- Monday, December 5th, Sounds of the Void: November 2022
- Tuesday, December 6th, Sounds of the Void Presents: The Top 10 Labels of 2022 (Instagram exclusive list)
- Wednesday, December 7th, Sounds of the Void Presents: The Top 25 Dungeon Synth albums of 2022
- Thursday, December 8th, Sounds of the Void Presents: The Top 25 EPs and Demos of 2022
- Friday, December 9th, Sounds of the Void Presents: The Top 50 albums of 2022
So as you can see, we have a lot for this week, and it all starts here with the best music from November 2022.
As a side note, I want to say that December won’t be a forgotten month. I will be doing my normal blog and New Music Friday posts on Instagram. However, at the end of next year, I will be including December 2022 music if any should be deemed worthy.
Alright, let’s get to it!
This White Mountain – A Plague Upon the Earth
Atmospheric Black Metal from Mansfield, CT
Fiadh Productions
Wow, I frankly was not ready for this style of black metal from this EP. I think we were inundated with a lot of super raw throwback to second-wave music this year, with some being very good. But seeing as it is associated with Fiadh Productions, I see now that there had to be some twist. Don’t get me wrong, the ferocity is there. The riffs, the breakneck speeds of the drums (machine or not), and the dynamic vocals are accompanied by a raw, yet outstanding production value. I was bummed that this was my first interaction with this one-man band from Connecticut. Especially knowing that the act dates all the way back to 2009! This White Mountain also released a full-length album this year as well called, The Final Sorrow which is absolutely worth your time.
Sépulcre – Cursed Ways of Sheol
Death Metal from France
Invictus Productions
France delivered a lot of great records this year (foreshadowing throughout Lists of the Void!), and this EP continues that trend. Sépulcre brings to us that slowed down evil death metal that can only originate from the catacombs of Paris. This release is nothing but horrific violence and stripped-back production that really gives it that murk and truly disgusting sound that exists within the best of the genre these days. What really ties this EP up as a true gem of 2022 is the closing track; Foul Divinity Enthronation. Coming in at nearly ten minutes, you get to see the band’s talent on full display. Not progressive in the negative sense, but it’s progressive enough to maintain its identity, yet still maintain a song you want to listen to over and over again. It’s epic and grandiose, and did I say, evil?
Heathen Prayer – The Devil and the Day Laborer
Metalcore from Atlanta, GA
Bitter Melody Records
And now something a little different, we have Heathen Prayer and their debut EP; The Devil and the Day Laborer. This EP is a short, but not-so-sweet release that really shines in the oftentimes stale world of metalcore in 2022. Once it kicks off it doesn’t stop for another 15 minutes of absolute fury, and with “Mean” Pete Kowalsky of Remembering Never, xBishopx, and Ether Coven (who might be making an appearance this week…) on the guitar, you know you’re in for a pissed off record. Even when you get to a track like Neverwhere, which as far as speed goes is a much slower track but they somehow are able to convey the same amount of intensity, rage, and melancholic hopelessness that resonates with so many in America these days. Definitely a different type of record, but nevertheless, a rager that definitely is a good one to round out any year-end list.
Hibernus Mortis – The Monoliths of Cursed Slumber
Death Metal from Hialeah, FL
Blood Harvest
Blood Harvest very rarely disappoints, and that remains true with the first album from Hibernus Mortis since their debut in 2001! The time between albums is old enough to drink! And with absolutely no disrespect to the band or that album, Monoliths is a giant upgrade! Hailing from Florida, we are greeted with an eerie intro before the low rumblings start to shred through the haze of fog the production provides and the haunting begins. The vocals on this album sound like a demon, and I don’t mean it because its a death metal album, but because genuinely, the vocal production is so great and without being too heavy, or too minimal, the right amount of studio magic truly brings out the evil that no doubt exists inside the walls of the menacing castle that drew me into the album in the first place. This is a horror story masterfully told by a band that hopefully gives us more… Just not 21 years later.
Kampfar – Til Klovers Takt
Pagan Black Metal from Norway
Indie Recordings
Another Veteran band for this month, this time with a much more well-rounded catalog, Norway’s Kampfar released such a solid black metal album that is just drenched in that Viking/pagan sound that Kampfar is known for. Kampfar has silently been a band that has released constantly constant albums of absolutely top-notch quality. If you are a person who may be disappointed with bands like Enslaved for progressing through the years, and you aren’t familiar with Kampfar, get familiar quickly, they may be your new favorite band.
Not to say they sound like Enslaved because they definitely do not. They sound like Kampfar. Not afraid to embrace synths and choirs to give it that epic pagan battlecry that embraces the roots and origin of their namesake, Kampfar delivers a dense, grim, and powerful with Til klovers takt. This album takes its time, but if you do the same, I promise you, you’re in for a thrilling experience.
High Command – Eclipse of the Dual Moons
Thrash Metal/Crossover/Hardcore Punk from Worcester, MA
Southern Lord Recordings
This release came out of absolutely nowhere for me. I remember in 2019 when High Command’s first album was released, I thought it was good, but nothing that I would say is a must listen though. 2022’s, Eclipse of the Dual Moons however is an absolute must-listen. Immediately I was feeling the vibes of bands like 3 Inches of Blood, Iron Age, and Power Trip. I didn’t even want to throw it under the genres I did up top, as I feel like this record is above all of that. This is a kick-ass heavy metal album. Forget your genre bias and remember what made you love heavy metal in the first place. This album is the 2022 embodiment of that sound. I assume most people go through Metallica first, but if you’re looking for that next level, it’s High Command. The guitar work needs some special recognition as it is fantastic. From the riffs to the solo work, it’s pure, traditional, and fresh all at the same time. It shreds, it’s bluesy, it’s everything you want in a heavy metal record.
Trhä – Endlhëdëhaj Qáshmëna Ëlh Vim Innivte
Atmospheric Black Metal/Ambient from Texas
Independent
Trhä released four full-length albums this year. Not 3 demos and an LP, not 2 demos, an EP, and an LP, FOUR full-length albums. And if that isn’t a feat in and of itself, they are all good! Trhä is maybe the best-kept secret in black metal right now. With virtually no social media presence, the word of mouth is strong, and I’m here to do my little part to make it stronger. Now, some basic digging on Metal-Archives gives us a little insight, and for the sake of anonymity, this young man absolutely possesses a once-in-a-hundred-years kind of talent. And while he certainly has other projects, there is just something special about Trhä. I won’t go into full details about the albums that predate this one from 2022, but I will say check them out, as they seemingly tell a story of hopelessness as well as hopefulness by the time we reached this album. The first track is an incredibly moving ambient piece, but once you hit the second track; Endlhënven, you are shrouded in a hopeful light of perfectly balanced black metal that is almost indescribable. I mentioned the story earlier. I wish I could give you a theme of what the story is about, but the lyrics are in a language made up by the artist. Next level.
Dream Unending – Song of Salvation
Atmospheric Doom/Death Metal from USA/Canada
20 Buck Spin
Here’s a hot take. Last year’s album that took everybody by storm was Dream Unending’s debut; Tide Turns Eternal. I listened to it, and I immediately forgot everything I had listened to. I listened to it again, and it just wasn’t sticking with me. I just wasn’t feeling what seemingly everybody else was. I remember when I released my top 10 albums of 2021 list and it wasn’t on there, I had a few comments in the vein of outrage! OK, maybe no outrage, but definitely confusion. It just didn’t stick with me. When Song of Salvation was released this month I experienced the exact opposite. This album is beautiful.
This duo consists of one-half Tomb Mold and one-half Innumerable Forms, two of the most consistent bands in death metal and funeral doom respectively. While yes, this album is significantly moodier, aetherial, and almost jazzy in some parts, it runs the gambit on emotions. At times, scary, and sometimes, woefully sorrowful, but then you have Leila Abdul-Rauf laying down trumpet on the track Secret Grief, and you’re almost transported to a smoke-filled club of decades past. And then, of course, the theme for almost every review for this month is the incredible driving guitar work.
This year, when everybody has it in their top ten, I’ll be agreeable, as this is incredible. It took my breath away in certain parts. You can’t ask much more for music.
So that concludes the final monthly blog for the year 2022 but of course the start of Lists of the Void! Remember, tomorrow you’ll be able to check out the Top 10 Labels of 2022 exclusively on Instagram. And if you aren’t part of the party yet, click the pic below!
Thank you guys so much for having fun with me this year. I’ll continue if you’ll continue to have me.
Stay Disgusting.
