After a lot of older playlists, here's a more recent one. As usual, you can catch the Album/Artist/Track info during the first 15 seconds of each song. Again, just sharing music I like in an order that sounds nice.
You likely also know that I like to provide the country of origin for each band. While showing the limitations of my musical familiarity, this also attests to the variety of places on earth where we can find people who share our taste in music.
Here we have bands from:
Argentina
Belgium
Italy
Norway
Poland
United States
The second half of my top 20 heavy rock albums list for 2022. One song from each album, beginning with album #10 and finishing with album #1.
Artist/Album/Track info displayed for the first 10 seconds of each tune.
Each tune is one I've never posted or included in a playlist. The idea is that since these are the best albums of the year, they're deep enough that I don't need to re-post in order to make a classic playlist:
And remember: Top Ten lists exist to spread the word on great music. If you know some great music that I missed, don't get mad; drop a link to your own list and I'll check it out.
In case you're courageous enough to play it and have it finish at midnight, the playlist is an hour one minute and 3 seconds, plus whatever ads Youtube plays.
#10: "The Faceless King" by Vitskär Süden.
Great complex heavy psych. Think heavier Pink Floyd and you'll be in the right neighborhood.
I'm confident others will pick this as their number 1 album, and I understand why.
#9: "Oh Death" by Goat
In back to back years now, Goat has put out a heavy psychedelic rock masterpiece,
and now they've wormed their way into my head
and climbed the ladder of what I prefer to listen to.
#8: "Creature Features & Cult Classics" by Mississippi Bones
A full-length Mississippi Bones release is a guaranteed top 10 album for me, and the rate at which they produce GREAT rock music is mind-boggling. There needs to be a stronger word than underappreciated when it comes to Mississippi Bones.
#7: "King" by Gnome
These are the tunes every garage band is going to want to cover. Hundreds of epic and forceful guitar riffs, seamlessly intertwined into a masterful soundtrack for a story about an endangered race fighting for its life. A Youtube comment noted that the story parallels that of Ukraine.
#6: "Force Form Free" by Dead Meadow
This is a more spacey heavy psych, but also top 10 worthy heavy psych from 2022. For those already familiar with Dead Meadow, I think you'll agree this is in the discussion for their best album. For those unfamiliar with these stoner rock veterans, "Force Form Free" is an excellent place to start.
(then go back and start with album 1, and go in order)
#5: "Innate Passage" by Elder
Now we're on the prog side of heavy psych, but again more top 10 worthy heavy psych from 2022.
Elder continues to amaze. Hard to say this is not their best album.
#4: "Primordial" by Telekinetic Yeti
Alex Baumann said it started out as a challenge to "see how heavy we can make it with just two people". He and Rockwel Heim have succeeded in producing an album more badass than just about everyone else. "Primordial" is my #4 album of 2022.
#3: "Take All You Can" by Freedom Hawk
I loved the Meteor City Freedom Hawk albums, and really liked all the others, but "Take All You Can" is Freedom Hawk's most perfect album yet. Freedom Hawk is American guitar rock, with a positive energy and a weirdly wholesome vibe. I can't get enough of this album, and in many other years this would have been my top album
#2: "Acute Mania" by Steak
Steak has achieved a new level of songwriting. The degree of planning and forethought shown on this album is rivalled by only one other album this year.
#1: "This Sceptred Veil" by Sergeant Thunderhoof
"This Sceptred Veil" is that other album. There were two perfect albums in 2022, and these finished in the same order of hours of enjoyment provided to me that year.
Happy New Year ULTRA
Saturday, July 9, 2022
TELEKINETIC YETI: PRIMORDIAL
Two Guys, Eleven Smackdowns
The shit that starts going down at around 2:15 is exactly where I knew this album needed to be in my collection. It makes me proud to be a heavy music fan.
Telekinetic Yeti is:
Alex Baumann - Guitar/Vocals
Rockwel Heim - Drums
Instantly one of the best albums this year, which says A LOT
Greater than their own "Abominable" album, as well as Twin Wizard's "Glacial Gods", by a significant amount.
With only guitar and drums, Telekinetic Yeti has gone down a path very few others have, and have made it work in ways no one has. If the band were comprised of Davey and Goliath, and Davey was considering adding a bass player or keyboards, Goliath might say something like this: "Gee Davey, God would want us to keep being ourselves"
