Cognitum on vocals. A tempered iron gauntlet weilding a spiked flail to your temple, over and over. Hints of dissonant chords keep you on your toes, but you're mainly here for the beating. 20. Deathspell omega - The Long Defeat The most accessible and catchy album by the Frenchies, with some wellsuited guest vocals from M and Arioch. unfortunatly shithead Aspa is still there. 21. Moonlight Sorcery - Piercing Through the Frozen Eternity This EP dropped in febuary and it took me well into the summer before I discovered it. Glad I did though since it's a very, very fun EP. Finnish black metal with extra everything.