Top 25 Rock and Metal Songs of 2022

Taking on the American healthcare system isn’t exactly an appealing subject for a song, but Anti-Flag are more concerned with fighting for social justice than writing catchy lyrics. That said, “Modern Meta Medicine” is pretty infectious (not in the sick sense), with lines like “Self-serve, it’s all that you can eat/ How will we pay? We are the commodity.” Throw in some powerful guest vocals from Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach, and you have a song that packs a punch both lyrically and musically.

Won’t Stand Down” is already one of the best hard rock/metal songs of the year, barely a month into 2022. It’s heavy, it’s powerful and it’s Muse at one of their best. Personally, it’s the best Muse song in a decade, just because of the surprises and structure. The heaviness feels almost nostalgic, but it also acts as a wonderful next step for the band.

‘Daylight’ is a powerful scratching pop-rock song created by the multi-platinum band Shinedown. It is a poignant anthem that remarks the assurance that you are never alone, the meaningful portrayal of a vital human connection reflects the importance of our relationships and the people in our lives whose support and empathy help us get through the next day.

“Break the Man”, another anthem for Tears for Fears, which with that subtle recorded sound beginning , along with a voice that goes from mechanized to human, unleashes a melody that is inevitable not to take it with the rhythm of some part of our body. It has choreography rhythm, the video almost shows it in its recurrent images, it has Progressive Rock styles together with Pop that provokes them that popularity, but at the moment the sounds meet it is inevitable not to bring to our senses those perceptions of modernity. In their lyrics they discuss personal relationships, not being fooled by seductive images and realizing that time is not infinite. This is my favorite of the whole album, it gives encouragement and delight.

The lead single from BABYMETAL’s upcoming concept album, THE OTHER ONE, introduces the LP’s complex sci-fi narrative and a new sound for the Japanese group. “Divine Attack” leans more towards alternative metal and melodic metalcore, and the pop/trance metal elements of the group’s previous work are almost non-existent – a complete sonic evolution.

Sweet Evil Sun was a glorious reminder of why Sweden’s Candlemass are the kings of epic doom metal. In particular, the title track is a veritable portent of sinisterly sludgy guitars, resolute percussion and gallant decrees (courtesy of Johan Längqvist, who returns to front the band). The chorus is especially catchy with its layered vocals, and the midpoint guitar solo is deliciously mournful and unbridled. Simply put, “Sweet Evil Sun” encapsulates the grandeur, refinement and accessibility of Candlemass.

Years go by, and SCORPIONS are still there. This year we have chosen “Rock Believer”, a mid-tempo song with a quite sentimental touch and a catchy melody in which there is no lack of details and arrangements. It will undoubtedly be one of the important songs of this new album.

Nationwide is a fast rhythmic base and a quasi-military rhythm, square. It brings us a chorus with a lot of metal in the drums and some very happy keyboards. And what I like the most is that it has that break, with those choruses, very reminiscent of the first two albums of theirs, of those that almost didn’t exist nowadays. Old, and new stage, all in one, wonderful!

Hail To The Heroes are two tracks, one with a little intro, that doesn’t contribute much, and the other one is a long song, that is born with a clear intention of becoming an anthem that could be played on MTV 80s.

The mighty Ghost returned with Impera in 2022, and the album’s closing track, “Respite on the Spitalfields,” is the standout. The imaginative track features Ghost’s signature hard-rock style of the ’70s and ’80s, but with a twist. The song begins as an intense ballad before slowly evolving into a prog rock masterpiece. It’s heavy, yet melodic, and leaves fans longing to hear whatever else Ghost may conjure up on their next studio album.

Slipknot’s “The Dying Song (Time to Sing)”, from the band’s latest album, THE END. SO FAR, is a real madness, with crunchy guitars, pounding rhythms and even electronic touches. Although it’s a very creative track, the Slipknot sound remains intact.

It’s a shame that the single “Put Your Back into the Oar” was not included on Amon Amarth’s 2022 album The Great Heathen Army, as it would have been the best song on the album. Here’s a lesson in how to properly row a Viking ship. Amon Amarth have made a career out of combining Norse mythology and melodic death metal with quality. This track takes that premise to its extreme and will surely have the Viking hordes chanting and paddling at Amon Amarth concerts for years to come.

We completely change register with Def Leppard who present in this “Kick” a 100% house track. Playful rhythm, catchy choruses, and melodies of those that are engraved to fire in our heads.

Meshuggah’s “The Abysmal Eye”, their first new song in about six years, has been worth the wait, as it offers a mix of heavy and crushing metal. On this track, the Swedish metal band delves into prog territory, with intense riffs and dense rhythms that draw the listener in from the get-go.

Although they have only been active since 2015, Spirit Adrift have already proven to be among the best heavy/doom metal bands of today. One only has to listen to “Mass Formation Psychosis” to prove it. Interspersed throughout the song are soothing breaks and classic thrash metal ferocity achieving a brutal mix that hooks.

Clutch does everything he likes and knows how to do very well in this rock song (Neil Fallon’s vocals, Tim Sult’s riffs, and the rhythm section of Dan Maines and Jean-Paul Gaster pounding mid-tempo) and retains certain surprises that are worth tasting at ease until you get all the juice.

Tobias Sammet and if AVANTASIA could not be absent in this list. “The Wicked Rule the Night” is the second cut of the album of 2022 of the band “A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society” and it supposes a radical change on the beginning of the disc. Good metal from the hand of a brutal Scheepers in a song with two clear tendencies: a radical and radical one, tailor-made for Ralph, and another one, much more melodic that serves as a perfect link with the rest of the album.

In the discount time of this 2022 has come the new from Metallica. This song was truly a treat, both for Metallica fans and newcomers alike. I find the legacy of the band’s more recent works weaker than the other albums, hated or loved, but Lux Aeterna feels like a look back at Metallica’s career. They’ve always done well to move their sound forward, never staying in their own comfort zone. Lux Aeterna might be the band’s best work in over two decades.

The last song on Lamb of God’s massive Omens album shares a title with one of Kurt Weill’s most beloved melodies. This song will take you for a ride with fast, hard-hitting riffs, more growls and screams, and a double bass that hits the drums hard throughout the song. This is a good send-off for this overall listening experience. Finally, the end of the song features a nasty breakdown with a chorus chanting “HEY! HEY! HEY!”, and with Randy shouting “SEPTEMBER” as the song has come to an end.

Halestorm delivered one of the most epic songs of 2022 with the powerful track “The Steeple” from their latest album, “Back From the Dead”. Lzzy Hale and company vindicate human endurance, resilience and the ability to keep going.

With this song I have to admit that we have put a lot of effort to include it. TREAT is one of those bands that we love, but this song also serves as the ideal soundtrack for our spicy section in the “Rock Gastronomy” area of Rock and Blog. It’s a super catchy eighties track where one of the hottest peppers in the world is used as a reference to explain a stormy relationship.

Sabaton usually doesn’t get out of their war theme and their sound is aligned with it. On “Soldier Of Heaven” they comment that they are trying to do something more fun, although, in my opinion they don’t stray too far from what Sabaton is, being a perfectly recognizable song if they were to put it as a test on “PASAPALABRA”. 

“Time Bomb” is a great song, and with contrasts. On the one hand, it has a very heavy beginning, with very heavy guitars, it shakes total heads, and we don’t get rid of them during the whole song, and I’m happy about it. And on the other hand, there are continuous breaks, cuts, in which Bolan does his job more than well. Then, all together they present us with the icing on the cake, a brutal chorus.

Guitarist Michael Amott aptly called “Handshake with Hell” a “standout track” from Deceivers. Kicking off with explosive drums and chaotic six-string hammering, it’s quite the introduction. Of course, that captivating aggression never lets up, expertly shifting around vocalist Alissa White-Gluz’s trademark exchanges between guttural verses and clean, catchy choruses. Throw in some blistering guitar solos and a chillingly smooth bridge near the end and you have one of Arch Enemy’s most versatile and engaging songs in years.

We close out the list with “Patient Number 9” which was the first single from Ozzy Osbourne’s new album featuring Jeff BEck. “Patient Number 9” is not doom and gloom. It’s an exhilarating rattle through some of the sludgiest, most blistering riffs recorded this year, and the Devil that Osbourne so often cites seeps into his nature from time to time.