Reports from the Underground: 2022 Albums of the Year

Mathis’s Picks

10. Iomair – Fishing For An Apparition (Canada)
Style: Folk Metal, Jazz Fusion, Melodic Death Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Amon Amarth, Wilderun, Finntroll

Fishing For An Apparition was a pleasant surprise for me, as generally, I’m not a fan of folk metal. The way Iomair implemented jazz fusion and American folk music is what made this album shine and stand out among other folk metal. Many tracks on Fishing For An Apparition are light and bouncy rather than fantastical and dramatic, and the harsh vocals contrast the upbeat tunes so well. Iomair has dropped from Spotify and the only place this album is available is Bandcamp with limited free listens, so I suspect they knew people like me would have to buy it after just a listen or two.

Recommended tracks: Gallows, The Return of the Pheonix, Motivation
You may also like: Sound Struggle, Trepalium

9. Warforged – The Grove | Sundial (US)
Style: Progressive Death Metal, Progressive Deathcore (Mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Krosis

I know I am in the minority here, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Grove | Sundial. I think Warforged dug their own grave by releasing such an innovative banger with their debut. It seems people were so hooked on that album that they can’t imagine another Warforged release being any less. I admit that The Grove | Sundial isn’t as good as I: Voice, but they are hardly the same genre, so I’d advise people to listen to The Grove | Sundial without any bias. Surely they can understand that this album is much better than they once thought.

Recommended tracks: Sheridan Road, No Land Man, Burning Days, Painted Heart
You may also like: Release The Blackness, The Voynich Code, Pathogenic

8. Soulsplitter – Connection (Germany)
Style: Modern Progressive Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Contortionist

I overlooked this one in all honesty. I must have only listened to it once while my mind was busy with something else. Am I an idiot?! Connection screams Umpfel with its laid back gentle melodies. The keys are so peaceful, the riffs are djenty, and the clean vocals flow like a brook in a secluded forest. I also found it fun that the harsh vocals aren’t introduced until the third song. Based on the first two tracks I didn’t expect any screaming, so it was a nice surprise when the screams did eventually arrive.

Recommended tracks: Glass Bridge, Erosion, Thrive
You may also like: Umpfel, Claemus, Effuse

7. Toehider – I Have Little To No Memories Of These Memories (Australia)
Style: Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Djent (Mostly clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Devin Townsend, Troldhaugen, Native Construct

I Have Little To No Memories Of These Memories is a single satirical song about suddenly gaining new memories, it’s wild wacky fun for the whole family! The song is forty-eight minutes long, but is broken up into multiple sections that are distinguishable and unique. The latter half of the song alludes to previous sections and motifs that are littered throughout. A broad selection of genres is displayed throughout the runtime of the song, and are all executed awesomely, but the real appeal is the torrent of feverish humor that flows from Toehider’s wild imagination.

Recommended tracks: I Have Little To No Memories Of These Memories
You may also like: Cheetos Magazine, Exxperior, Others By No One

6. Human By Nature – Eläimys (Finland)
Style: Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, Post Metal (Mostly clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Sikth

Eläimys’ success is due to its uncanny nature. Human By Nature really lean into the dark organic sound, and the result is extremely culty. The guitars are soft and alluring while the vocals feel malicious yet filled with genuine concern and sorrow. One might think that exemplary drumming would be found in a genre that is more technical than alternative metal, but in reality, it can be found in the most unexpected places, like Eläimys. It’s a shorter album with only six tracks, but each track is eerily engaging and will leave you shivering with uneasy content. Weird.

Recommended tracks: You Decompose, Root, The Practice
You may also like: A Kew’s Tag, Gargoyl

5. Zemeth – Loneliness (Japan)
Style: Melodic Death Metal, Neoclassical Power Metal (Harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Galneryus, Versailles, Imperial Circus Dead Decadence

I am a weeb metalhead, so naturally Zemeth was a perfect fit for me. Many thanks to Andy for introducing me to the band and the melodeath genre. Loneliness is a full send, balls-to-the-wall neoclassical melodeath EP that delivers the crushing heaviness of a stomp from the colossal titan, as well as dramatic melodies that rival the Attack On Titan openings. With BPM reaching 250, Zemeth’s speed is too fast for even Saitama and Goku to keep up with. You wish your favorite tech death bands were this swift!

Recommended tracks: Vermillion Farewell, Kyoai Loneliness, Dominant Mistress
You may also like: Bloody Cumshot, Jupiter

4. Jakub Tirco – Alaska (The Czech Republic)
Style: Progressive Metal. Post Metal (Instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: David Maxim Micic, Plini, Scale The Summit

The past year or two I’ve been really interested in wacky prog rock and metal. Stuff like Moron Police, 22, Sikth, Unhuman, etc. Jakub Tirco is on the other end of the spectrum. His latest release, Alaska, is pleasant and calming. Tirco doesn’t need to take risks with super goofy stuff, when he can compose such simple and catchy songs. Sometimes life gets a little chaotic, in times like these it’s best to settle down with albums like Alaska and your drink of choice. Jakub Tirco plus a London fog latte is my go-to for stress relief and relaxation.

Recommended tracks: Aubade, Moderation, Nocturne
You may also like: Outrun The Sunlight, Hecla, The Elephant in the Room

3. The Dali Thundering Concept – All Mighty Men (France)
Style: Progressive Metalcore, Progressive Deathcore (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Erra, Northlane, Novelists FR

The Dali Thundering Concept have been around for a while, and I’ve listened to them here and there but never really enjoyed them. This changed with the release of their 2022 album All Mighty Men. The Dali Thundering Concept nail what other metalcore acts have been trying to accomplish for the past few years. Everyone seems to be adopting nu-metal influences into their metalcore recently, but they can’t seem to integrate the styles together well, so the result is just some djenty generic metalcore. All Mighty Men picks up the nu-metal stuff too, but it also reaches into various other genres such as jazz fusion and dance music, and what’s more, it keeps TDTC’s established proggy metalcore/deathcore sound. This album should be an example for others that are trying to introduce nu-metal into their sound.

Recommended tracks: Long Live Man, The Sea Starts Here, Serenading Silence
You may also like: Krosis, Kadinja

2. Indepth – Ancient Architects (Mexico)
Style: Progressive Death Metal, Technical Death Metal ( Harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Obscura, Beyond Creation

Ancient Architects is everything you’d expect from a top-tier tech death album, and not much more. Indepth aren’t aiming to start a death metal revolution, rather, they are using techniques they’ve seen success with while adding their own spin on them. Ancient Architects could likely pass as an Obscura album, but it’s not a perfect recreation of the Obscura sound. Dynamic vocals, slower heavier sections, and some synth work set Indepth apart from their predecessor. 

Recommended tracks: The Arrival II – Outer World, Universal Scar, Ancient Architects
You may also like: Xenosis, Dissonance In Design, Deviant Process

1. Obsidious – Iconic (International)
Style: Technical Death Metal, Progressive Death Metal, Progressive Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Obscura, Persefone

I knew I’d love this album when I heard the first single, Iconic was one of the albums responsible for getting me into tech death this year. I love the way Obsidious mixes in traditional progressive metal vocals into such extreme music. The harsh vocals are just as good, the guitars are virtuosic and shreddy, and there is plenty more that supports each track; like synths, choir vocals, stringed arrangements, fretless bass, vibrant fills on juicy toms. There’s quite a bit of depth and variety throughout the album that makes this release so fun.

Recommended tracks: Iconic, Bound by Fire, Delusion
You may also like: Alkaloid, Hannes Grossman, Indepth

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