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

26) SABATON -The War To End All Wars (Nuclear Blast)

 

The Sabaton battalion charged once again in 2022 continuing their foray into World War I with The War To End All Wars. The Swedes have sustained their ascension in popularity throughout the globe and have nestled into a comfortable approach to songwriting and appeasing their fanbase.

There is epic bombast with Joakim Broden’s commanding vocals and sing-along hooks documenting a violent time in history. Guitarist Tommy Johanasson from Majestica has been a great enlistment from the band bringing a neoclassical shine to the solos. This Sabaton doing what it does best – creating memorability with a load of tracks suited for the live audience. The War To End All Wars storms to #26.

Scribe Mark Gromen penned in his review:

So, this is not some mindless, throw-away, "Sex, drugs & rock n roll" platter. Nor is it a sterile, dusty museum piece. While a few of the songs will undoubtedly survive to become setlist favorites, it should be listened to/viewed as a collective. It's a work of art, destined for the largest concert stages of Europe, littered with barb wire, period era costumes, fire cannons and pyro galore, plus military accouterments. Sabaton always attempt to imbue the historical accuracy with an emotional component. Witness "Lady Of The Dark", regarding Milunka Savic, a Serbian who initially took her brother's place in the army (disguised as a man), then, over the course of three separate conflicts, became one of the war's most decorated soldiers, ultimately receiving medals from France, Russia and Britain, as well as her own country. Drummer Hannes Van Dahl punctuates this staccato mid-tempo number.

Guitarist Chris Rörland received five co-writing credits, for the music. Rest of the lyrics/music was done by the long-running masterminds Pär Sundström & Joakim Brodén, either in unison, or solo. Experts in the use of dynamics, the all-out speedster of the batch is "Stormtroopers", #2 in the running order, about the pre-blitzkrieg German infantry, charging out of the trenches. Can't have a slow mover for the subject matter! Come the chorus, Brodén announces, "A glimpse of the future, new tactics in war. New doctrine in combat explored. As fast as lightning, no time to mourn. A glimpse of the future, a blitzkrieg is born." Hope this one's featured in the live set.

BravePicks 2022 Top 30

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)