Where does the time go? 2022 can be called the comeback year of all time, with virtually every band on the planet getting back on track post-COVID. So it was one helluva year for heavy metal as the releases started to pour in and the bands started to hit your town after nearly three years of madness. It is time to unveil our annual BravePicks countdown, where the devout scribes at BraveWords cast their votes at the hits and misses of the year! So who will be our #1? You’ll find out as we count down the BravePick Of 2022 each day in December! 

Everybody has an opinion and it’s time for ours! And stay tuned in January for the writers’ individual Top 20s (new studio albums ONLY), Top 5 Brave Embarrassments (a fan favorite!), What/Who Needs To Stop In 2022? and Metal Predictions For 2022. All will be showcased come the New Year!

First up, the best of the best for 2022 begins NOW! And we begin with the six releases bubbling under our top 30. 

BravePicks 2022

21) RAZOR - Cycle Of Contempt (Relapse)

 

25 long years in the making, Canadian thrash masters Razor finally made their comeback and didn’t disappoint. What could possibly make more of a statement than the cover art with a guitar decapitating a politician’s head? Cycle Of Contempt is a lesson in violence that shows why they were such defining band of the Canadian scene in the ’80s and a major influence on extreme metal. 

The Razor cuts deep and is sharp as ever as they run wild to #21 on our list.

BraveWords’ “Metal” Tim Henderson said in his review:

Dave Carlo (guitars), Mike Campagnolo (bass) Bob Reid (vocals) and Rider Johnson (drums) have picked up where they left off. And that’s not saying Cycle Of Contempt is dated. That’s far from the truth. But just like some of the finest bands (you know their names), there is a certain recipe and flavour that suits them. And with the chants of “Razor, Razor, Razor” - while Carlo’s amps are humming like an engine ready to seize a NASCAR victory - “Flames Of Hatred” tells the tale with feisty venom. It’s a raging, speedy affair which will have purists dancing in the pit.

“Off My Meds”, “Punch Your Face In” and “King Shit” are simply dizzying, your head spinning madly while singer Bob Reid wants to tear it right fucking off. But Carlo’s hands are just golden, a wicked wizard shredder that hasn’t aged a bit. And the thundering Campagnolo bass and blasting backbeats of drummer Johnson add another layer of doom and destruction. This ain’t for the faint-hearted.

BravePicks 2022 Top 30

21) RAZOR - Cycle Of Contempt (Relapse)
22) MEGADETH - The Sick, The Dying...And The Dead! (Universal Music Group)
23) TONY MARTIN - Thorns (Dark Star)
24) UGLY KID JOE - Rad Wings Of Destiny (Metalville / UKJ)
25) TRIAL (SWE) - Feed The Fire (Metal Blade)
26) SABATON - The War To End All Wars (Nuclear Blast)
27) SCORPIONS - Rock Believer (Vertigo)
28) CORPSEGRINDER - Corpsegrinder (Perseverance)
29) SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS - 4 (Gibson / BMG)
30) NORDJEVEL - Gnavhòl (Indie)
31) WITCHERY – Nightside (Century Media)
32) ABBATH - Dread Reaver (Season of Mist)
33) AMON AMARTH - The Great Heathen Army (Metal Blade)
34) RECKLESS LOVE – Turbo Rider (AFM) 
35) GOATWHORE – Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven (Metal Blade)
36) CAVE IN – Heavy Pendulum (Relapse)