Connor’s 2022 Year End Round-Up

2022 Album of the Year List

Honorable Mentions: Undeath – It’s Time…To Rise from the Grave! / Enterprise Earth – The Chosen / The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir – Slow Murder / Vomit Forth – Seething Malevolence / A Wake in Providence – Eternity / Get the Shot – Merciless Destruction / Tallah – The Generation of Danger

25. Take Life – You Are Nowhere (Hardcore/Sludge)
This was definitely one of the first “wow” records of the year for me, and as the year went on I found myself returning to its combination of grim, dark atmosphere and relentless aggression. Definitely something worth checking out if you missed it.

24. Underthrow MA – In Memory of Fading Hearts (Metalcore/Melodic Hardcore)
The only thing I knew about this project before hearing the single (and then record) was that it was a Moke project—which was enough to get me interested. It turns out it’s ALSO a stunning example of metalcore with a melodic twist (and a weird-but-fitting deathcore influence in those drum parts).

23. Secrets – The Collapse (Metalcore)
This one was a surprise. Secrets have penned what I consider to be one of the worst “Rise-core” records of all time, but with this release, they’ve redeemed themselves and then some. Fun, catchy and relentlessly energetic, this is what the kids call a “bop.”

22. P.S.You’redead – Sugar Rot (Mathcore)
This funky little number was also a surprise, though maybe not as much as I might have thought considering the similarities to tenured favorites, Duck Duck Goose et al. It’s a little dense and the closing songs get a little…weird, but it’s a strong go-to for spastic breakdowns.

21. The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes on Forever (Pop-Punk)
Most days I still don’t know how I feel about this record. While it’s closer to the band’s angsty roots than was Sister Cities, I still have mixed feelings on some songs (usually the more “mature” ones). With that said, this band really doesn’t miss, and “Low Tide” alone brings this cut into the top 25 of this year.

20. Revocation – Netherheaven (Death Metal)
This is probably one of the hardest-riffing albums of the year, an absolutely scorching compendium of technicality and intensity in a surprisingly easy to digest package. Some moments—like the Trevor Strnad feature—just add that much more depth to Neatherheaven, making it a truly resounding release. I honestly think if this record had a couple meathead chuggy bits it would have been a top 5 joint for me, but even so, it remains a stellar release even for breakdown junkies like yours truly.
Recommended Tracks: Diabolical Majesty, Re-Crucified, Godforsaken

19. Orphan – Porcelain (Deathcore)
Speaking of breakdowns, Orphan bring them in spades. While Strangled was always one of those “I don’t get it” bands for me, Orphan clicked instantly. Combining the brazen aggression of beatdown hardcore with the dissonance of deathcore and downtempo’s beefy, gritty chugs—with some rare post-metal touches—Porcelain is about as simultaneously brutalizing and delicate as one record can be…if that even makes sense. While some of the more atmospheric portions at the end may feel a little overzealous, it all comes together exceptionally, and there’s no denying it.
Recommended Tracks: Mag Dump, S.B.C., Dying Light

18. Inclination – Unaltered Perspective (Straight Edge Metalcore)
2022 was an astounding year for straight edge as far as its extension into hardcore and metalcore. Inclination is one such example. These fellas manage to bring the distinct vitriol and bitterness of Midwestern 00’s metalcore into the 2020s and we’re all much better—and more battered—for it. I feel like this record got hugely overlooked which is a shame, because it really does bring a whole lot of heat without much filler.
Recommended Tracks: Thoughts and Prayers, Predetermined, Commitment to Self

17. SpiritWorld – DEATHWESTERN (Death Metal, Yee-Haw)
And the riffs keep coming. I have to thank Twitter for this one, else I doubt I’d have actually found it—and if this is your first time hearing of it, you need to listen. Sounding much akin to acts like I AM, SpiritWorld bring riffs and intensity with no filler. While I wish the Old West gimmick was maybe a little more instrumental the record’s sound and style, this shit will absolutely have you Yee-Hawing the whole time.
Recommended Tracks: DEATHWESTERN, Purified in Violence, Moonlit Torture

16. DARKO (US) – Oni (Progressive Deathcore)
Frankly, I’m out of ways to colorfully illustrate how much I love Darko, as they’ve been on my year end list multiple times now. An incredible byproduct of the 2020 lockdown, Darko confidently take the conventional borders of deathcore and warp them beyond recognition. Oni demonstrates their perpetual growth and dedication to both rigorous, ruthless aggression and…well, getting weird. This record will keep you surprised for its entire duration, even if after multiple plays, some songs end up skipped as often as they’re listened to in full.
Recommended Tracks: Hyper Kill, Acid Inject, Sand Script.

15. I AM – Eternal Steel (Death Metal)
Usually when bands move away from their -core origins in favor of a different sound, it isn’t to their benefit (or at least not to my tastes). Listening back to I AM’s roots and comparing them to Eternal Steel, however, is the exact opposite. In their metamorphosis from gritty, metallic deathcore to polished, sharpened death metal, they’ve found their niche and are dominating it. Eternal Steel is the next step in their stride towards metallic stardom and it absolutely obliterates as a bastion of Texan metal with a little bit of hardcore flare to spice things up.
Recommended Tracks: Surrender to the Blade, Infernal Panther, Manic Cure

14. Orthodox – Learning to Dissolve (Metalcore)
Just like I AM, Orthodox are also a band that always move just a little further up my year-end list any time they release a record. Learning to Dissolve captures the darkness and grim nature of their previous release but infuses much more energy and intensity, hurling the listener headlong into a frenzy from the first track. Orthodox didn’t have to work hard to make me fall more in love with them, but they went above and beyond to ensure that this record would be one I would continue to revisit throughout an already densely packed year.
Recommended Tracks: Cave In, Digging Through Glass, Nothing to See

13. AngelMaker – Sanctum (Deathcore)
Sanctum was an incredible album—IS an incredible album, I mean—and I think it was largely overlooked as a comprehensive release because of the drip-feed rollout. Go back and revisit it—I did after seeing the band live on the Pain Remains tour—and you’ll find it to be a stellar example of deathcore done to damn near perfection. Everything from the exceptional drumming to absolutely devastating dual vocal performance simply shines, outclassing a great many other bands hellbent on bringing back deathcore’s “good ol days.” Traditional with a sharp metallic edge and a mindset open to innovation, AngelMaker are truly an underrated gem in contemporary heavy music.
Recommended Tracks: Slaughter, Vengeance, Oppressive Control

12. Bodysnatcher – Bleed-Abide (Deathcore)
To speak of the glow-up is to speak of Bodysnatcher. One of the pioneering acts of the American downtempo deathcore craze, since their inception Bodysnatcher have matured into a well-rounded deathcore act that balances heavy hardcore and beatdown with that good ol’ windbreaker deathcore we know and love. Aligning themselves with the likes of Elysia and Float Face Down, Bodysnatcher focus not on speed or technicality but on an intense, primary fury—and Bleed-Abide delivers. Catchy, crunchy and crushing, look no further for one of the most brazen and relentless experiences of 2022.
Recommended Tracks: Flatline, E.D.A., Absolved of the Strings and Stone.

11. The Gloom in the Corner – Trinity (Symphonic/Progressive Metalcore)
Just on the outside of my top ten lay The Gloom in the Corner, a band not new to the metalcore scene, but new to a relative degree of international stardom—and with a release like Trinity, it’s no mystery why. Loaded with features, packed to the brim with a dense and intricate storyline and technically massive, Trinity is a bastion for modern metalcore (with a theatrical twist) to behold. My only criticism, especially over time, that kept it out of the top ten was that there’s a LOT going on—and a lot of times, digesting all of it leads to a little bit of bewilderment and sensory overload, which demands some time to rest-and-digest between spins. But when your storyline spans a modest discography and you’ve got the talent that these lads have, why not swing for the fence?
Recommended Tracks: Ronin, Pandora’s Box, Hail to the King.

10. Paleface – Fear and Dagger (Beatdown Deathcore/Slamming Deathcore)
2022 definitely had some surprises, but I don’t think any of them were quite as surprising as Paleface, for me at least. While the band had previously amassed an impressive following in he US based on their three part “Chapters” release, I was always underwhelmed (and even a little annoyed) by them. Then Fear and Dagger came along, and absolutely flipped my perspective of the act upside down. The band abandoned their horror-themed slamming deathcore for something even darker, and incorporated everything from straight up deathcore to metalcore and arena metal—and the result is an hour of straight fury, something that shouldn’t work on paper, but works very well in reality. This record is a sound gym soundtrack, long drive companion, living room mosh session and everything in between.
Recommended Tracks: Chaos Theory, Hellhole, Bite the Curb

9. Sold Soul – I Hope We Make it Out of This Alive (Blackened Deathcore)
On a yearly basis, there’s a last-minute record that weasels its way into my list—and Sold Soul’s might be the first to ever do so and place this highly. While bittersweet—as it’s their final record—Sold Soul’s full length is an outstanding entry into blackened deathcore, a genre that I’ve gotten exceptionally picky over in light of certain bands’ (okay, it’s Lorna Shore, we can just say it now) success within and popularization of the genre. This record is a comprehensive display of all that symphonic and blackened deathcore should be, and if I’d had more time with it before this list was due, it may have even wormed its way deeper into my top ten.
Recommended Tracks: Hunt Above/Dwell Below, Something’s Breathing in the Hallway, I Live Alone and Sea of Ghosts.

8. Stray from the Path – Euthanasia (Metalcore)
Y’all knew this was coming. I love everything this band does, and whether its nostalgia (probably) or just personal preference (also probably), I’ve always favored the band’s early catalogue—until Internal Atomics and especially until Euthanasia. This record grooves, riffs, crushes and bangs effortlessly, and deserves a special shout out for one of my favorite drum performances of the last several years. Whether its the nihilistic, oppressive aggression in the closing number or the sheer catchiness of “III,” there’s something to love for everyone on Stray’s 2022 hit (and they kill the new tracks live, too).
Recommended Tracks: III, Chest Candy, Neighbourhood Watch, Ladder Work.

7. Counterparts – A Eulogy for Those Still Here (Metalcore)
Another unsurprising but very deserved pick, Counterparts are a band I’ve loved since Prophets, and who—in my opinion—only get better with age. What makes this album unusual for this part of my list is that at first, I wasn’t really sold on it. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoyed it from my first listen—but many of the tracks I didn’t really fall in love with until I spent more time with them, which I think actually strengthened my connection with Eulogy. While there’s maybe a touch less of the overt angst abundant on Nothing Less to Love, there’s still plenty to get bummed out over—and some of the songs are easily some of Counterparts’ overall best.
Recommended Tracks: Whispers of Your Death, What Mirrors Might Reflect, Flesh to Fill Your Wounds

6. And Hell Followed With – Quietus (Deathcore/Blackened Deathcore)
Just barely edged out of the top five—and a record largely missing from most top albums lists—is And Hell Followed With’s Quietus. I don’t get the ambivalence towards this record, because it was probably the first indicator that 2022 was going to be a truly exceptional year as far as quality went for deathcore. Every song is unique and fresh, and runs the gamut from throwback breakdown spamming to carefully crafted ambient, dark and blackened death metal turned core. Sure, it isn’t Proprioception, but I’d argue it’s the closest we’ll get in 2022, and it doesn’t even TRY to be Proprioception; it is And Hell Followed With boldly growing into their own sound and style.
Recommended tracks: Artificial Womb, Emotionless Mass, Jewels of Urn

5. Boundaries – Burying Brightness (Metalcore)
If I ran awards like Alan “The Metalcore Fish” Herrington, this one would no doubt get one for most thoughtful mosh record (or most moshy thoughtful record? I don’t know). The lyricism on Burying Brightness is nigh unparalleled by Boundaries’ contemporaries when it comes to including elements about addiction, loss, self-hatred and so much more. On top of all that, the instrumentation is peak metalcore—flashy, hard-hitting drums, jarring and dissonant fretwork, gritty, booming bass—the whole kit’n’kaboodle. My love for this record is compounded even further having seen them grow from their debut Chugcore release, Defector. In any other year this would have nestled even deeper in my top five.
Recommended Tracks: My Body is a Cage, It Begins to Speak, Your Own Murder, Realize and Rebuild

4. The Callous Daoboys – Celebrity Therapist (Mathcore)
There isn’t heaps to say about The Callous Daoboys that hasn’t already been said (by myself and also people who get paid more than me to write about heavy music). An explosive cacophony of spastic riffs, crushing breakdowns, waitwhatisthataviolin?!, Celebrity Therapist is an incredible ambitious record that delivers on every ounce of that ambition. A great many of the comparisons you’ve probably read have been to bands like Dillinger, and it’s rightfully so, because not only to the Daoboys reach for the throne left vacant by Dillinger’s departure, they seize it handily. Celebrity Therapist is a an outstanding example of mathcore and a phenomenal record, full stop.
Recommended Tracks: Title Track, Violent Astrology, Star Baby

3. Dr. Acula – Dr. Acula (Deathcore/Chaotic Metalcore)
Pre-2022, it’s highly unlikely anyone would have taken a top 5 list containing a Dr. Acula record very seriously—rightfully or otherwise. In any event, it’s been a decade since we’d really heard from Dr. Acula—even longer if you’re talking about an original lineup or anything even close—and in that decade…well, Dr. Acula grew up. Actually, scratch that, maybe grew up isn’t the term I’m looking for—but they’ve definitely matured, and with that maturation came improvement. The band’s 2022 self titled release feels like a spiritual successor to the recently departed Every Time I Die that gained about 50 pounds and has a secretive penchant for deathcore, Goosebumps lore and maybe some black metal? Either way, in the now year since I’ve been listening to this record, it has failed to stagnate even a little, and is not only Dr. Acula’s first truly “serious” and conceptual outing, but also their most fun. Not quite deathcore, but not quite straightforward enough to be regular old metalcore, these boys have outdone themselves, and the only thing else I can really think to say is that you’ve been putting off listening to this record because of the band’s name and back catalogue, go listen.
Recommended Tracks: Apotheosis, Stay Out of the Basement, The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena

2. Spite – Dedication to Flesh (Deathcore)
This is where things get hard. At the time of writing this—yes, this, that you’re reading, right now—I still don’t really know which record between my top two is really truly my favorite of 2022. It’s that close, and if I didn’t think a tie-for-first was a cop out, I’d call it a tie, as this #2 ranking is #2 by convention of naming only. Spite’s Dedication to Flesh is a masterpiece of modern deathcore. I could stop there, but because I love talking about this record, I’ll elaborate. Everything that deathcore has grown into and become since its inception can be found in Dedication to Flesh, much in the same way that this release demonstrates all the ways in which Spite as a band have grown, expanded, matured and refined their sound since their debut EP. Dedication to Flesh boasts a primal fervor and bloodlust that I don’t think I’ve heard on a record before—and its captured beautifully and brought to life with what I consider to also be one of the most perfect contemporary mix/master jobs out there. There isn’t a dull moment to be found on the release, and you’ll find everything from catchy choruses to bone-splitting breakdowns—all in spades. While it’s definitely true that I’m a sucker for Spite and generally consider their discography to be one of the strongest discographies in modern heavy music, this record is in a class of its own, both in the context of the band’s prior work and generally speaking. Hail to your new crowned kings.
Recommended Tracks: Lord of the Upside Down, Made to Please, Proper One, Son of Dawn, Crumble

1. Lorna Shore – Pain Remains (Blackened Deathcore)
If Spite is #2, it could only conceivably be #2 to one record—Lorna Shore’s Pain Remains. I could write *another* entire article waxing poetic about this band, but suffice it to say that to call the band’s ascent to stardom meteoric fails to do justice to the degree of their newfound influence, their talent, or the years of struggle and hard work that went into their well-earned success. Pain Remains is all of that, in a record. While there are those who will tell you it’s monotonous, exhausting, samey, whatever, I’d challenge that with the notion that if you take the time to listen to the record (like actually listen, not just have it playing while you watch TV, watch a steamer on your laptop and scroll Twitter on your phone at the same time), that really doesn’t hold up any more than calling any other record within a given genre monotonous holds up. While the record’s introduction is sprawling journey across tempo shifts and scintillating symphonics, songs like “Cursed to Die” or “Wrath” are more brief, barbaric lessons in brutality—with the latter giving us one of 2022’s best breakdowns—and the entire closing trilogy begins with a deathcore ballad and ends with a slow, deep burn. What’s more is that Ramos proves himself to be lyrically dynamic just as he is vocally, rarely confining himself to one topic between two or three songs. Other than that, the things I have to say about Pain Remains are the things you’ve heard and read a million times over, so I’ll leave it with this: rarely do bands amass such a heaping helping of hype leading up to a release as did Lorna Shore with Pain Remains—and even more rare are the times when bands absolutely smash it out of the park, as did Lorna Shore with Pain Remains.
Recommended Tracks: Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer, Sun//Eater, Wrath, Soulless Existence

2022 EP of the Year List

15. Thus Spoke Zarathustra – The Sun Will Never Shine Upon Us (Deathcore)
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the first of several supremely impressive new, young deathcore acts that sprang to life this year—and while this EP is a short one, it packs one hell of a punch.

14. Desoectomy – Predatory Barbaric Behavior (Slamming Death Metal/Slamming Deathcore)
I checked out this EP on a whim from a Slam Worldwide Instragram ad and it’s been one of my most played this year, surprisingly. Corny samples, chunky slams, what more is there to want?

13. Zombieshark! – Born from a Wish (Cybergrind)
2022 also happened to be the year I dove more into the cybergrind scene, and while I’m still trying to get my bearings, you don’t have to be a vet to realize that Zombieshark! are prime. Born from a Wish is a bit all-over-the-place, but that’s part of the band’s charm, I think—and it has me very excited for an impending full length.

12. PeelingFlesh – Human Pudding (Slamming Death Metal/Slamming Deathcore)
PeelingFlesh have become my archetype for absolutely filthy, ruthlessly heavy slamming death-whatever. After spending a lot of time with their discography this year, I’m starting to understand and hear their influence throughout the contemporary slam community.

11. A Winter’s Remorse – Memoirs of a Broken Mind (Deathcore)
I thought these guys were from Florida when I first heard them, which is really a complement considering how absolutely nuts Floridian heavy music went this last year. A Winter’s Remorse are another young deathcore band I can’t wait to see flourish.

10. Your Spirit Dies – Our Saints Drown in Ash (Metalcore)
Somehow, I hadn’t really checked out this band before gearing up for this EP drop, which makes me feel like a huge dumbass. This is that late 2000s moshing In the basement with your best friends while Halo 3 online matchmaking loads type metalcore, which is basically the best complement I can give.

9. No Face No Case – Flex Fiesta (Slamming Deathcore/Beatdown)
This EP was so absurd and quirky I couldn’t help myself but laugh several times throughout its duration. House break before a house breakdown? Check. Airhorn? Check. Bars in a language I don’t know? Check.

8. No Cure – …For the Stainless Steel/Cursed from Birth (Straight Edge Metalcore)
A project of someone I’d consider a good friend, I was prepared to like No Cure but I didn’t think I would LOVE No Cure. Surprise surprise, here I am, loving No Cure. I put this band’s two EPs together for this ranking because they—to me—fit together nicely and complement each other beautifully, giving a strong, cohesive listen on their own or in tandem.

7. The Last Ten Seconds of Life – Disquisition on an Execution (Deathcore)
Making up for a relatively lackluster (to some—I still thought it was an overall strong record) full length at the top of the year, The Last Ten Seconds of Life’s late 2022 EP is a lesson in absolute evisceration. Featuring a mostly new lineup and renewed lease on languishing aggression, Disquisition is a devastating experience to revive the interest and faith in one of the genre’s longer standing acts.

6. A Dozen Black Roses – Treading Ever So Deeply (Metalcore)
From the mind that brings intensity and vigor to Orthodox comes A Dozen Black Roses, another absolutely awe-inspiring metalcore act. Treading Ever So Deeply was on repeat during the middle stretch of this year, and after revisiting it in December as I began to compose this list, I really don’t recall why it ever STOPPED being on repeat.

5. xWeaponx – Weapon X (Straight Edge Hardcore)
Since my indoctrination into over-the-top straight edge lyricism with bands like Liferuiner (yeah, yeah, whatever, No Saints is tough and you know it), I’ve always been a sucker for the classic, brazen, unapologetic messages behind many heavy acts in the straight edge scene—and recently, I think xWeaponx do it best. This EP is a brief and thoroughly remorseless experience that is beyond fun to listen to, as long as the non-edge enjoyers of the two-step don’t get their panties twisted over the lyrical content.

4. Kublai Khan TX – Lowest Form of Animal (Metalcore)
Unpopular opinion: Lowest form of Animal is Kublai Khan’s best release yet. I don’t actually KNOW whether that’s unpopular or not, but in my mind, it’s damn hard to refute. This whole year there were two records I showed bosses of mine and this was one of them (I think they liked it).

3. Tracheotomy – Dissimulation (Deathcore)
Ah yes, the crown jewel of the underground (like really underground) deathcore community: Tracheotomy. Dissimulation is a colossal release, and it really shouldn’t be a surprise that these guys are amassing the following and hype that they are. In 2023, I absolutely expect them to become nationally renowned. Mark my words.

2. Distinguisher – Under the Weight of Things I Cannot Change (Metalcore)
I can’t believe I’m writing this posthumously, just to get that out of the way. Distinguisher’s 2022 EP is something insanely special from an already remarkable band. Tapping into the entire spectrum of human emotion across its modest runtime, Distinguisher will be all the more missed because we won’t see what gem would have followed this monster of an EP.

1. Crown Magnetar – Alone in Death (Deathcore/Technical Deathcore)
This might be a surprising pick for number one—mostly because I haven’t seen NEARLY enough people rave about how incredible this EP was and still is. Five tracks of some of the purest, most relentless, unforgiving, barbaric, grotesque, sacrilegious deathcore out there, and a mere year after the same band blessed us with a genre-invigorating full length album. If someone were to walk up to me never having heard of deathcore and wanted to hear one track that brilliantly encapsulated the genre, “God is My Enemy” is way up there on the short list for songs I would pick.

Honorable Mentions: Volcano – FOOL 2 THA GAME (Hardcore), Great American Ghost – Torture World (Metalcore), Limbs – Coma Year (Metalcore), Erase Them – Crawling from the Negative (Metalcore).

Top Five Singles of 2022:

5. The Acacia Strain – “Untended Graves” (Deathcore)
4. Currents – “The Death We Seek” (Metalcore)
3. Degrader – The Ugly Truth (Metalcore) [I know it’s a two track release but anything under three songs is a single to me, sorry]
2. VCTMS – “The Dearly Beloved” (Metalcore/Nu-Metalcore)
1. Kaonashi – “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys” (Emotional Mathcore?)

Top Five Breakdowns:

5. Kaonashi – “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys”
It’s been a while since we’ve gotten an ass-beater from Kaonashi, so I knew we were overdue, but I don’t think anyone expected to get whooped on like this. Kaonashi continue to demonstrate why they’re one of the most inventive bands in heavy music with their new single and the two minutes of barbaric aggression it bears.

4. Boundaries – “My Body is a Cage”
This whole track just smashes from start to finish. The first time I heard this song I was so dumbfounded by it I didn’t even have time to pick my jaw up off the floor before it ended.

3. Crown Magnetar – “God is my Enemy”
Some people might call rampant atheism in deathcore a gimmick or predictable, but I’d argue it’s actually a staple of the genre—one that Crown Magnetar do perfectly. The climax of this song ending with “cowards worship God” is one of those things you’d expect to see all over corny reaction channels—it’s just prime stank face, and kept me hooked all year long.

2. Lorna Shore – “Wrath”
If there was a unique award for most over-the-top breakdown of 2022, this would be it. I remember the first time I jammed this I was just shocked, laughing at how absurd it was. The bass drops are just comical, I kept thinking “Oh GOD, A SECOND BASS DROP HAS HIT THE SOUTH TOWER.” One day before I die I’d like to experience this live and likely get my colon reduced to jelly.

1. Spite – “Made to Please”
I know, I know, this was technically released as a single in 2021, but I’m considering it in the context of their 2022 release, sue me. The breakdown following the laugh sample is prime 2000s deathcore and is nothing short of violence-inducing. I loved it in 2021 and I loved it all throughout 2022 and I’ll probably love it forever.

Honorable Mentions: Dr. Acula – “Apotheosis,” AngelMaker – “Vengeance,” Tracheotomy – “Wasted Evolution.”

Top Three Most Disappointing Records:

3. The Devil Wears Prada – Color Decay (Metalcore/Alternative)
Before the Twitter metalcore community or r/Metalcore comes for my neck I wanna say I thought this was a fine record. Good even. The reason it ended up on this short list is because, while it wasn’t bad by any means, I felt as though the entire project wasn’t super well represented by the record’s pre-release singles—which had me very excited for a more Metalcore-resurgence Prada record. That disappoint kept me from revisiting the record as often as I would have otherwise, and ultimately throttled my overall impression.

2. Oceans Ate Alaska – Disparity (Metalcore)
The theme here, if you haven’t picked up on it yet, isn’t that I find these records to be inherently bad, because Oceans Ate Alaska’s Disparity is NOT a bad record—its just something I found to fall very flat following their two prior releases, especially after such a long wait. I can’t put my finger on what it is that kept me from falling in love with it, but the entire record just ended up feeling pretty hollow, without much to keep me coming back.

1. Chelsea Grin – Suffer in Hell (Deathcore)
   I’ve been vocal (maybe too vocal) about my feelings on this record so I’ll keep it brief; Chelsea Grin came out of nowhere to end the year with some big announcements and the ever enticing promise of a double album. I think I speak for most deathcore enthusiasts when I say that the anticipation after radio silence for so long was enormous. What we got was…well, not. Most of the record felt like common deathcore tropes done half-heartedly and the best moments were fleeting to say the least. In the last couple years it seems as though Chelsea Grin will be the second deathcore act to succumb to the curse of the double album release (looking at you, A Night in Texas), so maybe we should…stop?

2022 was an excellent year, yadda yadda yadda, tune in next week for your regularly scheduled reviews and stuff.

• Connor Welsh