Reports from the Underground: 2022 Albums of the Year

Mark’s Picks

10. Ghost Toast – Shade Without Color (Hungary)
Style:  Instrumental Prog Rock
Recommended for fans of: Tool, Alcest, Crippled Black Phoenix

As the first review I did for the blog, I would feel slightly remiss if I didn’t include it in this list. At the time of entry, there was a part of me that was simply trying to find something to review as my “audition”, so to speak, yet delving into this record with that new lens allowed me to see it for the great piece of work that it is. As I mentioned in said review, instrumental music has an added layer of difficulty due to the absence of vocals which Ghost Toast righteously conquered on this album, delivering an excellent collection of angular composition, headbanging riffage, and lush ambience. Although I am not going to miss writing out the name of this band, this record will hold a special place for me going forward and, albeit pretty bloated at 67 minutes in runtime, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone interested in seeing instrumental prog rock executed correctly!

Recommended tracks: Get Rid Of, Deliberate Disguises
You may also like: Echoes and Signals, Frakhtal, Scaphoid

9. Soulsplitter – Connection (Germany)
Style: Progressive Metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Caligula’s Horse, The Contortionist

The more contemporary progressive metal acts, and the bands that inspired them, have always been a bit of a mixed bag for me. Although I adore Haken‘s Affinity, for example, I’ve often found there is a slightly clinical and sterile nature to their music that means I rarely crave it. I haven’t busted out a Dream Theater album since I was a teenager, and bands like The Contortionist never really did it for me in general as there just feels like there is a darkness missing there. However, when I first heard Soulsplitter‘s Connection I was wonderfully surprised by how kinetic and vibrant they have made this particular flavor of progressive metal feel. The highly detailed composition is brimming with enthusiasm, with serious reward given to those who focus on the keys from Lewin Krumpschmid. Overall, I applaud this German outfit for pulling me into a subgenre that I typically pass over, and if they maintain this level of focus I see nothing stopping them from joining the highest ranks within. I eagerly await to see what they do next!

Recommended tracks: Disconnected, Thrive, Erosion
You may also like: Umpfel, Mental Fracture

8. Atomic Symphony – Hybris (Switzerland)
Style: Progressive Power Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Epica, Dream Theater, Symphony X

“Inspired by metal icons like Dream Theater and Symphony X…” Stop! I’ve heard enough. As I mentioned in my Empress review, I am to a Symphony X-influenced release what a shopper is to a discounted TV on Black Friday. Often this also means that my standards are unreasonable, as since 2002’s The Odyssey no one (not even the boys themselves) have been able to fill that New Jersey-shaped hole in my heart. Are Atomic Symphony finally the first? No, definitely not. But what we do have here with Hybris is a tight, succinct, and superbly well-crafted first half of a planned double album. I have some gripes with the overall structure of the record, which feels a little front-loaded, and I wanted a lot more out of Jasmin Baggenstos’ vocals, but the moment-to-moment composition and instrumental proficiency is excellent and I will certainly be diving into the latter companion in 2023.

Recommended tracks: Nightfall, Oath Taker
You may also like: Darkwater, All Things Fallen

7. Gates to the Morning – Walk Between Worlds (US-NJ)
Style: Progressive Rock, Acoustic Rock (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Porcupine Tree, Winterfylleth (The Hallowing Of Heirdom), Opeth (Damnation)

Progressive rock is a genre that tends to pack a lot in. After many years of listening to heavy music and becoming fatigued with a more boilerplate approach, it’s clear to me now that this is one of its initial draws and what keeps me coming back today. However, as I grow a little older and reflect on the albums that I continue to revisit from my formative years, I’m surprised how often I return to the calmer outings. Agalloch‘s Ashes Against the Grain, Winterfylleth‘s The Hallowing Of Heirdom, and Opeth‘s Damnation are calm, cozy, and often incredibly miserable experiences, and something about that just makes them feel timelessly comforting. When Christopher recommended Gates to the Morning‘s Walk Between Worlds I knew instantly that it was going to become one of those albums for me. The entire length of this record is a dynamic, detailed, yet gorgeously subdued collection of acoustic prog that is effortless to engage with emotionally.

Recommended tracks: Paradigms Fall, Moon In the Mid-Day Sky
You may also like: Sisare, Axios, Karma Rassa

6. Sikasa – Matter Earth (Croatia)
Style: Progressive Metal, Post Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, The Ocean

Any album that has even a whiff of The Ocean‘s Pelegial or Disillusion‘s The Liberation is likely going to be spear-tackled by anyone at the blog. The balance of varying moods, energy levels, and detailed sense of grandeur in the composition is incredibly hard to execute, but when it’s done well you’re likely to have something special in your hands. The moment I heard the opening track of Sikasa‘s Matter Earth I sensed it was one of those records so… off to the races. Conclusively, this is a wonderfully dense and spirited record that does right by its obvious influences and one that I would have no issue placing on the same shelf. Not a perfect outing unfortunately, as there a few stumbles along the way with some occasional clunky and unwelcomed genre hops. However, they are sparse between the crushingly heavy post-metal riffage, superbly emotive choruses, and awesomely angular progressive elements.

Recommended tracks: Isola, Where Giants Walk
You may also like: Psychonaut, Disillusion, Hippotraktor

5. Contemplator – Morphose (Canada)
Style: Instrumental Progressive Metal
Recommended for fans of: Gorguts, Intervals, Pomegranate Tiger

This album came out of nowhere for me, which makes it all the more surprising how far up in my list it is. On Morphose, these boys from Québec blend three key elements almost perfectly; jazz-influenced technicality, emotive grandeur, and the nostalgic textures of golden era video game music. With these supported by drum work of Aeternam‘s Antoine Guertin, the result is a dizzyingly dense and thrilling piece of work that sounds like a Pomegranate Tiger record mixed with The Black Mages. My one and only gripe is that Contemplator feel like composers with relatively short attention spans, so few sections are allowed to soak for very long. However, at under 45 minutes the album barely outstays its welcome and I will be spinning it again and again to catch every detail.

Recommended tracks: Rite of Shards, Vestigial, Ashes Swallowed
You may also like: Achymer, Perihelion Ship, Krimh

4. Wilderun – Epigone (US-MA)
Style: Progressive Death Metal, Symphonic Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth

The hype train around Wilderun has gone far past being out of control and has barreled off the tracks, lying ablaze in a ditch somewhere. For most of the blog this is their favourite album of the year, and for very good reason; it is wonderful. Being able to top 2019’s Veil of Imagination seemed incredibly unlikely. but these Boston boys managed to take their established ingredients and blend them with an elevated proficiency, resulting in a masterful work. The flow between lush acoustic ambience, thick progressive death metal, and monumental symphonic grandeur is so well crafted it’s hard to understand how they pulled it off. But they did, so go listen.

Recommended tracks: Woolgatherer, Distraction I-III
You may also like: Disillusion, Aeternam, Lör, Xanthochroid

3. Charlie Griffiths – Tiktaalika (England)
Style: Progressive Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, Between The Buried and Me

I actually wasn’t aware of Charlie Griffiths as one of Haken‘s guitarists before this album dropped. My first exposure to it was the official video for “Tiktaalika” from which I almost bailed before the song actually kicked in. I’m glad I didn’t. This album is such a perfect blend of both the esoteric proficiency of prog and the primal infectiousness of straight heavy metal, one moment bringing me back to my first Megadeth record as a teen and the next hypnotizing me with all the best parts from a Between The Buried And Me album. Although it features some excellent input from vocalists such as Tommy Giles, Vladimir Lalic, and Daniël de Jongh, I feel the record would have been just as strong without them. As a guitarist’s approach to a solo album it shows the works of guitar-centric outfits such as Plini or Polyphia to be overly self-celebratory, and it undoubtedly serves as a baseline for the new contemporary guitar album. Confident, well-crafted, and better than anything from Haken.

Recommended tracks: Tiktaalika, Arctic Cemetery
You may also like: Novena, Richard Henshall, Luna’s Call

2. Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality (Belgium)
Style: Post Metal, Progressive Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: The Ocean, Neurosis, Intronaut

2018’s Unfold the God Man was a formative experience for me. Post metal very often leans into its more abrasive and meditative characteristics, and sometimes this can present a little bit of fatigue when hopping from one band to the next. Harsh screams over a 9 minute song with two chords just drags after a while.  However, with their first full-length this Belgian power trio managed to infuse the genre with the electrifying vibes of a rock jam band and only then did I realize what was missing for me from post metal. I was beyond excited for Violate Consensus Reality and was staggered to find that Psychonaut had focused their craft to create a more polished, succinct, and clear album that is laden with crushing riffs, dark ambience, and vibrant performances across the board. I knew it was going to be near the top of my list within minutes of my first listen, and that opinion has not faltered since.

Recommended tracks: All Your Gods are Gone, Violate Consensus Reality, Hope
You may also like: Calyces, Dvne, Pull Down the Sun

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1. Disillusion – Ayam (Germany)
Style: Progressive Death Metal (mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Opeth, In Mourning

This was a no brainer. As someone who sacrilegiously never understood the appeal of 2004’s Back to Times of Splendor, I was surprised to find that something just clicked with 2019’s The Liberation which easily became my favourite record of that year. Three years later the single for “Am Abgrund” dropped out of nowhere and at first I must admit that I was a little bit worried that Disillusion had packaged together pieces from The Liberation‘s cutting room floor. However, on release day my first playthrough of Ayam ripped me right back to my first ever spin of Blackwater Park. The German five-piece have completely outdone themselves with the most gorgeously detailed, powerful, and emotive collection of progressive death metal I have heard in a long time. It is a partnership of perfectly executed composition, narrative, and production to create a work that is dimensions beyond the sum of its parts.

Recommended tracks: All of them.
You may also like: Wilderun, Aeternam, The Reticent