Maybe in 2030 we’ll stop doing these lists featuring a number corresponding to the given year and make it a little easier for us but for now we’re still finding it hard to whittle down the artists and albums that kicked ass for us so if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it, y’know? And 2022 delivered yet again!
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We first got sucked into the magic that is Caustic Casanova with the release of the trio of Pantheon EP’s which we mentioned in our review for their last badass beast called God How I Envy The Deaf (Released in 2019 and can be read all about right here) and can safely say that it’s no small task to follow ALL of that up. But the quartet from Washington, D.C. managed to do just that with their fifth LP that looks like an EP but sounds like a double LP. Get all that? You will!
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We can think of a number of records and artists in recent years that graced the covers of some of our most favorite Metal mags, had glowing reviews for that much anticipated/much hyped about record, and maybe ended up at the top of any number of year end “best of” lists only to just fall flat on our ears. And hey! It’s all about your personal taste which is subjective so no need to discredit the work put into creating or promoting some of those misses for us. Which brings us to Sweden’s Besvärjelsen whose name has been kicking around for a bit in that hyped space and whose upcoming Atlas record, for us at least, is one that we urge you to believe all the accolades being hurled its’ way.
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Artists like Low Flying Hawks, who cause a deep dive in a genre that’s overflowing with hidden gems, is a gem unto itself. In this case, not only did we jump back into LFH’s wealth of releases since 2016 but also poured over greats from Kyuss and recent outings from KIND to really feel the feels of this latest Desert Rawk masterpiece. Which it is because just knowing what came before will in no way prepare you with what’s to come on Fuyu.
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There are a few artists that I’ve reviewed here, and I’ve mentioned this before, that just kind of fall off my radar after their record of the moment is out and available. Not for lack of liking but more the abundance of new music coming in on the daily. But then I get a ping as something new from the artist is about to drop and get to give myself a refresher and dive back into their old stuff for research, nostalgia, and the inevitable comparison or two.
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Domkraft’s third full-length is filled with colossal sounds made up some of the gnarliest, most nasty sounding riffs that Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler wished they’d discovered first. Cap off all that inherent Heavy with an exquisite musicianship throughout and Seeds is easily a contender for many a year-end best list. Including ours.
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It’s an understatement that 2020 was a pretty fucked up year, right? Machine Head was the last live band I saw back in February and a few days after that I found myself in an emergency room with some unexpected surgery to be had (Don’t worry, I’m fine now!) followed by the shutdown across the country. There’ve been ups, downs, and everything in between in 2020 but one constant has been the music. Artists have adapted with some keeping those schedules and releasing new albums despite not being able to tour behind them while others are holding off altogether. Some have done well with the new norm of livestreamed concerts and while I’ve checked out a few, personally they’re just not my cuppa.
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I could either completely exhaust myself and do four separate reviews of the albums that represent 2019’s Day Of Doom live showcase at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar heading towards the end of releases in 2020 when most are shifting their focus to year end lists and preview pieces…or just do one MASSIVE review of all the releases. Take a guess where we’re going with this one, won’t you?
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Delays are inevitable yet sometimes delays work for the greater good producing some unprecedented magic like Magnetic Eye Records has had as of late. Whether it’s pandemic or production-related, there’s been a slew of releases from MER affected by recent events but the silver lining in this story is that it’s caused a flood of material to come out one after another as of late bringing us to Vol. 4 [Redux] (Following Zakk Sabbath’s Vertigo and the Alice In Chains [Redux] both released last month) focusing on the iconic Black Sabbath album as reinterpreted by a bevy of current legends, legends on the rise, and legends-in-the-making.
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Alice In Chains is one of my all-time favorites. To the point of being almost sacred. So when Layne Staley tragically passed away, I like so many others believed that Alice In Chains was done. They weren’t and today continue to honor the legacy of Staley while cementing their status as living legends in the upper echelons of Hard Rawk and Metal. Speaking of that legacy, it was 1992’s Dirt that helped to catapult the Seattle quartet into those hallowed halls and almost twenty years later Magnetic Eye Records is paying tribute to the iconic record with their latest [Redux] release.
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