Well, it’s been a couple of years since I’ve done one of these! I’m not sure if people really read these any more but there’s been some great albums put out this year and I’ve attended some really fantastic shows after a few years of gig absences – so I really wanted to write about them and spread the word further afield. So without further ado, here’s the albums and gigs that I thought were pretty special this year.
Albums
2022 has been a great year for new music, and it was a definite struggle to work out which albums to choose – and even what order to put them in. My number 1 and 2 have swapped places so many times that I honestly feel tempted to just list them both as number 1 at this point! Get listening and if you like what you hear, then please support the bands and buy their music!
1. Kuolemanlaakso – Kuusumu/Kuolleiden laulu
Our reviews: Kuusumu/Kuolleiden laulu
Purchase link: Kuusumu/Kuolleiden laulu
Songs to check out: Surun sinfonia, Pimeys laski, Surusta meri suolainen; Rautasiivet
I don’t care if it’s cheating to include two releases together on this list but I don’t care, I’m the editor and I make the decisions. Whilst Kuusumu is my favourite of the two, I feel I can’t include one without the other because the two of them pair up well together (plus they were recorded in the same session). Anyway, it feels so good to get new music from Kuolemanlaakso after such a long wait, and to say it was worth the wait is an understatement. Chock full of stunningly beautiful songs, with so much emotion and colour, Kuusumu picks up exactly where Tulijoutsen left off and simply blows you away, before you get hit with a follow-up of Kuolleiden laulu featuring three distinct sides of Kuolemanlaakso’s sound to make things all the more sweet. It has made me so happy to finally get new music from my favourite band, especially when it’s as incredible as this. ♥
2. King Satan – Occult Spiritual Anarchy
Our review: https://www.soundscapemagazine.com/king-satan-occult-spiritual-anarchy-review/
Purchase link: https://www.kingsatan.net/shop#!/Occult-Spiritual-Anarchy-CD/
Songs to check out: This Is Where The Magick Happens, Demon Made Flesh, The Faces Of The Devil
I still think it’s crazy to think I may not have ever discovered this band, had I not accidentally stumbled across them at Nummirock 2017 – but I’m a firm believer of everything happening for a reason. 2022 saw King Satan wind up their album trilogy with its final part Occult Spiritual Anarchy, and even sees them come full circle featuring a re-recording of their track Spiritual Anarchy from their 2017 debut. Whilst Occult Spiritual Anarchy is King Satan’s heaviest album to date, it still has that electronic/industrial vibe that makes their music so damn fun to move about to, and although they haven’t quite been able to tour the album properly yet, you can be sure that I’ll be there to enjoy it when they announce their next run of shows.
3. Plythe – The Engineers
Purchase link: https://plythe.bandcamp.com/track/the-engineers
Okay, well I didn’t write a review of The Engineers and it’s a single track rather than an album like the rest of the releases on this list – but considering how much I’ve listened to Plythe’s back catalogue since first discovering this artist two months ago, I felt I had to include his music on my highlights of 2022 list. Whilst I enjoy the entire back catalogue, The Engineers is my favourite track by Plythe so far; I love the dark vibes the synth has and the main melody is one of those that gets stuck in your head for days after you’ve heard it. Plus, the artwork is really fucking cool, which can never be a bad thing. Make sure you give this talented artist a listen because you really won’t regret it – and I’m definitely eager to hear more as well.
4. Bleed From Within – Shrine
Our review: https://www.soundscapemagazine.com/bleed-from-within-shrine-review/
Purchase link: https://www.bleedfromwithin.com/product-category/shrine/
Songs to check out: I Am Damnation, Paradise, Invisible Enemy
I swear I say this every time Bleed From Within releases a new album, but holy fucking shit. This band gets better with every release. I didn’t think it would be possible for them to top 2020’s Fracture, but here we are. Shrine is an absolutely mighty release and I am absolutely dying to hear these tracks live because Bleed From Within is a band best appreciated in a live environment. I Am Damnation is one of the greatest songs this band has ever written, and there’s just so much power behind the entire album that it still blows me away every time I listen to it. I don’t think Bleed From Within will ever stop impressing me and I’m already keen to see where they go next.
5. Septicflesh – Modern Primitive
Our review: https://www.soundscapemagazine.com/septicflesh-modern-primitive-review/
Purchase link: https://shop.septicflesh.com/product/modern-primitive-digipack/
Songs to check out: The Collector, Neuromancer, Hierophant
You know when you hear the opening few seconds of an album and you instantly know it’s going to be incredible? Yeah, Modern Primitive is a very good example of that. Septicflesh have absolutely nailed it with this album, showing why they are the best band in the symphonic death metal scene. Every song is just as stunning as the last, with the balance between melody and aggression just right, and additionally seeing some of these songs live a few months back in Manchester was a real treat because Septicflesh are just as incredible live as they are on CD. I’m a big fan of Septicflesh’s entire back catalogue, but this album is definitely one of their strongest.
Gigs
It’s been a long few years without gigs, and although I did manage to get to a few in the latter half of 2021, 2022 was when things started to get back to normal – and although we were still faced with a few cancellations at the start of the year, I was lucky enough to see quite a few of my favourite bands this year and was even able to start going overseas for shows again – it was very hard to narrow this list down to just five shows, and I even cheated a little bit by including multiple bands and gigs! Special mention to Dark Easter Metal Meeting – whilst not mentioned on this list, it was my first overseas gig in about a year and a half, and it was well worth the wait to return to such a great little festival.
I didn’t cover many shows this year and none of the ones featured in this list actually wound up being reviewed by me, but nevertheless I still wanted to include my highlights – so here’s an overview of what rocked in 2022 for me.
1. Turmion Kätilöt – Nummirock, 25/06
Okay, let’s be honest, if you know me then you’ll know there was no way that Turmion Kätilöt wasn’t going to be at the top of this list. Turmion Kätilöt is my favourite live band and I try to see them at least once a year, so it has been tough not being able to see them for a few years – my last shows of theirs were way back in March 2019. Thankfully, I made up for lost time in 2022 and saw this incredible band four times this year; twice in their home country of Finland at Nummirock and Saarihelvetti, and twice in my home country of the UK at Wembley and Birmingham! It was incredible to not have to fly to see them and to see them on huge stadium stages where they rightfully belong at their two UK gigs, and their Saarihelvetti set was the stronger performance of their two Finnish shows, but I have to admit that my best show of theirs was when I saw them live at Nummirock for the first time in over three years.
Seeing Turmion Kätilöt live makes me feel alive. Their live show is completely unmatched, and even though I usually don’t understand what is being said onstage or the lewd jokes exchanged (except when I’m attending a show with Finnish friends who will occasionally translate for me!) that doesn’t matter for me. I love the fun vibe they have with one another onstage, I love how tight their performances always are and I love the music they perform – so when you put it all together, it makes for an awesome night. Being at a live show of theirs and watching them come onstage for the first time in so long…well, it was emotional to say the least, which was why their Nummirock set was so significant to me, and I’d go so far as to describe it as my happiest moment of 2022. Now bring on 2023 and the album launch of their upcoming tenth full-length, Omen X! (Spoiler: I’ve heard a review copy and it fucking slams!)
2. Paradise Lost – Leeds, 05/02
When I was looking back at what gigs to include in my highlights of 2022, I honestly had to do a double-take when I noticed I’d seen Paradise Lost three times this year. Not because the gigs weren’t memorable, but they were at the start of the year and it honestly feels like they happened ten years ago rather than ten months! Originally I booked a ticket for the album launch show for Obsidian, which was due to take place in September 2020 (ha, ha) but it got rescheduled a number of times before winding up as part of a full UK tour.
Since they were going to be playing Obsidian in full at Leeds, I also booked a ticket for the Manchester gig in order to see the two different sets – but honestly, they were that good in Leeds that I wound up booking a third ticket for their Wolverhampton show! And when you’re that hungry for more after leaving a gig, that’s when you know it’s been a good night. This was my first gig of 2022, and set the bar very high for the rest of the year because of how good it was. It’s always fun to see Paradise Lost live, and this was no exception.
3. Kuolemanlaakso – Saarihelvetti 06/08
Me in 2018 after seeing Kuolemanlaakso for the second time: “Man, I hope it doesn’t take me another three years before I see Kuolemanlaakso live for a third time.”
Me in 2022, four years later: “Well, fuck.”
…All I am going to say is that I hope this is not going to turn into a negative trend because I’ll be damned if I now have to wait five years for my next Kuolemanlaakso show!!!!!!
All jokes aside though, covid hasn’t helped and Kuolemanlaakso is a band that doesn’t play tonnes of live shows anyway, so seeing them live is always a special experience. Whilst there were a lot of bands on the Saarihelvetti lineup that I wanted to see (including my aforementioned favourite live band, Turmion Kätilöt), Kuolemanlaakso was the main draw for me and the reason why I booked the ticket. Seeing them live after such a long wait felt so good, and I particularly enjoyed the performance of Me vaellamme yössä – it had an extra bite live, and the memory of its live rendition stayed with me for a long while after the set came to a close.
4. Vorna – Nummirock 22/06
My last international gig before Covid and lockdowns was actually a Vorna show, so it was nice to go full circle with them also being one of the first bands I saw live after being able to go overseas again, during my second overseas trip to Nummirock. Vorna shows are always a special experience for me, and the band never fails to impress me with their stunning live shows and always-tight performances. Plus, seeing them live at Nummirock makes it all the more special, given that it’s my favourite festival. The atmosphere was perfect, the set flowed perfectly, and it was just nice to experience seeing my friends onstage whilst in the company of a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in years. Such a great night.
5. Skálmöld – Oslo 05/11
You know when you go to a show that is so good that you have to book to see the band play another show on the tour? Yeah, that happened after this one and I also wound up attending the Köln show of this tour Skálmöld did with Finntroll and Brymir! Skálmöld is a special band to me, and one I will never get sick of seeing live, so it felt good to see them again after what felt like such a long break (although shorter than most, given I saw them in the tail end of 2019)! Playing at a sold out John Dee, Skálmöld got a tremendous response and it just felt so good to be in the crowd witnessing another tight and stunning live performance from this band. Also seeing Kvaðning moved me to tears, so if that isn’t the sign of a good show then I don’t know what is.
