What a year 2022 has been for metal, Butcher Crew! There were SO MANY great releases this year — it was hard to keep track of them all! I had a difficult time compiling my list for 2022 because of the amazing albums we had. If I had it my way, I would create a top 25 AOTY list, but top 10 is more of a challenge (and torment).

While I may have had a difficult time narrowing my list down and relistening to albums over and over again, I’m happy with my list. As I reflect on my top 10 list, I can’t help but notice all of the death metal that made the cut. There were tons of death metal releases this year, and I think I can say that 2022 was the year of death metal. I think death metal is on the rise and we will be hearing all kinds of new music from the sub-genre for years to come.

But enough of my rambling, let’s get to my top 10 albums of 2022.

10. Plague Years – All Will Suffer

Old school death metal may be my bread and butter, I have a love for thrash sounding death metal, too! This album is the perfect combination of thrash and death metal. The band heavily focuses on the riff — and I don’t mind it! Their riffs are killer! They are groovy but also provide a good beating. If you like Slayer-sounding riffs, give All Will Suffer a listen.

9. Miss May I — Curse of Existence

I grew up listening to MMI and they were one of the main bands that made me fall in love with metal. Curse of Existence showcases the next evolution of the band and speaks on the experiences and hardships the band has had since the pandemic. Miss May I’s sound is so mature on this record, but it also pays tribute to it’s roots and early work. The new album is so technical! There are many heavy parts, but the lyrics and message of each song help even-out the sound. Curse of Existence inspires listeners to keep pushing forward even when times get tough. The masters of metalcore did it again with this record!

 8. I Am — Eternal Steel

I Am have perfected the style of combining death metal and hardcore. Eternal Steel embodies everything I believe in within The Saw’s Butcher Shop — it’s grinding, skull-crushing, and leaves nothing but the dust of your bones. There are no filler songs on this record. Each song has bouncy riffs that make you want to prison fight. You can’t help but move when you hear this album!

7. Boundaries — Burying Brightness

We all know how much I love concept albums and records that use lyrics as another layer of darkness and heaviness. Boundaries have mastered the art of using vocals as an additional instrument on their new record. The overall sound of Burying Brightness is old school metalcore (my favorite), and it’s SUPER heavy. But the band used lyrics and vocal placements to add an additional layer of heaviness to each song. The emotions, feelings, and thoughts that each song speaks on gives listeners a sense that they’re not alone.

6. Undeath — It’s Time… To Rise From The Grave

Undeath have taken the metal community by storm this year with their sophomore album. It’s Time… To Rise From The Grave is very much a ‘90s style death metal album. Each song has that classic death metal sound with their screeching guitar solos, grinding riffs, and face-beating gutturals. The musicians in Undeath are so talented — their live album sounds exactly like their studio album. This band is going places! 

5. Vomit Forth — Seething Malevolence

Speaking of old-school, ‘90s sounding death metal, Vomit Forth’s new record embodies everything we all know and love about the classic death metal sound. If you’re looking for an album that will remind you of old school Cannibal Corpse, then Vomit Forth is for you. While Seething Malevolence is paying tribute to the old school sound, the band is using their music to impact listeners by giving them something they can relate to lyrically. This is pretty much a concept death metal album and it’s incredible!!

4. Fit For An Autopsy — Oh What the Future Holds

This album was one of the first records I listened to at the beginning of 2022 and it still remains one of my favorite releases to date. Oh What the Future Holds incorporates everything I love about deathcore all in one album. The album has perfect harmonies, throat punching riffs, and vocals that harmonize beautifully to create music that sounds pretty but will beat the shit out of you (kinda like me!). This is probably one of my favorite releases by Fit For An Autopsy to date.

3. Bloodbath — Survival of the Sickest

If you want an album that will take you to the dark realms of reality, then Survival of the Sickest is for you. This album has so many great harmonies, melodies, and riffs that combine together to create a masterpiece of an album. Bloodbath has been in the game for a while, and you can hear their maturity and mastery on Survival of the Sickest. While the band is having fun and creating music that is enjoyable and entertaining, they are making sure they provide a beating, too!

2. Corpsegrinder — Corpsegrinder

I’m a huge Cannibal Corpse and Corpsegrinder fan. So when Corpsegrinder announced that he would be releasing his own album in February of 2022, I was ecstatic. His self-titled album allows listeners to hear another style of Corpsegrinder. While he still uses his trademark guttural holler and screams, he’s yelling over a hardcore style of death metal. You can tell that “The Neck” had a great time creating this record — and who could blame him?! It’s groovy, heavy, and in true Corpsegrinder fashion. I could listen to this record all day long!

1. Tribal Gaze — The Nine Choirs

You would think Tribal Gaze is a veteran band based on the sound and style of The Nine Choirs — but this is only their second full-length! Tribal Gaze’s 2022 record is pure death metal. It’s like Morbid Angel and Obituary had a love child — I can hear both styles within each song. This album will force you into submission with their face-ripping riffs, breakdowns, and growls. Everything about this record is a masterpiece. As soon as I listened to this record all the way through, I knew it would be by number 1 pick — I love everything about The Nine Choirs!

I do have some honorable mentions I would like share as well. Chelsea Grin — Suffer in Hell, Ingested — Ashes Lie Still, Inclination — Unaltered Perspective, and Hath — All That Was Promised. Each of these album pushes the envelope of metal and their representative sub-genres. I was so impressed by each of these records!

What albums are on your 2022 AOTY list? Do we have any similarities? I would love to know your thoughts! Join me on Facebook and let’s talk about your favorite releases of 2022!

Stay Metal,

THE SAW