Mirgilus presents: the best 11 albums of 2022 and other notes

Mirgilus presents: the best 11 albums of 2022 and other notes

So, here is my top 11 albums from the last year in alphabetical order, because this is not a sport or competion nor a mainstream chart! These albums I played the most in 2022 and really enjoyed, maybe you will like too!

Black Oath - Emeth Truth And Death LP/CD
(Sun & Moon Records)
When I listened first this album I was a bit dissapointed. After the "Bohold the Abyss" this new opus was too melodic for me. But few weeks later the magic from these songs just came to work. Just listen the "Serpent of Balaam" or the grandious "Children Of Babalon" songs, what an epic doom metal hymns, only Italian soul could make this kind of dark doom metal with emotional feeling with real deep melodic vocals, amazing! A perfect soup where the deep doom metal riffs are the basics and everything flavoured with melodic vocals, men and female with a real powerful clean sound. One of the best Italian Doom Metal albums recorded in the last years.

Deathspell Omega - The Long Defeat LP/CD
(Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
"Si Monvmentvm" is the perfect DSO album, "Paracletus" is the best and my fave album from the huge discography. If you gone to the wall on complexity, insanity and chaos with the "The Synarchy of Molten Bones" album, the logical step is to going to the other direction, the "The Furnaces of Palingenesia" was the first step and now we have the "Long Defeat", the most brave album of DSO, loved by many and hated by the others and this is good! We have some new elements on DSO tool kit, but from the first tune, from the first riff you know that this is DSO, this time the song structures are not so complex and chaotic and we have a very nice rock beats on some tracks. (The Long Defeat). According to the inside booklet the whole album was recorded live. The absolute bullseye is the final song "Our Life Is Your Death", we can consider the first DSO hit.

"We will be the Sparta of your Athens!
If it was murder the first to be outlawed,
that’s because it’s our life’s blood.
Whether by word or whether by blade,
It is death that permeates our every quest!

Our death is your life
and our life is your death
in this shrinking world
at whose throat
even Eden draws her blade…
in this zero-sum game."
Masterpiece!

Grand Belial's Key - Kohanic Charmers LP/CD
(Weltenfeind Productions)
New GBK album after 17 years from "Kosherat". According to the inside cover, album was recorded in 2016. The best USBM band is back finally, no weak moment, no weak song or a single riff, from the beginning till the end this album is a real masterpiece. The world is changing, everything is changing, but GBK is eternal! Gelal is an amazing guitarist, just listen the album's absolut climax the "Fiscus Judaicus" song, one of the best GBK song ever written, and thus guitar solos in the end just brilliant! The king is back!

Haru Nemuri - Shunka Ryougen DLP
(Specific)
3rd album of the japanese young lady Haru Nemuri. If you know the previous "Lovetheism", or the first "Haru To Shura" albums probably you are familiar with this kind of musical crucible where we have Jpop, post-hardcore, some metal and lots of electronics with a very nice female vocal. Sounds strange, but works! The whole sound of the album is just perfect, a real japanese style. A typical love or hate album, you decide.

King Dude - Death LP
(Ván)
According to TJ Cowgill this is the final King Dude album, the last good by. King never made a weak album, nor an EP, or a split release. Death is one of the high-lights from his impressive discography. Great new songs with lots of words of wisdom in lyrics. Half of my heart is bleeding if this will be the final release, but the other half is proud that he will ends this great project on top. I have almost every KD releases in my collection, and I have seen lots of time on stages performing those great songs. I will miss you so much, but your legacy remains!

King Dude & Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand – Black Rider On The Storm CD
(WKN)
I got this CD from Albin one week before his death. I was a great fan of his Der Blutharsch project until the "When All Else Fails!" album, then I lost my interest in the band's new incarnation with new name and changed musical style. The albums he made with The Infinite Church was not my cup of tea, but all his collaboration albums I enjoyed a lot (with Aluk Todolo, or with Skullflower). I think this album with King Dude is his best album, is a very special album, very deep feeling, great songs. King Dude melanchilic, country-folk style meets with Albin's krautrock improvisation and strong, hypnotic rhythms, killer combination!

Misþyrming - Með Hamri LP
(Norma Evangelium Diaboli)
Almost everything was written in metal media about this album, the 3rd Misþyrming full length. They have a new drummer other news I not heard to share. As I a great fan of the previous "Algleymi" album, I consider the logical continuation, let's say part 2, intense nordic black metal, but not a freezy snow storm, just a calm before the storm, or a landscape after the ice storm, full with great songs, great riffs and amazing atmosphere. I really like the front cover (made by Manuel Tinnemans), very impressive.

NECRONOMIDOL - Vämjelseriter DLP
(Specific)
Another japanese madness from my favorite label from France. The darkwave girl power from Tokyo and their 4th full length album, originally released in 2021 but only in Japan, 2022 in Europe and probably world wide. It's a double LP full with Necronomidol hymns, if you were masmerized with the previous Voidhymn album this DLP will be your fave too. An evil blend of J-Pop, Black Metal, Kawaii Metal and Synth-Pop, the most important that the album is full with great songs and amazing female vocal performance! Welcome on the dancefloor!

Negative Plane - The Pact CD
(The Ajna Offensive / Invictus Productions)
I'm listening this 3rd NP full length from long months and I still don't know the verdict, is this their best and perfect release, or not?! One thing is sure, the sound on "The Pact" is just perfect, natural, amazing! Everything is clear like on a 1980’s heavy metal record in the vein of Mercyful Fate, but from the first riff you know that is NP, Nameless Void is a pure genius, his riffs, guitar melodies are so unique and recognizable. The drum sound is just perfect, I'm not heard such amazing natural, warm drum sound from ages! The Pact is a concept album, they telling the story through 6 long songs (the opening and the closing tracks are longer than 10 minutes) and one intermezzo instrumental track in the middle of the album. We will still be talking about this album long years from now, such serious works are created every 10 years!

Sumerlands - Dreamkiller CD
(Relapse Records)
As much as Eternal Champion's debut album influenced me in 2016, Sumerlands' sophomore album hit me just as much! The debut album was an ok US heavy metal album, but what they made on "Dreamkiller" with Brendan Radigan on vocals is absolute high class. One of the best ever US heavy metal albums! The comparison with Eternal Champion is not accidental, the 2 guitarists and the bass player are EC members, but here the music is completely different from Eternal Champion and also not... Only 35 minutes like in the glorious 80's, full with great heavy metal, hard rock hits, one after another! The sound, the front cover art, everything is perfect, the best heavy metal album in 2022!

Wovenhand - Silver Sash LP
(Glitterhouse Records)
Not the best Wovenhand album for sure, but still! The atmosphere Wovenhand create is just incredible, I just love the sound of this album. "Silver Sash" is more a DEE solo album like a real Wovenhand album. All album was recorded at home during the pandemic. Powerful, subtile and intensly deep. Uniting the calm and mystic side of the early Wovenhand years with the straight forward yet still magic songs of his latest albums. Truly inspirational!


Best live:
Mercyful Fate on Artmania & Brutal Assault
Vołosi & Lajkó Félix @ Lázár Kastély, EgyFeszt

Best label: Specific
Best album cover: Haru Nemuri - Shunka Ryougen
Best song: Spiritus Mortis - Skoptsy
Best demo: KEXELÜR - Llave a las profundidades...

by Mirgilus, February 2023