05) Empress, Fateweaver
Empress is a relative newcomer to the world of symphonic metal, and their debut album, “Fateweaver,” shows incredible promise. One could say that their home state of Pennsylvania is not high up the list of places they would predict a brilliant symphonic metal band to originate, but location becomes less and less relevant in today’s world. “Fateweaver” is easy to listen to from a production perspective, and has its fair share of emotional moments and some incredibly catchy tracks that translate brilliantly to the live stage (having seen them at this year’s edition of the aforementioned Mad With Power festival).
Key Track: “Legion”
04) Amorphis, Halo (Atomic Fire)
Whenever Amorphis drops a new album, it’s almost guaranteed to be on my list. “Halo” is no exception, with all the key elements – catchy guitar work, progressive elements sprinkled about, and the incredibly powerful voice of Tomi Joutsen leading the charge. If anything, this disc is even more polished than “Queen of Time,” their previous effort. I really hope they come back Stateside in 2023 to tour further on this album, since some of the songs work very well live.
Key Track: “Halo”
03) Epica, The Alchemy Project (Atomic Fire)
I might be accused of bending the rules slightly here, but Epica’s EPs are always of full-length quality and are sufficiently long, so I’ll go ahead and say that “The Alchemy Project” lands firmly in the third place spot of my 2022 Top 10. In this case, “Alchemy” refers to mixing the best from guests hailing from various spots in the metal world with Epica’s signature sound. Said guests include huge names like Fleshgod Apocalypse, Charlotte Wessels, and Myrkur, as well as folks like Frank Schiphorst (one of the founders of Mark Jansen’s OTHER band, MaYaN) and Shining (bringing the saxophone to Epica is a brilliant decision). Each of the seven songs on this disc has heavy influences from their guest musicians, to the point where “Death Is Not The End” sounds exactly like you’d think a MaYaN x Epica song should. Having strong influences from other musicians is a breath of fresh air to a huge Epica fan such as myself, so this one has lasting appeal even as an EP.
Key Track: “Death is Not The End”
02) Fellowship, The Saberlight Chronicles (Avalon)
With so many melodeath and progressively-influenced choices above, I need to sneak one unabashedly cheesy power metal album into the list. “The Saberlight Chronicles” is the shimmering and delightful debut full-length release from Fellowship, hailing from the United Kingdom. These guys are definitely following the trail blazed by Sweden’s Twilight Force, with the same Disney-esque sense of wonder and joy infused into their power metal. I can’t help but smile when spinning this album, and I can only hope to catch them live one day on my travels.
Key Track: “Scars and Shrapnel Wounds”
