The Razor's Edge - Album of the Year 2022
It's been one hell of a year for us here at The Razor's Edge. New music being released on record has gone from strength to strength again this year!
All of our staff have sat and listened to literally hundreds of albums, bringing you reviews of some of the best new music, and some maybe not so good releases too. But now the year is drawing to a close, we've all sat down and drawn up our lists of our own top ten albums for 2022.
Cat Finch - Editor in Chief
1. Malevolence - Malicious Intent
2. Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
3. Ghost - Impera
4. Cage Fight - Cage Fight
5. Zeal & Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
6. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
7. Lawnmower Deth - Blunt Cutters
8. Conjurer - Pathos
9. Napalm Death - Resentment is Always Seismic: The Final Throw of Throes
10. Terror - Pain Into Power
What another excellent year it has been for brand new music, from the return of Lawnmower Deth after years of not producing new music, through to the up and coming talents of Conjurer, Cage Fight and Zeal & Ardor. Not to mention the established acts of Ghost, Clutch and Terror all releasing stunning new albums.
But album of the year has to go to my boys in Malevolence! 'Malicious Intent' is the ground breaking album that will see them sky rocket to a new level. And despite the massive trajectory that they are on, they are all still grounded individuals and just the nicest guys ever. You can check out my interviews with Alex and Wilkie on this very site.
Tim Finch - Deputy Editor / Photographer
1. Ghost - Impera
2. Lawnmower Deth - Blunt Cutters
3. Spiritworld - Deathwestern
4. Parkway Drive - Darker Still
5. Venom Prison - Erebos
6. Terror - Pain Into Power
7. Clutch - Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
8. Cage Fight - Cage Fight
9. Alunah - Strange Machine
10. Conjurer - Pathos
Lawnmower Deth's first record in many years, Blunt Cutters, was an early contender for the album of the year slot from January, as was Venom Prison's magnificent Erebos. But as soon a Papa Emeritus IV launched Impera on the world there was really no one who could come close. Ghost's latest album is a complete mastierpiece from start to finish, a work of epic magnitude with sweeping musical movements, intrinsically intelligant lyrics and an overall feel that will take your breath away. An album that I have sunk so many hours into listening to that I have lost count.
Elsewhere Spiriritworlds sophomore release is a fine opus along with the latest Alunah and Conjurer records, you can't go wrong with those! And a special mention to Cage Fight's debut, a killer album which includes my first vocal credit on an album, check out the liner notes 😉
Dan Barnes - Writer
1. Napalm Death – Resentment is Always Seismic: The Final Throw of Throes
2. Cockney Rejects – Power Grab
3. Meshuggah - Immutable
4. Crashed Out – Against All Odds
5. Misery Index – Complete Control
6. Venom Prison - Erebos
7. The Warriors – One For All
8. Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory
9. Cage Fight – Cage Fight
10. Black Magnet – Body Prophecy
Refusing to go gentle into the good night, Napalm Death’s coda to 2020’s Throes… shows they still have more creative fire than most and aren’t afraid to use it in whatever way they see fit. Meshuggah came alone and did what Meshuggah do, bamboozling drum-teachers the world over with a host of inhuman polyrhythms; and Misery Index looked back to their early years, producing a record of ire-filled grinding punk.
Talking of Punk: Cockney Reject’s (possible) final album landed, showing they, like Napalm, are far from a spent creative force as they explore all manner or Punk n’ Roll; my Oi! fix was satiated by The Warriors’ collection of aggy Street Punk, delivered, as usual, with the snotty and abrasive attitude we’ve come to love; and Geordies Crashed Out released a record that landed somewhere in the middle of these, more melodic than The Warriors but no less aggrieved.
2022 was a good year for the ladies too, with Venom Prison solidifying their status as one of the country’s hottest prospects and Cage Fight’s aggressive, no-nonsense, debut landing neither seeking nor finding any quarter at all.
Somewhat out of left-field for me this year was Rolo Tomassi’s latest, in which the band served up a sumptuous multi-coursed banquet for the ears; and Oklahoma City’s industrial machine, Black Magnet, released their sophomore record, attracting comparisons to Godflesh, NIN and Skinny Puppy
Carl Black - Writer
1. Hawkwind - We Are Looking In On You
2. Zeal & Ardor - Zeal and Ardor
3. Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
4. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
5. Soulfly - Totem
6. Lintver - The Worst is yet to Come
7. Meshuggah - Immutable
8. Xentrix - Seven Words
9. Various Artists - Moshin' the Roof On: Vol.3
10. Imperium - Imperium [EP]
Thanks to Mr & Mrs Razor Edge for all the work they put into their website so an idiot like me can write about the music I love. I decided to do one word reviews for each of the albums in my top ten.
Hawkwind - Blissful
Zeal & Ardor - Unique
Rolo Tomassi - Creative
Voivod - Class
Soulfly - Massive
Lintver - Different
Meshuggah - Euphoric
Xentrix - Thrash
Moshin' the Roof On: Vol. 3 - Perfect
Imperium - Icebreaker
Neil Bolton - Writer
2. Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest
3. Sergeant Thunderhoof - This Sceptred Veil
4. Alunah - Strange Machine
5. Battalions - King Of a Dead World
6. Oceans of Slumber - Starlight and Ash
7. Lawnmower Deth - Blunt Cutters
8. Conan - Evidence of Immortality
9. Tuskar - Matriarch
10. Goatwhore - Angels Hung from the Arches of Heaven
Rick Eaglestone - Writer
1. Blood Countess – Occulta Tenebris
2. Grima – Frostbitten
3. Count Vornok – Guided by the Light of Felrisian’s Staff
4. Firtan – Marter
5. The Antichrist Imperium – Volume III: Satan In His Original Glory
6. Abduction – Black Blood
7. As The World Dies – Agonist
8. An Abstract Illusion – Woe
9. Darker – The Buried Storm
10. Cairns – Keening [EP]
As we start to wind back on the year it’s hard to deny that it’s been another fantastic year for the scene not only for releases but also the live setting with big tours returning alongside all the rescheduled dates. Now that things are falling into place with 2023 already looking good here are my highlights for the year.
My Top Ten was incredibly difficult to pin down this year, but the overwhelming consensus was that Black Metal has seemed to triumph, it’s my go to on cold crips mornings but I found myself being drawn into more and more and some of my most anticipated releases of year coincidentally were of the same genre and looking forward to next years releases it’s already up in air.
Paul Hutchings - Writer / Photographer
1. Marillion – An Hour Before It’s Dark
2. Oceans of Slumber – Starlight and Ash
3. Hawkwind – We Are Looking in on You
4. Soilwork – Overigvenheten
5. Blind Guardian – The God Machine
6. Decapitated – Cancer Culture
7. Famyne – The Ground Below
8. Amorphis – Halo
9. Alunah – Strange Machine
10. Saxon – Carpe Diem
Whilst there is plenty of new blood coming through, it was the old school who once again took my top ten. Saxon proved that you could win by consistency with their heaviest album for years, and Blind Guardian roared back with a huge and monumentally heavy release. Amorphis went lighter and more melodic with a career best whilst the savage assault of Decapitated earnt high praise. Most of these bands are 20 years + outfits with some running more than double that. It was Marillion that took the prize for me with an astonishing album, which gets better every time I listen to it. They were run close by the stunning Starlight and Ash and the evergreen Hawkwind whose live album has been on repeat for months.
Sam Jones - Writer
1. Innumerable Forms - Philosophical Collapse
2. Sedimentum - Suppuration Morphogenesaique
3. Cultic - Of Fire And Sorcery
4. ACOD - Fourth Reign Over Opacities And Beyond
5. Worm - Bluenothing
6. Xentrix - Seven Words
7. Unbounded Terror - Echoes Of Despair
8. Hath - All That Was Promised
9. Guillotine A.D. - Born To Fall
10. Bloodbath - Survival Of The Sickest
Well, it’s that time of year again to sign off on what I believe is my top album of the year. But firstly; at #10 we’ve got Bloodbath’s Survival Of The Sickest, an album I felt had some of the most savage and relentless riffs a death metal record could exert. #9 gives us Guillotine A.D’s Born To Fall, a record I thought was absolutely slept on; if you haven’t checked it out, please do so. #8 brings us to Hath’s sophomore work released early in the year, All That Was Promised, a record that saw the band expand on what they gave us in their first outing. #7 is Unbounded Terror’s Echoes Of Despair, a demonstration that just because you were broken up for vast amounts of time, it doesn’t mean you can’t still deliver on a quality piece of death metal. #6 is a late one in the year: Xentrix and their sixth full length, Seven Words, which absolutely rocked me not long ago. These guys are only going from strength to strength.
#5 is also the top EP of the year, Worm’s Bluenothing, a short opus that marvellously blends the end of Foreverglade into whatever the band seek to do next. #4 is Acod with Fourth Reign Over Opacities And Beyond, a French blackened death metal piece with symphonic elements that simply amazed me upon my first listen and did so with repeated visitations. #3 is Cultic with their record, Of Fire And Sorcery, showcasing how you don’t need to be overly complex to deliver a great album. #2 is Sedimentum’s debut studio work, titled Suppuration Morphogenesaique, an absolutely blistering, disgusting and abrasive work of extreme metal that completely enraptured me and has yet to leave my mind. But, my #1 Album Of The Year for 2022 goes to an album I never got round to reviewing which, in hindsight, I am gutted about. It goes to Innumerable Forms’ second record, Philosophical Collapse. An absolutely titan of death/doom, I checked this out through sheer curiosity and I’m glad I did; this is a gem of a record that I don’t think many have given it’s due. The sheer weight this album exudes is offset only by the emotional punch it manages to provide.
So there we have it. I eagerly await 2023.
Robbie Maguire - Writer
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
2. Marillion - An Hour Before It Gets Dark
3. Patriarchs in Black - Reach for the Scars
4. Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
5. Conjurer - Pathos
6. Chrome Ghost - House of Falling Ash
7. Torn Fabriks - Impera
8. Thundering Hooves - Radiance
9. The Afghan Whigs - How do you Burn?
10. Imperium - Imperium [EP]
'Imperium' by Imperium may only be an EP but these Londoners inject so much energy, power and catchiness into this groove infused thrash EP that an album full of this songwriting guile and craft would surely propel them further on their rightful heavy music journey. Torn Fabriks bring the Portuguese flair with their seering, white hot thrash of 'Impera'. With ferocity to match the hooks they trade in a gritty, blistering thrash with an undeniable swagger. Further down the musical spectrum, the unique soulful Indie, alt rock of The Afghan Whigs is racing through 'How do You Burn?' and with a pertinent emotional energy again offers a compelling listen.
The grimy Monstrous riffs of Conjurer rear their dark head on the intense 'Pathos' whilst the frantic marauding blackened metal of Thundering Hooves radiates through with a doomy magnetism on 'Radiance'. Doom is also very much the beating heart of the spacey, psych post metal of Chrome Ghost on 'House of Falling Ash'. Whilst they don't purely deal in doom, 'Patriarchs in Black' do inject gutsy, anthemic stoner rock into 'Reach for the Scars' which is an instantly gratifying and a wonderfully produced album. Staying with Doom. Do Voivod do doom? No, they just do Voivod! 'Synchro Anarchy' thankfully sounds like no one else.
Bold sprawling progressive masterpieces occupy the top spots. 'An Hour Before it Gets Dark' from Marillion is simply stunning. As is 'Woe' from An Abstract Illusion' An album so richly layered its staggering beauty and punishing atmospheric death/black metal are a wonderful communion. Progressive yet relentless this immersive and epic stunning album is to be marvelled at, applauded, enjoyed and celebrated.
Richard Oliver - Writer
1. An Abstract Illusion - Woe
2. Gaerea - Mirage
3. Wilderun - Epigone
4. Oceans Of Slumber - Starlight And Ash
5. Evergrey - A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)
6. The Halo Effect - Days Of The Lost
7. Septicflesh - Modern Primitive
8. Brymir - Voices In The Sky
9. Kvaen - The Great Below
10. Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror
With the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 the usual album and tour cycle for many bands was disrupted and with bands unable to play and tour it afforded them more time to write and craft albums with many of these being released this year. That extra time to write and craft an album seems to have paid off thousandfold and can be one of the only positive things to come out of the pandemic as the music released in 2022 has been extraordinarily strong and narrowing this down to ten albums was an absolute nightmare.
As seems to be the growing shift in my music taste as I get older, I am far more drawn to the darker, atmospheric and progressive sounds in metal with the majority of these albums such as An Abstract Illusion, Gaerea, Oceans Of Slumber and Evergrey falling into this style. There were also some epic sounding releases falling onto this list such as Septicflesh, Brymir and Kvaen but the one album that bucks the trend in my list is Carpenter Brut who impressed me with their metallic take on darkwave. An incredible year of music and I hope this level of quality continues into 2023.
Julian Pepper - Writer
1. Cave In - Heavy Pendulum
2. Elder - Innate Passage
3. Obiat - Indian Ocean
4. Conan - Evidence of Immortality
5. Russian Circles - Gnosis
6. Tuskar - Matriarch
7. Somali Yacht Club - The Space
8. Everest Queen - Murmurations
9. Kurokuma - Born of Obsidian
10. King Buffalo - Regenerator
It’s always a good sign when I find it so difficult to select my top ten albums of the year due to the sheer volume of great music that’s been released! 2022 is no exception and so I approached this task with a bit of trepidation and a lot of excitement as I pondered the year in metal over the past few weeks.
It’s been a great year for my fave genres (doom, post rock, stoner, heavy psych etc.) and so these styles dominate my list. It’s also great to see half the spots filled by UK bands such as Conan, Everest Queen and Obiat. The UK scene is well and truly alive and kicking/riffing!
There’s always a danger of forgetting an album that was realised early in the year (e.g. Tuskar or Kurokuma) or late in the year such as Elder. Therefore, I’ve been revisiting my frequently listened to albums to come up with this list! So here it is, Jules’s albums of the year 2022!
Daniel Phipps - Writer
1. Immolation - Act of God
2. Terror - Pain Into Power
3. Gridiron - No Good at Goodbyes
4. Revokation - Netherheaven
5. Stabbing - Extirpated Mortal Process
6. Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement - Constructing The Cataclysm
7. Vomit Forth - Seething Malevolence
8. Origin - Chaosmos
9. Casket Feeder - Servants of Violence
10. Ripped To Shreads - 劇變 (Jubian)
Yet again proving that they can do no wrong Immolation’s Act of God was an instant hit and provided a huge benchmark release early on. Los Angeles Terror came out with their best record in almost 20 years with Pain Into Power packing 10 absolute beauties into 18 minutes. Speaking of hardcore Gridiron from Philadelphia provided one hefty dose of mosh heavy hardcore. An album which really gave me a shock was Netherheaven by Boston outfit Revocation, having never really been a fan this record thoroughly won me over.
Comatose music had another fantastic output this year with Stabbing and Shuriken Cadaveric Entwinement highlighting a solid year of releases from the US label. Vomit Forth decided that the OSDM revival needed to take a step to the side as they unleashed a savage display of classic sounding brutal death metal. Origin provided a mammoth slab of technical death metal as usual and Milton Keynes band Casket Feeder proved you can combine death metal and hardcore together without it being generic rubbish. Rounding out 2022’s list is California band Ripped To Shreads who supplied a cracking death metal/thrash hybrid with 劇變 (Jubian).
Leon Plett - Interviewer
1. Sabaton - The War To End All Wars2. Amon Amarth - The Great Heathen Army3. Rammstein - Zeit4. Lamb of God - Omens5. Arch Enemy - Deceivers6. Kreator - Hate Über Alles7. Sodom - 40 years at War: The Greatest Hell Of Sodom8. Slipknot - The End, So Far9. Lorna Shore - Pain Remains10. Machine Head - ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN
As I am a very big fan of Sabaton this one is definitely the best album this year. The War to End All Wars has a great historical story point, that's why I love it. After that I go with my other favourite bands like Amon Amarth, Rammstein and so on!
Gareth Pugh - Writer
1. Marillion - An Hour Before it's Dark
2. Autopsy - Morbidity Triumphant
3. Toxik - Dis Morta
4. Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest
5. Megadeth - The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead
6. Candlemass- Sweet Evil Sun
7. Behemoth - Opvs Contra Natvram
8. Xentrix - Seven Words
9. Machine Head - ØF KINGDØM AND CRØWN
10. Lamb of God - Omens
A cracking year all round for metal and rock releases, some fantastic thrash and death metal, with the likes of Megadeth, Bloodbath, and Autopsy releasing long awaited new albums, plus progressive metallers Toxik with their first for 33 years! But top of the heap, with one of the strongest albums of their 40 year plus career, is Marillion, with An Hour Before It's Dark, a wonderfully dark complex piece of work that grabs you on the first listen, but with every subsequent listen gives you more and more. Wonderful!
Jon Wigg - Writer
2. Lawnmower Deth - Blunt Cutters
3. Rammstein - Zeit
4. Saxon - Carpe Diem
5. Blind Guardian - God Machine
6. Satan - Earth Infernal
7. High Command - Eclipse of the Dual Moons
8. Midnight - Let There Be Witchery
9. Blind Illusion - Wrath of the Gods
10. Absolva - Fire In The Sky
Another great year in heavy music, with wonderful albums from Xentrix, Haunt, Voivod, Tankard, Candlemass and Judicator just missing out on my top 10. Lots of traditional metal in my list (as you would expect) with cracking fun releases from Absolva, Satan and Saxon's best for a while. After a 10 year gap, Rammstein's 2019 self-titled album was wonderful and 2022's Zeit continues their great form. Lawnmower Deth's first album in 29 years is a punky, thrashy joy that has been a constant in my ears this year. In 2021, my #2 album was the fantastic Eternal Hails by Darkthrone. One year on and they hit my top spot with Astral Fortress. The album can be summed up in the first track, Caravan of Broken Ghosts - doomy, atmospheric, brutal, thrashy and glorious all wrapped up in the Darkthrone black metal sound. Great stuff!
Matthew Williams - Writer
1. Wormrot - Hiss
2. Freedom Hawk - Take All You Can
3. Lawnmower Deth - Blunt Cutters
4. Zeal & Ardor - Zeal & Ardor
5. Rake-off - Observing Madness
6. Kurokuma - Born of Obsidian
7. Valley of the Sun - The Chariot
8. Witchpit - The Weight of Death
9. Stoner - totally...
10. Blackbraid - Blackbriad I
There has been so much quality music released this year, that my list could easily have been a Top 30 or 40, so whittling it down to a Top 10 has been incredibly difficult, leaving out such quality like Bloodywood, Carpenter Brut, and Fostermother. But the ones who are here are all albums that have made me smile, cry, sing out loud, annoy my neighbour with but more importantly, they were played fucking loud, and none was played more than “Hiss” as Wormrot returned and I was blown away, as they juxtaposed their brutal and intense grindcore with harmony and experimentation to produce their finest music to date.
Freedom Hawk was a surprise one for me, but their bluesy, heavy riffs and rolling 70’s grooves just kept my head constantly moving, whilst Lawnmower Deth brought their insanity back to the masses and made me relive my teenage years but now with added Dad vibes, and Zeal & Ardor were on my radar this year and have produced a stunning album full of variety and ingenious music. Kudos to the rest of the bands in this list, as they’ve all left a massive impression on me, Rake-Off, fast and furious, Kurokuma, sludge/doom at it’s finest, and a must see band for me next year, Valley of the Sun, simply stunning stoner rock, Witchpit, more awesome sludge/stoner, the return of music royalty in Stoner, and filling in the number ten spot, which caused me the most angst, is Blackbraid, with some indigenous black metal. A truly brilliant year for music, so grab a bottle of single malt, sit back and enjoy.
