A Year In Metal - 2022: Highlights Through The Eyes Of The MS Staff And Official Contributors
| Written by: | ScreamingSteelUS |
| Published: | January 29, 2023 |
It's that special time of year when Metal Storm's users line up in feverish anticipation of the next edition of the Metal Storm Awards... and then the staff members talk about themselves instead. First always comes the staff highlights article, where we in Metal Storm Towers share a few opinions about the year and revisit its ups and downs in miniature. It's a fun (for us) prelude to the big event, so feel free to share your own experiences and tell us why we're wrong, if you haven't already moved on to 2023 altogether.
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| Abattoir Favorite Album: Tómarúm - Ash In Realms Of Stone Icons Best Home-Country Album: Neurotech - Symphonies II Most Played Song: Ghost Brigade - "Architect Of New Beginnings" Most Promising Band: I guess Tómarúm would be an easy and obvious choice, however, I’ll also name Besna and Maule. Best Concert: Tough to pick only one, so I’ll just list a few: Gojira (Zagreb), Imperial Triumphant (Zagreb), Rammstein (Klagenfurt), Clutch (Zagreb), Saturnus (Ljubljana), Iron Maiden (Budapest), 1000mods (Zagreb). Of all mentioned metal gigs, I have to point out the magnificent show of Queen (with Adam Lambert) in Bologna… better half than nothing. Biggest Disappointment: Missing a couple of, possibly great gigs (Amenra, Mgla, Zeal & Ardor), due to my (still unknown) health issues. Metal Moment Of 2022: For sure first time seeing Saturnus live, which was also one of my special wishes for a long time, wins this category. And 2023?: Well, plan is to stay alive and sane. Everything else will come along as always, the good and the bad. |  |
 | BitterCOld Favorite Album: Deströyer 666 - Never Surrender Best Home-Country Album: Sleestak - Harbinger Most Played Song: 2022? "Song of the Sea" by Sleestak. In general, probably "Panic" by The Smiths with the fantastic chorus, "Hang the DJ! Hang the DJ! Hang the DJ! Hang the DJ! Hangthedjhangthedjhangthedj! HanGGGG the DJ." or Seu Jorge's sambafied acoustic cover of David Bowie's "Life On Mars". Best Concert: Does listening to Metallica from my balcony while they played Couto Pereira Stadium about 1km away count? Sounded like someone down the hall was playing them aggressively loud. Else entirely not metal but Alexandre Pires and Seu Jorge. While popular in Brazil for his own music, gringos might know Seu Jorge from his acoustic David Bowie covers in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. Biggest Disappointment: Metal in general this year. Found myself listening to more oldies - metal and other tunes. Metal Moment Of 2022: Hoisting beers with Starv and corrupt somewhere in Germany. All Hail Dom Metal. And 2023?: Stomping over the globe.And The Coral Tombs by Ahab... though that will be out likely before this gets posted. |
| Ivor Favorite Album: Envy of None - Envy of None, Karcius - Grey White Silver Yellow and Gold, Black Mirrors - Tomorrow Will Be Without Us, Ghost Toast - Shade Without Color, Messa - Close, Nordic Giants - Symbiosis. Most Played Song: Envy of None "Kabul Blues" - absolutely beautiful track; after that Black Mirrors - "Hateful Hate, I'll Kill You" - that riff before the solo and then that gritty guitar solo itself... Best Concert: Green Carnation in Helsinki, Emma Ruth Rundle in Tallinn, The Ocean in Tallinn Biggest Disappointment: Nightwish in Tallinn - a source of many thoughts and many words Metal Moment Of 2022: Graduating from the university for the second time, this time arts. Music wise has to be The Ocean gig in Tallinn. Loïc-the singer-stagedived over my head while I was shooting photos of the band in the front row, forcing me to keep myself, my camera, and him from falling to the floor. Twice. Lost the shade from the lens the first time around. Bless the soul who retrieved it for me a moment later. Least Loïc could do was to sign a photo after the gig. That was nice of him. And 2023?: "- To the groundhog. - I always drink to world peace." Given the shit past year, this quote from a movie 30 years ago seems apt. Otherwise I presume a handful of excellent albums are going to be released. You never know which they are until you actually listen to them. |  |
 | Milena Favorite Album: Split between the new Amorphis, Disillusion and Toehider. I don't want to be that kind of basic bitch whose album of the year is always by Amorphis whenever they have a new album out, but god damn do they deserve it. Best Home-Country Album: For the first time, I got absolutely nothing for this question. I think everyone in Serbia has in fact forgotten you can still put a metal album out. Most Played Song: Probably one of the Fantorangen songs we play to kids at work. I love that little critter. Most Promising Band: I'm keeping my eye on Empire Springs! Best Concert: Moving from the beautiful ass-end of Norway to dirty stupid Oslo was the best concert-related decision of my life, seeing how I got to see Queen + Adam Lambert and Sonata Arctica within about three months of each other, along with a host of other excellent bands last year. But those two really brought it for me. Biggest Disappointment: I don't know what the hell I expected out of the Jani Liimatainen solo album last year. Actually, I know what I was expecting, and it was Cain's Offering: The Expanded Edition, and I got something that was... well, not that. Can't hate on my guy, but I really wasn't into it, and with the speed he puts out his own music out, I'm gonna wait a long, long time to get something I like better, which is the real disappointment. Metal Moment Of 2022: Watching Brian May play a guitar solo on a prop asteroid was pretty rad. And 2023?: Making it to the end of the year healthy-ish would be pretty metal. |
| musclassia Favorite Album: One of Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality or Disillusion - Ayam. Best Home-Country Album: Probably Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory, although shoutouts to Conjurer, Kurokuma and Pure Reason Revolution. Most Played Song: "Silvered Shadows" by Kardashev. Most Promising Band: A lot of good options for this, but I'm very keen to see where Kardashev go next after Liminal Rite. Best Concert: Probably something from ArcTanGent festival, and arguably the standout set there was TesseracT. Final Light at Roadburn was pretty spectacular as well. Biggest Disappointment: No big releases particularly disappointed this year, so I'll probably say the inability for either of my music projects to get their intended releases finished and shared in 2022; hopefully both will be out at some point in the first half of 2023. Metal Moment Of 2022: My parents coming to watch my band, twice, one of which was on the first ever tour by Vulgaris (a 3-day tour, but a tour nonetheless). And 2023?: As mentioned for biggest disappointment, hopefully getting music released, as well as more gigs. Nothing too thrilling on the release radar just yet, but given how many great albums came out this year, I'm sure plenty of good releases will appear in the next 12 months. |  |
 | nikarg Favorite Album: Darkest Era - Wither On The Vine. Full list of favourites here. Best Home-Country Album: Steel Arctus - Master Of War. Most Played Song: All the songs on Wither On The Vine. Most Promising Band: Fer De Lance, Doldrum, and Jade. Best Concert: Soen - Live in Athens. Biggest Disappointment: Mariusz Lewandowski’s death. Metal Moment Of 2022: This one made me very proud to be part of the Metal Storm team. And 2023?: “Oh what the future holds, it’s worse than you know.” |
| RaduP Favorite Album: Brutus (BEL) - Unison Life, with close competition in Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems and Ashenspire - Hostile Architecture. Best Home-Country Album: Dirty Shirt - Get Your Dose Now and Cursed Cemetery - A Forgotten Epitaph were good, but Katharos XIII - Chthonian Transmissions took the cake. Most Played Song: Jessie Ware - "Free Yourself" or Soul Glo - "Spiritual Levels Of Gang Shit". Most Promising Band: Can't wait to see what Ou, Pyrithe, and Ashenspire do next. Best Concert: Too many to count for the concert-starved Radu, but highlights include Wolvennest at Dark Bombastic Evening, Meshuggah at ArtMania, The Bug and Ulver at Roadburn, Heilung and Thy Catafalque. Biggest Disappointment: Wack tour cancellings like Deftones cancelling just the one date where I was to see them and Rage Against The Machine/Run The Jewels cancelling the entire tour they already postponed right after I made the commitment to travel to see them. Metal Moment Of 2022: Seeing a bunch of those "big old bands I loved when I was young and who you never know when you could catch in a tour again" like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, or Mercyful Fate. That, and hitting 666 reviews. And 2023?: Probably not very good financially considering how many concert commitments I already made. |  |
 | ScreamingSteelUS Favorite Album: Sigh - Shiki Best Home-Country Album: Lorna Shore - Pain Remains Most Played Song: Bloodywood - "Machi Bhasad"; Saints 'N' Sinners - "Death Comes In Winter"; Civil War - "Dead Man's Glory"; The Halo Effect - "Days Of The Lost"; Northlane - "Clockwork" Most Promising Band: There were so many excellent debuts this year I couldn't choose one, and on top of that Civil War finally turned a corner for me, so whatever else they do with Sundown I look forward to; I'm also excited to see what Bloodywood will do next now that they've got one full-length down. Best Concert: I actually had two to choose from this year. Melt-Banana was a lot of fun, but Bloodywood was a dream come true. Biggest Disappointment: Sabaton, quite uncharacteristically. But Civil War picked up the slack. Metal Moment Of 2022: Meeting a fellow MS user for the first time in the 12 years I've been here - and twice in a month at that (first corrupt, then musclassia). And 2023?: I want to have more fun. |
| Starvynth Favorite Album: Swampborn - Beyond Ratio and Freedom Of Fear - Carpathia. Best Home-Country Album: Non Est Deus - Impious Most Played Song: Astral Mantra - "Ritual II" Most Promising Band: Anemye and Kryatjurr Of Desert Ahd Best Concert: Disillusion, Persefone and Obscura in Cologne. Biggest Disappointment: February 24 Metal Moment Of 2022: Meeting up with BitterCOld and corrupt in my home town. And 2023?: Living a healthier life, growing old with dignity, meeting more fellow Metal Stormers, drinking less Belgian smoked beer - and finally seeing Saturnus live, no matter where. That's the rough plan, and if two-fifths of it work, I'll be content. |  |
 | X-Ray Rod Favorite Album: Arizmenda - Spiders Lust In The Dungeon’s Dust and Chat Pile - God’s Country. For non-metal it is 40 Watt Sun. Best Home-Country Album: For Sweden it was an excellent year with highlights including Cult Of Luna, Jordfäst and the hardrock albums by Gaupa and Hällas. At the end of the day it was Korpelarörelsen that won me over for being so damn creepy. Chile also provided a creepy album in the form of the beastly De-Solación's Necro-Misterio. Verbum's latest album also deserves a mention. Most Played Song: Probably 40 Watt Sun’s ”Until”. Sad, retrospective tunes are my doom. Most Promising Band: Astral Tomb have what it takes to create something unique for the ”cosmic” metal fans. Best Concert: The Bug, 40 Watt Sun’s acoustic set, Ulver, Lamp Of Murmuur and Alkerdeel at Roadburn festival. Outside of it definitely Nadja and Eyehategod. Biggest Disappointment: None really, I was very content with this year music-wise! Metal Moment Of 2022: Getting my vinyl copy of Warning’s Watching From A Distance signed by Patrick Walker with a mention to my dear friend Marcel. Now he will forever live in my collection. Hitting 100 reviews thanks to the coaching of my good friend Radu. And 2023?: As I’m typing this, I’m in Chile for the first time in 6 years. So the year is kicking off nicely with lots of booze, food and great music. Hope for more of it for the rest of 2023! |
| Yaniv Favorite Album: Satan - Earth Infernal. Best Home-Country Album: Sinnery - Black Bile. Most Played Song: Satan - "Ascendancy"; Slægt - "Kiss From A Knife"; Sanhedrin - "Scythian Women"; Voivod - "Paranormalium"; Evil Invaders - "Sledgehammer Justice". Most Promising Band: Hath, Schizophrenia, SpiritWorld & High Command. Biggest Disappointment: Releases by Annihilator, Wolf, Warpath & Entrails. Metal Moment Of 2022: Being a staffer among awesome people. And 2023?: More Metal ! |  |
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Official Contributors
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| AndyMetalFreak Favorite Album: An Abstract Illusion - Woe, with Aenaon - Mnemosyne and Djevel - Naa Skrider Natten Sort in joint second. Best Home-Country Album: Arð - Take Up My Bones. Most Played Song: "I Name You Under Our Cult" by Sakis Tolis or "Secrets Of The American Gods" by Blind Guardian Most Promising Band: I will be following Arð closely in the near future. Best Concert: I never attended a concert due to commitments at home unfortunately. Biggest Disappointment: Amon Amarth - The Great Heathen Army was very disappointing, even by their recent standards. Metal Moment Of 2022: For me it's been an extraordinary year in metal. I've gone out of my way to listen to hundreds of new releases across many genre's I never thought I would appreciate until now, resulting in some remarkable and memorable discoveries, but my highlighted moment has to be the honor of becoming an official contributor along with F3ynman2000. And 2023?: Hoping for more of the same to be honest, who knows what hidden gems and surprises might be ahead for me during this new year. Hopefully I will be free to write more reviews and work on new articles. |  |
 | F3ynman2000 Favorite Album: Tied between Lune - Hymns to the Lunar Realm and Famyne - II: The Ground Below Best Home-Country Album: Lord Vigo - We Shall Overcome Most Played Song: "Acid Black Mass" by Devil Master Most Promising Band: Several relatively new bands impressed me with their releases: Species delivered one of the best thrash albums this year with their debut; Angrrsth released some exciting, crushing Polish black metal with their split release; and Kala Azar promise a 2023 LP in the vein of their two new crunchy doom tracks. Looks like a bright metal future! Best Concert: N/A for me this year Biggest Disappointment: Two of my oldest favorite bands Megadeth and Arctic Monkeys releasing mediocre and boring albums, respectively. Metal Moment Of 2022: Collaborating with AndyMetalFreak on our Getting Into: Summoning article and being welcomed into the official contributor team And 2023?: Hopefully I'll have more time to write reviews. Looking forward to more fresh and fun metal! |
| Netzach Favorite Album: Kuolemanlaakso - Kuusumu. Best Home-Country Album: Korpelarörelsen - Är Du Av Den Rätta Tron? Most Played Song: Anamnesi - "La Precessione Degli Equinozi" Most Promising Band: Vanhävd. Best Concert: Saturnus/Esoteric in Novi Sad, Serbia, with Sand and RaduP. Biggest Disappointment: Kuolemanlaakso - Kuolleiden Laulu. Metal Moment Of 2022: Finally going to see shows again, in Budapest (Amenra/Jo Quail) and Novi Sad (see above), no less, which are both very far from home. Also surprising the Saturnus members by talking to them in Swedish while in Serbia. Though, of course, they speak Danish and I can't understand their weird, guttural language for the life of me. Well, a little, perhaps. Little enough to crack jokes to them about it, anyway. Screaming "Kamelåså!" during the gig and cracking the band up was fun too. And 2023?: More reviews, an interview or two, working on my own music with help from Ophiuchi on guitar (as I've no bands left to play in right now), and Katatonia/Sólstafir in Stockholm, February, Godspeed You! Black Emperor in Stockholm, April, Änterbila in Linköping, May, and hopefully more. |  |
 | omne metallum Favorite Album: Kurokuma - Born Of Obsidian. From its release in February, this album has been on regular rotation and nothing was able to knock it off its perch for long. Best Home-Country Album: Kurokuma - Born Of Obsidian. Verbum's latest album also deserves a mention. Most Played Song: According to Spotify, my most listened to song is "Golden" by Cory Wong (very metal). My most listened metal song is "Straight Lines" by Vola. Most Promising Band: Malevolence. After a breakout year in 2021, they managed to not only cap it off, but add fuel to the flames with Malicious Intent. They have far from hit the ceiling yet and it will be fun watching just how high they can go. Best Concert: Festival: UK Deathfest. 2 years in the making and did not disappoint, back-to-back high calibre bands throughout. Gig: Devin Townsend at the Royal Albert Hall. Devin never fails to deliver. Biggest Disappointment: Aerosmith cancelling their UK tour after two years of postponements, would have been my first time seeing them as well. Album wise? Church Of The Cosmic Skull - There Is No Time: The band were on such a good run and to see all that momentum grind to a halt with this? It was painful to watch and listen to. Metal Moment Of 2022: Meeting and speaking to Joey Belladonna prior to seeing Anthrax in Birmingham. And 2023?: Being able to juggle gig going and reviewing with a busy personal life! |
| tominator Favorite Album: Lost In My Perception - In The Name Of Progress Best Home-Country Album: My Diligence - The Matter, Form And Power, very closely followed by Evil Invaders’ Shattering Reflection. Two albums from my home-country in my top 5 of the year doesn’t happen all that often. Most Played Song: Hard to say. Probably one of these: Bad Omens – “The Death Of Peace Of Mind”, Blind Guardian – “Life Beyond The Sphere”, Lost In My Perception – “Hold The Breath”, Lost In My Perception – “In The Name Of Progress”, Slave Keeper – “Watchmaker”, My Diligence – “Elasmotherium”, Evil Invaders – “Forgotten Memories” and Evil Invaders – “My World” Most Promising Band: I mean, my favourite album of this year is a debut, so I got to go with “Lost In My Perception - In The Name Of Progress” again. Though also a special mention goes to: Slave Keeper, Windveill and Tar Blossom Best Concert: Paradise Lost - Live in Sint-Niklaas. Biggest Disappointment: It’s not so much a disappointment in the sense of that I had high hopes for it… I mean who would… but more so the fact that it exists Metal Moment Of 2022: Working on the Getting Into Black Sabbath was a lot of fun And 2023?: Have quite a few concerts planned in the first half of the year, so things will get busy. |  |
 | Written on 29.01.2023 by I'm the reviewer, and that means my opinion is correct. |
Comments
Comments: 11
Visited by: 180 users
| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62141  |
@SSUS buy Polaris it is fun @Starvynth - whats wrong whit Belgian smoked beer? Best from this year in ms circle happened, corrupt fixed things and site has future and go up in the ranks. Other things is Yaniv became db maneger, Bayern Munchen fan in CL and also one english guy was promoted. Those 2 can fix interesting reviews. About me; Fav, let down, most promising band well check out montley and year list, you know where to find. metal moment - all around ms, 2023 - many new craft beers and keep wandering in norther Sweden, catch big pike or salmon, eat a lot of food, and do more ms things. Nja getting old sucks
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Starvynth i c deaf people Staff Posts: 3189  |
Written by Bad English on 29.01.2023 at 12:46 I have a soft spot for many delicacies that come from Belgium, such as chocolate, stroop waffles or Belgian fries, but smoked beer is definitely not one of them. In principle, I have nothing against a smoky taste, as long as it comes from beech wood and is reminiscent of the original taste of malt dried over an open fire. But what I detest is an artificial, industrially added smoke flavour. "Real" smoked beer according to the old tradition is only produced by very few breweries nowadays, as far as I know only in Poland and in the city of Bamberg. Unfortunately, I only found this out after I had tasted the awful Belgian knock-off.
---- signatures = SPAM
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| Karlabos Posts: 5758  |
Oh, Feynman is a contributor now? Didn't know that. Congrats!
---- "Aah! The cat turned into a cat!" - Reimu Hakurei
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| F3ynman Nocturnal Bro Contributor Posts: 3074  |
Written by Karlabos on 30.01.2023 at 12:50 Thanks! 
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| John doe Posts: 5145  |
Written by Starvynth on 29.01.2023 at 15:18 what is that? I've never heard of such beer... 
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62141 |
Written by John doe on 30.01.2023 at 13:53 Google Aech schenkerna rauchbier. Smoked porter, Stout. You smoke yast and malt, it gives smoke taste
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| John doe Posts: 5145 |
Written by Bad English on 30.01.2023 at 14:18 ok, I will taste one if/when I come across it.
---- I thought the two primary purposes for the internet were cat memes and overreactions.
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| Zap Posts: 3589  |
Written by Starvynth on 29.01.2023 at 15:18 Stroopwafels are more of a Dutch thing. As much as it pains me to admit that...
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| Starvynth i c deaf people Staff Posts: 3189 |
Written by Zap on 30.01.2023 at 16:00 I know, but I guess I'm a victim of the supermarket candy marketing mafia ("Supermarktsüßigkeitenvermarktungsmafia"). There's only one quick and easy way to get stroop waffles in Germany, and that way leads to a large discount retailer where they only offer the Belgian stuff. They usually do not sell Daelmans or Kanjers here. However, I really didn't want to turn this thread into a treatise on Belgian and Dutch specialties, so now we can finally talk about how unfair and mean it is that you, Rod, Abattoir, Radu, Netzach and probably everyone else got to see Saturnus in 2022 while I could not. 
---- signatures = SPAM
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| Zap Posts: 3589 |
Written by Starvynth on 30.01.2023 at 20:33 Sorry for derailing the thread. If it's any comfort, know that I didn't see Saturnus either. Even though I had a ticket for DDD day 1 where they were the main act. And even though I went to DDD day 1. I guess that might not be very comforting at all.
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| Blackcrowe Posts: 568  |
2022 it’s one of the worst year in metal all the new bands sounds like the other and looks like the same a strange mix of death metal with lots of nu metal black metal and acoustic passages it’s looks like that everyone lost their originality. Fortunately there is some bands sounding fresh like Elder, King Buffalo, Queensryche…. Low expectations for 2023
---- Invisible To telescopic eye, Infinity. The star that would not die. Slayer vs. Slayer: 1,000 MPH or Death
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