Sentinel Daily's Top Ten Australian Metal Albums of 2022

2016 Meshiaak – Alliance of Thieves, 2017 – Caligula’s Horse – In Contact, 2018 Rise of Avernus – Eigengrau, 2019 – Lord – Fallen Idols,
2020 Vanishing Point – Dead Elysium – 2021 – Dangerous Curves – Summertime Highs
2022 – ?

Yes, it’s that time of year again when we trawl through the best and worst that 2022 had to offer in terms of album releases; First up, our specially-convened panel of experts has been considering the best Australian albums to have emerged in 2022. Who will join the above august list of Aussie albums of the year? Read on to find out…

10. Flitcraft – Our Long Journey To The Middle (Heavy Chains Records)

“At it’s most accessible – the fourth track here, Bed of Spiders, maybe – Flitcraft plough a simpler, catchier furrow, signalling that this is a band that can turn it’s hand to most aspects of the heavy metal spectrum; But metal it is, undoubtedly, and even on this track the listener will detect traces of occult metallers Mercyful Fate making themselves known in the vocal harmonies and memorable, whistle-worthy guitar parts. Metal like it used to be made – just how we like it here at the ‘Daily…” – Scott Adams, 02/02/22

Read our full review of the album HERE

9. The Neptune Power Federation – Le Demon De L’amour (Cruz Del Sur Music)

“Spunky penultimate track Madly in Love is a nice mashup of punk and pop without, thank the maker, becoming punk pop, and it’s another reminder that, five albums in, these guys have become pretty adept at taking great names from the past and remaking them in their own image. That’s not an easy trick to pull off, but a couple of minor missteps aside, it’s a trick which forms the foundation of a very listenable album indeed. Hats off!” – Gavin Strickmann, 07/02/22

Read Gavin’s full thoughts on the albume HERE

8. Dead City Ruins – Shockwave (AFM Records)

“That said, when the band do hit the mark, they do so very well indeed. Mid-album there’s a three song run – the superb Dog On a Leash, the fast-paced This Side of The Dirt and the bluesy, bass-driven Drifter – where the band sound like true world beaters. Dog On A Leash, especially, with it’s gang vocals, low-slung guitar heroics and committed vocal delivery might well have beaten the resurgent Skid Row to the punch for the award of best hair metal anthem of 2022″ – GS, 20/07/22

Read Gavin’s review of Shockwave HERE

7. Psycroptic – Divine Council (EVP Recordings)

“The dissonant, almost symphonic flashes added to the excellent Enslavement show that this is a band capable of stretching the envelope in a way not many death metal bands would contemplate trying. It’s exciting to listen to, and Enslavement – probably the best song on the album, with it’s mixture of unforgiving chug and impassioned vocals – again points to a band ready to grasp the nettle to expand their appeal”. – SA, 26/07/22

Read Scott’s full appraisal of the album HERE

6. Descent – Order of Chaos (Brilliant Emperor Records)

“This is an absolute brute of a record. Once you decide to press play, there’s no escape from the madness, as every single track pushes you remorselessly into the corner of whatever space you happen to be listening in. The guitars of Brendan Auld and Josh Kane don’t so much explode from the speakers as rupture them irreparably, with the resultant ooze crashing down on you and squeezing the breath out of your innards. Selecting the ‘best’ track from this sort of punishment is pointless, obviously, but the lead work that rounds out Gathering, backed by another set of those chugs and some hellish crossfire courtesy of drummer Kingsley Sugden, is a piece of mental-scarring-as-enjoyment that will stay with me deep into 2022…” – SA, 27/12/21

Read all about Order of Chaos HERE

5. Werewolves – From The Cave To The Grave (Prosthetic Records)

“The fact remains that this is easily the most advanced Werewolves album to date in many ways. You’d probably expect nothing less from musicians of the calibre of Sam Bean, Matt Wilcock and David Haley, who presumably shit this stuff out at will, but whilst you’re immersed in the serpentine unpleasantness of Harvest of the Skulls – the collective members of Morbid Angel would kill to still be able to write like this now – the sense becomes overwhelming that, for all the band’s glib nihilism, they really are a rather special proposition when you cut to the chase”. – Michael Stronge, 17/06/22

Read Michael’s full review of the album HERE

4. Hydranaut – Hydranaut (Own Label)

“The straight-up, punk-informed blast of Give ‘Em A Drink is another highlight, ninety five seconds of joyous noise done just right, but Hydranaut have created one of those rare albums that, despite being packed with great moments, doesn’t boast a single song you’d want to single out as ‘the best’. Everything here has something going for it, and whether you love stentorian old school metal (check out the glorious main riff of Hunt) or gutter-bound, oil-encrusted filth, these blokes have got what you need”. – MS, 14/11/22

Read Michael’s full Appraisal of Hydranaut HERE

3. Teramaze – Flight of the Wounded (Wells Music)

“Guitarist/vocalist Dean Wells himself claims that Flight Of The Wounded may well be Teramaze’s best ever; I’m not going to comment on that , because, quite frankly, I can’t tell you whether it’s a valid assertion to make or not. What I will say is that, on superb tracks like The Thieves Are Out and Until The Lights, Teramaze continue to make vital, exuberant progressive metal that few bands toiling in their wake in the genre could even dream of creating”. – SA,

Read Scott’s full assessment of Flight of the Wounded HERE

2. Silent Knight – Full Force (Own Label)

“Perth metallers Silent Knight really transcend their power metal tag with new album Full Force, delivering a set that definitely is both powerful and metallic, yet at the same time delivering real variety across the eight songs included… It all comes together best on the quite stunning Into Oblivion, a fast-paced headbanger that mixes DragonForce‘s muscularity and technique to a dark melodicism that is heavily redolent of Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time; the upshot is a delirious noise that will surely be irresistible to anybody who calls themselves a fan of proper heavy metal” – Ferry Templeton, 30/08/22

Read our full review of Full Force HERE

All of which brings us to… Sentinel Daily’s Australian heavy metal album of the year for 2022…

1. Taliesin – Faceless (Own Label)

“I don’t mean to be flippant – there quite literally isn’t a moment wasted here as the band flit from Van Halenish melody (Climbing) all the way through to woozy, Floydian reverie (epic closer Widower’s Daughter), stopping at post-grunge crunch (Not Coming Home) and, perhaps most pertinent of all, the solidly metallic modern prog of names like Hex A.D.. It’s all here – and it’s all very good indeed… Repeated exposure to Faceless will reveal the album to be almost completely bereft of any weak point whatsoever, and if this album catches a wave in the world’s metal media it’s easy to see Taliesin going on to bigger and better things in the prog metal arena. Let’s hope the next one doesn’t take quite so long to make it into the public’s consciousness…” – SA, 05/04/22