Best New Music - 2022 edition

Scorpions - Rock Believer
They're back to their roots. Klaus sings amazing, Twin guitars and solos are great and the drumming of Mike Dee sounds so strong. All the songs are very good. The production and even the album cover reminds me to the early 80's. I listened the Deluxe edition and the extra 5 songs are as good as the ones that come with the album. Very solid album with great sound. They're still in very good shape.

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My best January albums :

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  • Harald Bergersen - Baritone (Jazz)
  • Marimo - Sugahara - Works of Bach, Chopin, Wagner, Beethoven, … (Classical Guitar)
  • Julia Toaspern - Fröhlich soil mein Herze springen (EP) (Jazz)
  • Dagobert Böhm - Within a Dream (Jazz)
  • Magnum - The Monster Roars (Prog Rock)
  • Philipp Glass / Tana Quartet - String Quartet No. 9 - King Lear & String Quartet No. 8 (Classical)
  • Fazer - Plex (Jazz)
  • Battle Beast - Circus of Doom (Metal)
  • Tony Martin - Thorns (Metal)
  • Friederike Chylek - William Byrd - Keyboard Works (Classical)
  • The Ferrymen - One More River to Cross (Metal)
  • Florian Favre - Identitá (Jazz)
  • Jethro Tull - The Zealot Gene (Prog Rock)
  • Steve Vai - Inviolate (Instrumental Rock / Metal)
  • Kreator - Bootleg Revolution (Live Album) (Metal)
 
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The_7th_one said:
Scorpions - Rock Believer
They're back to their roots. Klaus sings amazing, Twin guitars and solos are great and the drumming of Mike Dee sounds so strong. All the songs are very good. The production and even the album cover reminds me to the early 80's. I listened the Deluxe edition and the extra 5 songs are as good as the ones that come with the album. Very solid album with great sound. They're still in very good shape.

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I'm awaiting my copy but, from what I've heard thus far it is shaping up quite well.
 


Ball Noir - Cabinet Of Curiosities

While I was hoping for a full-length studio album to follow up 2017's excellent Lost Serenades, what I got instead was an interesting mega-EP from these Dutch folk metallers, clocking in at a whopping 81 minutes.

There are a couple of brand new songs here, a couple of covers of songs from some of the members' side band Orfeo, a few acoustic versions of songs from Lost Serenades, a live track, remastered tracks from the band's very first EP, covers of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" and the Game Of Thrones theme song, and a few dance remixes(!) of their songs.

Though I wouldn't recommend this EP as a first exposure to the band, it's a great supplement if you're already a fan of their work. (And if you haven't listened to them before, Lost Serenades is a great starting point!)
 
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Jer said:

Ball Noir - Cabinet Of Curiosities

While I was hoping for a full-length studio album to follow up 2017's excellent Lost Serenades, what I got instead was an interesting mega-EP from these Dutch folk metallers, clocking in at a whopping 81 minutes.

There are a couple of brand new songs here, a couple of covers of songs from some of the members' side band Orfeo, a few acoustic versions of songs from Lost Serenades, a live track, remastered tracks from the band's very first EP, covers of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" and the Game Of Thrones theme song, and a few dance remixes(!) of their songs.

Though I wouldn't recommend this EP as a first exposure to the band, it's a great supplement if you're already a fan of their work. (And if you haven't listened to them before, Lost Serenades is a great starting point!)
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I'm going to listen Lost Serenades then :) Thanks for sharing!
 
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Jer said:
While I was hoping for a full-length studio album to follow up 2017's excellent Lost Serenades, what I got instead was an interesting mega-EP from these Dutch folk metallers, clocking in at a whopping 81 minutes.
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If 81 minutes is the length of an "EP", then I don't know what "EP" means anymore. Without listening to a note, I already hate them.
 
Cornfed Hick said:
If 81 minutes is the length of an "EP", then I don't know what "EP" means anymore. Without listening to a note, I already hate them.
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EP was my characterization, not theirs. I call it a mega-EP because it’s essentially 2 new songs, some covers, and then some rarities and remixes and live material. The new original content is limited.
 
My best February albums:

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  • Gian - Luca Petrucci & Paola Pisa - Frederick II The Great. Nine Sonatas for Flute & Harpsichord (Classical)
  • Lalu - Paint the Sky (Prog Rock)
  • Black Flower - Magma (Jazz/Fusion)
  • Saxon - Carpe Diem (Metal)
  • Slash (feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators) - 4 (Hard Rock)
  • Alan Parsons (with the Israel Philarmonic Orchestra) - One Note Symphony. Live in Tel Aviv (Prog Rock)
  • Amorphis - Halo (Metal)
  • Cult of Luna - The Long Road North (Metal)
  • Midnight Oil - Resist (Rock)
  • Edna Stern - Schubert on Tape (Classical)
  • Jens Bang-Ramussen - Soloworks (Classical Guitar)
  • Lordi - Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular (Metal)
  • Annihilator - Metal II (Metal)
  • Steve Slagle - Ballads: Into the Heart of it (Jazz)
  • Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Revel in Time (Metal)
  • Scorpions - Rock Believer (Hard Rock)
  • Tangerine Dream - Raum (Electronic/Ambient)
  • Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point (Pop)
 
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A random recommendation via YouTube kicked off my year's musical discoveries with Ancient Light by the British quintet Eliminator.

Traditional heavy metal through-and-through, taking strong influences from speed metal and the NWOBHM movement. Its ten tracks equal a fairly standard 50 minutes (only one cracks the 6-minute mark) but it's quite something how much is packed into each song, making them like mini-epics though none of them feel overstuffed or disjointed. The guitar work in particular is outstanding, with plenty of strong riffs, melodic soloing, lead melodies and harmonised lines. The vocals also deserve highlighting, there are some great melodies here too, delivered in an effortless, glass-shattering way that put me in mind of King Diamond.

While there is a lot to like, there isn't a ton of variety to the songs and things can start to feel a bit repetitive by the latter half and depending on how much you like this kind of vocals they could become a bit grating too. I also had a couple of gripes with the production, I think they were a touch heavy on the reverb on the vocals which, when coupled with their low place in the mix, made it difficult to decipher some the lyrics, also the guitars could become a little muddy at times.

Best Songs: Arrival, Silent Stone, Ancient Light* (Yes, a one-two-three punch!) and Foreverless.

Weakest Song: The Library.

*Also my overall favourite:
 
Scorpions - Rock Believer
I'm going to consider giving this a full review, but early highlights are (In Album Order): Gas In The Tank, Shining Of Your Soul, Seventh Son although the entire album sounds great and there are many great callbacks to previous albums. I think what I really enjoy most about the album, is it sounds like a band enjoying themselves doing what they love. I wouldn't be opposed to hearing them play the album in full.
 
Edington said:
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I spent some time with this album, and I generally agree with your assessment.

The guitar work is great — clearly in the NWOBHM vein, but with its own unique character. Honestly, the weakest guitar bits for me were the ones that lapsed into rote Maidenesque harmonies, but even those were fine.

The singer is obviously talented, and he actually sounds quite good most of the time; but when he lapses into atonal histrionics he loses me. I actually don’t mind the heavy reverb on the vocals or their place in the mix, though, as I think it works with the overall sound of the album.

The songwriting is pretty strong, and sometimes brilliant — but some of the vocal melodies are weak and could have used more time in the oven. I do love that this album shows a lot of finesse with the music, though, allowing room for light and shade, and for songs to take a journey through some different places.

These guys have all the raw materials to make a stellar album — they just need a little external guidance to tell the singer when to dial it back, and to help develop the vocal lines a bit better. But even what they have right now is an enjoyable listen with a lot of flashes of greatness.

Thanks for the recommendation!
 
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The_7th_one said:
My best February albums:
  • Gian - Luca Petrucci & Paola Pisa - Frederick II The Great. Nine Sonatas for Flute & Harpsichord (Classical)
  • Lalu - Paint the Sky (Prog Rock)
  • Black Flower - Magma (Jazz/Fusion)
  • Saxon - Carpe Diem (Metal)
  • Slash (feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators) - 4 (Hard Rock)
  • Alan Parsons (with the Israel Philarmonic Orchestra) - One Note Symphony. Live in Tel Aviv (Prog Rock)
  • Amorphis - Halo (Metal)
  • Cult of Luna - The Long Road North (Metal)
  • Midnight Oil - Resist (Rock)
  • Edna Stern - Schubert on Tape (Classical)
  • Jens Bang-Ramussen - Soloworks (Classical Guitar)
  • Lordi - Spooky Sextravaganza Spectacular (Metal)
  • Annihilator - Metal II (Metal)
  • Steve Slagle - Ballads: Into the Heart of it (Jazz)
  • Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One - Revel in Time (Metal)
  • Scorpions - Rock Believer (Hard Rock)
  • Tangerine Dream - Raum (Electronic/Ambient)
  • Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point (Pop)
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So far I've only bought Halo, and that is now a firm favourite. Feels a bit heavier than the previous album but also more sophisticated. Having gone from finding few hooks on first couple of listens, I've now got it embedded in the music part of my brain.
 
My best March albums:

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  • Gong - Pulsing Signals (Prog Rock)
  • Lionville - So Close to Heaven (A.O.R.)
  • Sabaton - The War to End All Wars (Metal)
  • Simon Phillips - Protocol 5 (Jazz / Fusion)
  • John Zorn - A Garden of Forking Paths (Jazz / Classical Guitar)
  • Joana Daunyte - Ciurlionis. On the Harp Strings (Classical)
  • Marillion - An Hour before It's Dark (Prog Rock)
  • Akiko Suwanai - J.S. Bach. Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Classical)
  • John McLaughlin - The Montreal Years (Live) (Jazz / Fusion)
  • Olivia Trummer - For You (Vocal Jazz)
  • Ghost - Impera (Metal)
  • The Flower Kings - By Royal Decree (Prog Rock)
  • Fish - The Last Straw. Live in Glasgow 2018 (Prog Rock)
  • Bryan Adams - So Happy It Hurts (Pop Rock)
  • Carlo Ipata - Vivaldi. Flute Concertos. Op. 10 (Classical)
  • Ana Carla Maza - Bahía (Jazz)
  • Don Hanson - Echoes of Light (Jazz)
  • Mettis Quartet - Beethoven. String Quartets Op. 18/4 & 130 (Classical)
  • Marianne Lambert - Canzone di Notte (Classical)
  • Kristina Koller - Get Out of Town (Vocal Jazz)
  • Picadilly Sinfonietta - Antonio Vivaldi. Four Seasons (Classical)
  • Melissa Errico - Out of the Dark. The Film Noir Project (Vocal Jazz)
 
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I'm still processing the new Ghost album. At first it was "Meh. Another Ghost album." Now I'm starting to enjoy individual tracks for what they are. I think the on stage silliness and neverending twists in the Papa Emeritus saga were starting to put me off, but at the end of the day, there's still some good and distinctive songwriting behind all this.
 
Hardcore Superstar released Abrakadabra last Friday, 25 March. Fantastic record - their absolute best in 12 years. I have still gone to their concerts, but C'mon Take on Me (2013), HCSS (2015) and You Can't Kill My Rock n Roll (2018) place at the bottom of the catalogue for me. You have to go back to Split Your Lip (2010) to find a great one. Or at least the last one I listened to extensively and liked, though it was flawed compared to a streak of 5 before it which all are absolutely amazing*.


*Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves) (2001) trough Beg For It (2009).
 
I loved the new Ghost album. Slightly more mixed feelings on the new Scorpions album; the singles perhaps set too high of a bar. I've somehow not got around to Sabaton yet!

Amon Amarth have a new single out and it has very quickly become a favourite of mine:

 
Can one infer something from the fact that much of the discussion of the new Ghost record has transitioned from the Ghost thread to the “Best New Music—2022” thread? Yes. Yes, I think one can. “Spillways” is a truly fantastic pop/rock song. Soooo catchy.
 
Edington said:
A random recommendation via YouTube kicked off my year's musical discoveries with Ancient Light by the British quintet Eliminator.
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Was the YouTube video the Banger one with Blaine? If so, that’s where I learned of it too. Pretty fun record. But not exactly cheese-free.
 
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