The onset of the festive season signals many things. A time to eat, drink and enjoy general merriment, and if you are a sports fan, the perfect opportunity to assess the best New betting apps. Of course, in the music world, December invariably inspires us to look back at the year just gone, with music lists aplenty highlighting the best and worst of 2022.
It turns out that 2022 was a pretty good year for metal fans, and if Death Doom gets your blood pumping, you may be reluctant to wave the year goodbye, with a whole host of quality acts having hit the Metal News headlines. Here we pick out five of the year’s best releases from the area where Death and Doom collide.
Autopsy – Morbidity Triumphant
One of the true pioneers of the genre having released their debut back in 1989, California outfit Autopsy thrilled fans when returning from 14 years in the wilderness in 2011, hitting metalheads with a triple salvo of Macabre Eternal, The Headless Ritual, and Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves – only to then fall off the map again 2014.
In 2022 Autopsy returned, and it was worth the wait. The band’s trademark grooves, stirring doom riffs and frenetic leads are all present and correct, as is the unhinged raging of vocalist/drummer Chris Reifert. 30 years on from Severed Survival, Autopsy still stands out from the crowd.
Dream Unending – Song of Salvation
Following their excellent 2021 debut, Tide Turns Eternal, Guitarist Derrick Vella and vocalist/drummer Justin DeTore return with another descent into the dreamier side of doom. Taking everything that made Tide Turns Eternal such a singular listen, Song Of Salvation ventures even further into the slow-burning soundscapes, combing pounding drums and piercing solos to devastating effect. A record to become enveloped in and, in its own gloom-laden way, one of the most beautiful of the year.
Tzompantli – Tlazcaltiliztki
The band name translates as a rack on which human skulls are displayed, whilst the album title refers to fuelling fire and the sun with blood. So far, so death doom. However, this is one of the most immediately distinctive records of the year.
Just as the band name and album title have a distinctive indigenous American flavour, so too does the music. Employing traditional huehuetl drums, death whistles, and native American shakers, Tlazcaltiliztki takes a harrowing trip into this rich heritage, complete with blast beats, stirring vocals and wailing spectral screams. In of atmosphere, this is unlike anything else you will hear this year and a clear contender for the best debut of 2022.
Mother Of Graves – When The Shadows Adorn
Grabbing the attention of many with their 2021 debut EP, In Somber Dreams, Indianapolis quintet Mother Of Graves drew comparisons with the likes of Katatonia and Temple Of Void with their melodic death/doom stylings.
2022’s When The Shadows Adorn marks the bands first foray into a full-length release, and that which was hinted at on their EP has been both expanded and enhanced. Expect sparkling interplay between key ages drenched in misery, and similarly sorrowful electric guitars. Add in the doom elements of Brandon Howe’s guttural yearnings and pounding riffs, and you have possibly the year’s best record from the melodic end of the death/doom spectrum.
Temple Of Void – Summoning The Slayer
The fourth full release from this Michigan Death Doom outfit represents a “slight” shift towards a less abrasive sound, and as such no doubt risks alienating a certain section of their fan base.
However, change is not always a bad thing. Allowing themselves greater space in which to work, On Summoning The Slayer, Temple Of Void have created a clearer interpretation of their particular flavour of melancholy. Vocalist Mike “Tuff” Erdody is in ground-shaking form, whilst chugging riffs, distortion and excellent effects help maintain a sense of foreboding throughout. Not quite Temple Of Void as we know them, but still comfortably one of the genre’s finest albums of 2022.
