Editor’s Note: Do you think we “missed” an album this week? Click here.
Each month, we always seem to come to the same conclusion when it comes to our Editors’ Picks column: Friday release days open the floodgates and unleash a seemingly endless stream of quality new music. But while some of our Editors and Contributors sit down gleefully each week to dive into this newly stocked treasure trove, others find themselves drawing a blank at the end of the month due to the breakneck pace needed to keep up to date with what’s been released. Which brings us to this Heavy Blog PSA: a weekly roundup of new albums which pares down the week’s releases to only our highest recommendations. Here you’ll find full album/single streams, pre-order links and, most importantly, a collection of albums that could very well earn a spot on your year-end list. Enjoy!
Top Picks
H.E.A.T – Force Majeure (hair metal)
What do you do when your (relatively) famous frontman suddenly jumps ship to an international act with a surprisingly large (and somewhat baffling) legacy following? You get back (to the rhythm of fire!) with your original (superior) singer and release an album that constantly subtweets him while also maybe being the best damn album of your entire career, that’s what.
Much like Crashdïet’s Automaton before it, Force Majeure sees a return to the heavier side of H.E.A.T’s sound, and while they might not lean as much the more extreme side of metal as their Swedish brethren. When it comes to fist-pumping anthems, there really is no one better, and this might just be the best killer hair metal comeback record of 2022 so far. …and, this year, that’s really saying something.
–Josh Bulleid