2022 was a fantastic year for new music. Bands that are old favourites, and new discoveries, made my musical journey through the year a great one. Of course, reviewing albums for my compadres at Ever Metal helped in my explorations – a gig that I’m very happy and proud to continue.
I was prompted to compile this list of my Top 10 Rock and Metal albums of the year by Ever Metal. This list has already appeared on that site, but why not share it at the Virtual Hot Tub too?
So here we go, the official 2022 countdown:
10. Brant Bjork – “Bougainvillea Suite”
A laidback, trippy journey through Brant Bjork’s sixties record collection. Ideal for summer evenings.
9. Captain Caravan/Kaiser – “Turned to Stone – Chapter 6”
Fantastic split album from Captain Caravan and Kaiser, which crept up on my unexpectedly and quickly became a favourite.
Captain Caravan Facebook! Kaiser Facebook!
8. Earthless – “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”
Outrageously good album created by amazing musicians, Earthless are nutritious energy for the ears, mind and soul.
7. Stoner – “Totally…”
It’s Brant Bjork again, here with Nick Oliveri in their stoner rock super group. Does exactly what you’d expect, and features one of the best album covers I’ve seen in a long while.
6. MWWB – “The Harvest”
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard don’t disappoint with this heavy yet progressive album, brimming with new ideas and sci-fi experimentation.
5. Nebula – “Transmissions from Mother Ship Earth”
Glorious heavy psych rock from Nebula, showcasing their savage riffs and outer space vibes.
4. Battalions – “King of a Dead World”
A monster of an album! Heavy, sludgy – that’s all you need to know. Brutal and brilliant! They’re from Hull!
3. Crobot – “Feel This”
The most exciting hard rock band around deliver another energetic slab of groovy rock’n’roll. Unmissable!
2. Clutch – “Sunrise on Slaughter Beach”
It’s Clutch, what can you say? Clutch are legendary and they always come up with the goods. This latest feels slightly darker than previous releases, but has all the required Clutch-ness necessary.
- Sergeant Thunderhoof – “This Sceptred Veil”
A worthy triumph at the top of my 2022 chart. An album that has it all: heavy riffs, powerful playing, melody and invention – it’s an experience that the listener can truly immerse themselves in.
Sergeant Thunderhoof Facebook!
All awesome albums and I recommend you check them out immediately. And what a winner! You can read my review of the Sergeant Thunderhoof album on Ever Metal, and I’ll re-post it here soon.
Not long after I compiled this Top 10, I received a package in the post. It was a vinyl copy of the “This Sceptred Veil” album, which was a nice surprise. What made it even more special, was an excerpt from my Ever Metal review appearing on the hype sticker plastered to the front! I was super stoked to see this – hope my words help shift a few copies of this superb record!
Honourable mentions this year for quality releases from Ghost (should’ve been a Top !0 entry?); plus my old chums The Cult and Red Hot Chili Peppers (both continuing to release great music after all this time); amongst many others.
There’s lots of more new music to look forward to in 2023. The fun thing is, I don’t even know what some of them will be yet…
Stay tuned to Ever Metal and Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot tub for the reviews that mattter!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 