I don’t why I thought it’d be a good idea to do both an end of the year list and preview list reflecting the year they’re happening in….but here we are. Our list of twenty one albums and change has already posted (Which you can read here) so now it’s time to close the book on 2021 and look to the future with 22 albums we think will make this year sound even better than the last…and change.
Speaking of “the change”, there just seems to be so much in the pipeline to keep yer peepers peeled for in the year 2022 that we had to go slightly beyond just 22. Like Meshuggah who is back with guitarist Fredrik Thordendal in the fold and a new album called Immutable heading your way on April 1st which is also the same day that Nekrogoblikon delivers This Is It! Rammstein supposedly spent their pandemic daze wrapping up another album (Following 2019’s Rammstein) which will hopefully arrive before their delayed North American tour begins in the fall and fellow weird Shock Rawk brethren Slipknot and Ghost both have new records ready to go at some point in 2022. One of our favorite solo artists to emerge in recent years, Greg Puciato, celebrated the one year anniversary of debut Child Soldier: Creator Of God by sharing the accompanying live album (F*ck Content) for free and confirming that follow-up Mirrorcell is on the way for a tentative Spring release while one of our most favorite iIndustrial acts, Bile, has a new offering entitled Pot Farmer coming soon.
Now onto the BIG list:
22. Underoath: Voyeurist (January 14th, Fearless Records)- Underoath not only came out of left field with their surprise comeback when Erase Me was released in 2018 but also dropped an unexpected banger with one of their most vicious releases to date. What’s been released so far from album number nine has been on par so expectations for Voyeurist are obviously very high right now and luckily we don’t have long to wait to find out what the finished product is gonna sound like.
21. SOM: The Shape Of Everything (January 21st, Pelagic Records)- I debate a lot about putting records on here when I kind of already know what’s coming which is the case with SOM because a review of The Shape Of Everything is on the way really soon and I know this record owns already but I can honestly say that when it was initially announced, It was greatly anticipated…so I guess the anticipated bit is more for you than me but that’s fine, too, yeah?
20. Once Human: Scar Weaver (February 11th, earMusic)- Honestly, I knew the third record from Once Human was on the way but as an anticipated release it wasn’t even on my radar. I like Logan Mader (Beyond his Machine Head work, please check out Medication!) a ton and dig OH but have never really been a fan. And then Scar Weaver came across ye olde digital desk and the ONLY reason this is so low on the list here is that our review is imminent and it’s tough to be on a “Most Anticipated” list when it’s already in hand. Anyway! Scar Weaver is one of those records upon hearing that I’m already jotting down on my year long draft of potential “Best Of 2022” so there’s that. Don’t miss out on this release.
19. Clutch: TBA (TBD, TBD)- There’s something on the horizon from one of Rawk’s undeniable greatest with news coming any day now on their first full-length in four years which will easily be a highlight of the new year.
18. Combichrist: TBA (TBD, Out Of Line Music)- Even before the pandemic hit, Combichrist had been relatively quiet with a few singles here and there but latest track “Compliance” was an out-of-nowhere unexpected dark Electro masterpiece and we are very excited at the prospect of what’s on the horizon from Andy LaPlegua and company.
17. Venom Prison: Erebos (February 4th, Century Media Records)- The sophomore outing from UK Heavy Devastators Venom Prison was positively, um, devastating and after the release of the game changer “Pain Of Oizys” late in 2021, anticipation is high as to what the rest of album number three is going to sound like.
16. Dog Fashion Disco: Cult Classic (March 12th, Razor To Wrist)- I LOVE Dog Fashion Disco, okay? And vocalist Todd Smith is easily one of my most favorite singers out there today so saying that excitement is high in the RNRF camp for the new one from the Baltimore-based band would be a vast understatement. The first taste came in the form of “Grand Experiment” (Check out the video below) which is filled with all the Oingo Boingo meets Mr Bungle lunacy that DFD has brought with each release and promises great things to come when the album drops in March.
15. White Lies: As I Try Not To Fall Apart (February 18th, PIAS Recordings)- White Lies has yet to let me down with a release which continually deliver diverse and dynamic sounds that have taken the reins from Tears For Fears over the years. Their upcoming sixth sounds like it’ll be just as satisfying following the release of the title track and “I Don’t Want To Go To Mars”.
14. Tears For Fears: The Tipping Point (February 25th, Concord Records)- Oh! And speaking of TFF, we get a new record from them this year, too! How can one not rejoice with the news that Tears For Fears will be releasing their first new batch of collected songs in almost eighteen years in 2022? The title track is a delight and with a huge tour on the horizon with Garbage as well, it looks like 2022 will be a big comeback year for Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith…although, they never really left.
13. FOZZY: BOOMBOX (April 15th, Century Media Records)- It’s finally (Almost) here! The latest from Chris Jericho and longtime Lennon to his McCartney, Rich Ward, has been teased since 2020 and it looks like fans are finally going to get to hear the the long awaited follow-up to 2017’s Judas in 2022. With “Sane” already scorching and the remnants of Judas still delivering (Read: Jericho’s iconic current AEW entrance theme), the eighth full-length is primed and ready to deliver one of the hardest and heaviest Rawk albums of the new year.
12. Gozu: TBA (TBD, Blacklight Media)- Boston’s Gozu has constantly brought it within the local underground Desert rawk scene and in the new year they’ll back with a new drummer (Fellow Bostonians Lesser Glow’s Seth Botos) and a new album, their first since 2018’s Equilibrium.
11. Crowbar: Zero And Below (March 4th, MRNK Heavy)- 2020 was supposed to give us the long anticipated/awaited Kirk Windstein solo record along with a banger new Crowbar album but then the world went into a tailspin and we were deprived of that promised Crowbar record. While Windstein’s solo offering was a definite highlight within the NOLA native’s storied discography, fans have been on the edge of their seats for what’s in store from the Sludge legends and judging from first single “Chemical Godz”, the end result will be more than worth the wait.
10. Cave In: Heavy Pendulum (Spring, Relapse Records)/Mutoid Man: TBA (TBD, Sargent House)- Yep, I’m cheating on the double dose of (confirmed) Stephen Brodsky releases this year and putting both Cave In and Mutoid Man in a single entry. Sorry? Both recorded at God City (CI’s first there in almost 20 years while MM is set to start recording this month), both feature new members (MM gets High On Fire/Zeke bassist Jeff Matz, CI gets Doomriders/Old Man Gloom/Converge’s Nate Newton), and both are going to absolutely own. ‘Nuff Said.
9. Eldridge Rodriguez: TBA (TBD, Midriff Records)- There’s a new (ish) single out! And ER has been in the studio! And their last record (2020’s Slightest Of Treason) was one of our favorites of that year and of theirs overall! What’s next for the Boston/NYC hybrid outfit? Well, if “Megaladon” is any indication then what’s next is -insert heart eyes emoji-! And even more -insert heart eyes emoji- is that the NEXT single is slated for release super soon. We’ve heard it. It’s kinda beyond fantastic. Excited yet? Stay tuned.
8. Machine Head: TBA (TBD, Nuclear Blast)- I’m an album generation kind of human, okay? And I make no apologies for that. I get the concept of singles and get the necessity and ease of which they can be released but I more enjoy understanding the bigger picture….so while the MH EP and singles that dropped in 2021 might be pretty darn stellar, I’ll take a full-length over all that any day. And with a reinvigorated line up led by the general hisself, Mr Robb Flynn, it looks as if another epic Machine Head record is on the way.
7. Filter: TBA (TBD, Golden Robot Records)- It’ll be six years since the last full-length Filter record dropped and while the singles released since (2020’s “Murica” and “Thoughts And Prayers”) have been pretty potent slabs and political jabs that hearken back to some old school sounding Filter magic, fans are definitely chomping on the bit for more.
6. The Birthday Massacre: Fascination (February 18th, Metropolis Records)- The only reason the latest from The Birthday Massacre is just outside our Top 5 is because it’s currently being played here on repeat and we wanted to shine a light on a few albums that we haven’t heard all the way through yet. But I digress! First single “Dreams Of You” is pretty righteous, right? But it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the massive sounds coming from the rest of the record. The title track which opens the album is like The Cure and Deadsy but even more vibrant while other tracks like “Stars And Satellites” and “Like Fear, Like Love” absolutely bring the next level sounds to the TBM camp.
5. BAIT: Sea Change (April 1st, Cool Thing Records)- Inevitably waiting to post this list later is going to lead to more announcements like this one. For those who aren’t aware, BAIT is the Post-Punk/Indie/Industrial outfit you never knew you needed in your life. Spearheaded by ex-Baddies maniac Michael Webster, BAIT has been a tad quiet since their debut landed in 2017 but with a new single ready to launch (“DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA” arriving on January 14th!) it looks like BAIT is back and better than ever.
4. VOWWS: TBA (TBD, TBD)- The Los Angeles duo mostly laid low during the shitstorm that’s been 2020 and 2021 with a handful of singles released (Hear/purchase them all here) as well as some score work for campaigns by COMME des GARÇONS parfums and BYREDO among others. They’ve been diligently working on the follow-up to one of our Top albums of 2018 and with a support slot to IGORRR looming we’re hoping we’ll hear the finished result sooner rather than later.
3. A Cause In Distress: TBA (TBD, Cool Thing Records)- Honestly, anything collected that’s more than three tracks is going to make our 2022 Best of list without question. What ACID yielded in such a short time and the sounds created within both “Paraffin” and “Modern Commerce” last year were beyond impressive by this relatively newer outfit from across the pond and we can’t wait for what’s coming next.
2. Corlyx: TBA (Spring, Out Of Line Music)- 2020 gave us the ultimate Corlyx record and the ultimate Corlyx experience with vocalist/bassist Caitlin Stokes popping up to help ESA for a bevy of tracks and guitarist Brandon Ashley making some, ahem, dark magic of their own with The Dark. 2021 saw the release of “The Echo” and first single for new label home Out Of Line Music, “Take Off Everything”, which both give fans a lot to look forward to regarding the next chapter of Corlyx.
1. Stabbing Westward: Chasing Ghosts (March 18th, COP International)- Sure, there’s definitely some nostalgia wrapped around a new release from Stabbing Westward but damn if that same energy isn’t equally just sheer excitement at the prospect of the first proper full-length from Stabbing Westward in almost 21 years. Especially when what’s come since they slowly and quietly reformed a few years back has been par for course like first single “I Am Nothing” which has a feel along the same lines of “Dawn” from Escape From L.A. but louder. Bring. It. On.