One of the UK underground’s leading lights, Svalbard had their breakout moment with latest album When I Die, Will I Get Better? that subsequently saw them sign to Nuclear Blast. Now, the first fruits of that partnership have arrived in the form of new single ‘Eternal Spirits’. Musically harkening back to the more post-hardcore leanings of second album It’s Hard to Have Hope, it’s a blistering storm of riffs and vocal interplay between Serena Cherry and Liam Phelan as well as frenetic drums. Lyrically, the band are as much an open book as ever, this time paying tribute to the legends of the metal world that are no longer with us. Cherry says of the song, “Eternal Spirits is one of the most tragic songs we have ever written, yet it is also a celebration of legacy and musical heritage. It is a song about late metal musicians who sadly passed away too soon and the loss we feel within the metal community without their presence. This song is a heartfelt tribute to our metal heroes who are gone but will never be forgotten, because their legacy lives on in the millions of hearts they have touched with their music. It’s crushing when your heroes die, but with this song we want to commemorate our late heroes glorious music and the legions of bands they have inspired. That inspiration will never die.” – Will Marshall
One of the most exciting, boundary-pushing bands in the UK, Lake Malice, have just released their latest slab of glitchy, electronics-laden metal in the form of new single ‘Stop the Party’. Dealing with the social anxiety and depression vocalist Alice Guala has struggled with in the aftermath of the pandemic and lifting of lockdowns, she explains, “When things went back to normal, I felt like there was a veiled expectation for people to catch-up on social events – from birthday parties to gigs and festivals. As a person who suffered with anxiety and depression most of her adult life, it was extremely difficult to switch my social skills back on, and that’s when my depression reached its lowest points (hence wanting to “stop the party”, where the party represents life).” Once more influenced by horror, the video enlisted fans in a The Last of Us-inspired zombie party to bring those themes to – er, life. ‘Stop the Party’ join an eclectic back catalogue of trap metal, nu-metal electronic infusions and more. – Will Marshall
For the South Wales population, Chroma is a household name. For the rest of the country, something truly special awaits. After firmly cementing their namesake as something of a local legend following appearances with the likes of Johnny Foreigner, Dream Nails, Blood Red Shoes, The Joy Formidable and many others, the Pontypridd trio are now gearing for not just national, but global domination with their latest single ‘Don’t Mind Me’. Their first single under the Alcopop! Records banner and dropping just weeks before the band jet off to Texas to perform at the legendary SWSX Festival, ‘Don’t Mind Me’ is a hefty and strutting slice of fuzzed-out alt-rock that harkens thoughts of the swagger of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and The Gossip whilst being deeply personal in nature. Those with an interest in acts such as LibraLibra, False Advertising and Beach Riot will find plenty to adore here. – Dan Hillier
Californian hardcore bruisers Scowl rightfully turned heads with their seething first EPs, but it was debut album How Flowers Grow that gave small hints at where they could go next. Recent singles ‘Opening Night’ and new release ‘Shot Down’ take those even further; the latter might open with their abrasive snarl, but its chorus blossoms into alt rock and a cleanly sung melody, vocalist Kat Moss sounding increasingly self-assured; she says of the song, “[Shot Down] is supposed to represent a battle between concealing your fears and vulnerability and desperately opening up about said fears. I’m expressing distaste and fury towards the fearful part of myself, “Hate you right now” is aimed at myself. “I wanna impress, impressive sound” – I’m begging to feel confident in my own work and I feel as though this song stealthily disguises those internal fears in a bubblegum hook, only to be immediately punched in the gut with fast guitars and harsh vocals”. That confidence shows in their broader exploration musically too, evolving from the more straightforward punk of the debut to explore pop rock, alt rock and more. Mark our words, with creative leaps like this, Scowl will be unstoppable soon. – Will Marshall
The third single taken from anarchist black metallers Dawn Ray’d‘s upcoming album To Know the Light, ‘Go As Free Companions’ is the conclusion not just to the album but its conceptual threads. Weaving folk music, black metal and tales of class struggle, resistance and finding joy and liberation even in the current darkness, it’s a radical departure in many ways from where they’ve been before, but still carries the message of struggle and freedom. To Know the Light explores themes of anarcho-nihilism and how the band struggled with the darkness during lockdowns; ‘Go As Free Companions’ is their radical rebirth. Folky violins open before tumultuous black metal erupts behind them; while this is nothing new for Dawn Ray’d, it still represents a progression on their ideals, musically and philosophically. It sees them finding a new definition of joy and liberation, deciding that if the future is damned and all we have is the now, that they will embrace it and make every moment an act of resistance. – Will Marshall
In playing a major part of this especially transformative era in entertainments development and innovation, we find ourselves being drawn to not only harmonic excellence but also works of motion picture fascination; it is precisely because of this overt intrigue that we as a team worked tirelessly to highlight the best visual cornucopias which graced our screens throughout 2022.
So please, kick back, grab some popcorn and enjoy our picks for the Top 20 Music Videos of 2022.
Production Company – Spaced Visuals
Director(s) – Angelica Valente & Pseudo
Checking in for a vaycay engrossed in empowered slutdom while entangled in the visual equivalent of unadulterated chaos; the Ohioan hyperfemme alternative metalcore singer/songwriter Scene Queen, sought to leave a crushing stamp on sexy surrealism as they strived for Bimbocore perfection with ‘Pink Hotel’.
Visually encapsulating the dichotomous intersection of boutique upper class opulence and the grungy underground rave culture, with a slight tinge of raucous exhilaration harkening back to the late 20th century sex clubs; with no prohibitions, a dominating sense of liberation as well as making us abundantly well acquainted with some major “fuck it” girl power, this transitionary banger to Scene Queen’s ever evolving soundtrack and cinematic universe is a pretty pink treasure which many will yearn to return to in no time! – Bennie Osborne
Director – Zak Pinchin
Conveying the complicated reality of living in an anxiety powder keg, with a optical-scape rife with snippet sensitive dissociative like states of consciousness; the New South Wales native Pop Punk juggernauts Yours Truly sought a cathartic flux of inner-turmoil as they partnered up with Josh Franceschi of the Weybridge Alt-Rockers You Me At Six, for an unrelentingly excursion through the realms of panic disorders with the sophomore single of their Is This What I Look Like? era ‘Hallucinate’.
With performance shots executed in a computer generated prismatic void, psychedelic house party vibes as well as cleverly constructed chaotic light manipulation combined expertly epitomises a visual illusory purgatory, which is both dazzling and disconcerting. – Bennie Osborne
Director(s), Producer(s) - Pascal Schillo & Oliver Schillo
Who says metal bands can’t party! If you like your music heavy, German and full of ironic camp get ready to enter the world of Electric Callboy. In the video for ‘HURRIKAN’ Electric Callboy parody Ballermann Schlager, a style of cheesy techno-pop combining upbeat electronic beats with Eurovision style ballads, with the band singing from the deck of a yacht in flowing white shirts with model Mia Julia. This is abruptly interrupted by a brutal deathcore breakdown as the band are torn to pieces by a horde of ravenous zombies. Once again Electric Callboy prove that they’ll spare no expense in the name of a great joke! – Tom Bruce
Director(s) - Mike Kluge & Matthew DeLisi
2022 marked the grand return of Paramore and following on from the hugely successful comeback single ‘This Is Why’, the excellent ‘The News’ further whets the appetite in anticipation of their upcoming sixth studio album.
Centring around the struggle to break free of the negative modern day news cycle, Hayley & Co. offer up a captivating video that follows the iconic frontwoman’s battles against inner demons as she falls in and out of a trance-like state; the result of being tormented by non-stop news feeds, hauntingly mirroring the songs main refrain of ‘Turn on / Turn off the news’. – Jordan Aldridge
Director - Fraser West
Visions of a deeply emotive, push – pull relationship flash by as A.A. Williams appears, spectral and in a sort of liminal space between what’s real and what goes on inside our own heads, monochrome visions of an on and off love that burns so strongly yet feels so unsure of itself. The video for ‘Evaporate’ is full of uncertain yet striking scenes that invoke a feeling of sheer overwhelmingness pertaining to the song’s lyricism, the itching desire to just disintegrate away from the pressure of it all. Underwater shots that portray that horrible feeling of just drowning in it all, not knowing what to do except let yourself sink deeper. This dark narrative portrayed by Williams hits a very real place at the core of many of our minds, haunting, formidable and self destructive. – Elliot Grimmie
Director(s) - Jax Anderson & Lyndsey Gunnulfsen
Each time PVRIS releases a music video they aim to further their visual boundaries and the video for ‘Animal’ is no exception. It takes a relatively simple context and simple settings and turns them into a piece of elegant and striking art. The simple muted colour pallet throughout proves that less is more and allows for Lynn Gunn’s erratic movements to stand out in the way they deserve. This video is truly her moment in the spotlight. As the sole member of the band featured, she gets to show off contemporary performance skills that are unseen in so many of PVRIS’ previous releases, making it stand out from the rest. – Megan Jenkins
Director, Animator, Editor - Dustin Nichollas (Astra Zero)
Perfectly depicting the essence of derealisation with a visual scape reminiscing a waking nightmare; the Torontonian electropunk darling Alice Glass, bravely erected a remedial sanctuary through a sonic re-immersion of trauma informed ruminations with her debut album PREY//IV and the subsequent array of hard-hitting singles, including their dark-pop lullaby ‘Everybody Else’.
In pairing unsettling audible tropes associated with the childlike loss of innocence in modern horror, with a peep box/cabaret vignette infested with Zombies, possessed dolls and a large helping of agile worms; Alice’s disturbing side of Wonderland inspires quite the melancholic commemoration to overarching forlornness, which as startling as it can be to observe is also a profoundly beautiful picture show. – Bennie Osborne
Production Company - The Neck Up Collective
Melbourne based DREGG have never been one to shy away from controversy, combining alt-metal and hip-hop as a vehicle for satirising all aspects of modern culture. Picture the Insane Clown Posse joining forces with System of a Down, with lyrics produced by the creators of South Park, whilst wearing elaborate theatrical masks and you’ve got something close to DREGG. The video for ‘Context’ takes aim at cancel culture and online witch hunts with crude animation and trippy, provocative visuals. Looking like a messed up Wii game that your parents refused to buy you the video for Context matches the track perfectly. – Tom Bruce
Production Company - schau. GmbH Director - Jen Ries
Zeal and Ardor have always been an inflammatory band, the brainchild of Manuel Gagneux combining blues and gospel with blistering black metal as a statement against organised religion. The video for their single ‘Death to the Holy’ takes the band’s message to its logical conclusion, following the narrative of a society dealing with a godless world in a violent yet cathartic way. Visually the video would fit in with the A24 crowd, bringing together hard sci-fi and contemplative shots of religious iconography burning shot in film with an artsy 4:3 aspect ratio. – Tom Bruce
Director - Takasuke Kato (THINGS.)
Paledusk‘s 2022 single ‘SLAY!!’ is an utterly captivating example of what this band is capable of, with their frantic progressive metalcore merging with slick jazzy saxophones hooks and R&B beats to produce something wholly unique, and the accompanying video perfectly encapsulates the sound.
Crafted by Japanese creative team THING., the video blends the urban industrial settings we’ve all come to expect from metalcore outifts with glamorous ballroom dancers layered with an almost 1950’s style of black-and-white cinematography, all the whilst the band showcase their best guitar-wielding acrobatics and suave fashion choices. It really shouldn’t work, but boy, it sure does. – Ryan Ward
The gentle, yet familiar guitar pickings of Yvette Young brings a comfortable air of peace, as if soaring through a calm sky on a warm, sunny day. ‘Firebird’ sounds like adventure, one that’s both invigorating and soul-healing of nature. It’s also an apt analogy for a band that’s just gone through a near complete change in lineup, rising from the ashes as if born anew, yet still carrying the same core DNA from the previous iteration. Uplifting, with a crisp guitar tone, Firebird is a gentle, life-affirming listen, perfect for a stroll amongst nature, it’s warm and heartening, and comes from the bands forthcoming record Catharsis, indicating that perhaps we can expect more tracks of this ilk to come in the near future. – Elliot Grimmie
The third track to be taken from their forthcoming record Rot – released March 31st via Church Road Records – the latest single from prog prog riff maestros Ohhms is a bloody good time. Drawing upon themes nostalgic of bands such as Baroness, Black Lung and label mates Tuskar, ‘Blood Feast’ is a plate full of riffs offered up with visceral haste. A documentation of the horror-based media that shaped their collective psyche as a creative entity, the single sees Ohmms treading more progressive hard rock pastures whilst restring the more progressive and ponderous sound evident within in their previous work. But seriously, all you need to know is that if you like riffs, one will definitely enjoy this – Dan Hillier
British Metallers As Everything Unfolds are gearing up for the release of their new album and this week have released their single ‘Flip Side’, which is as crushing as it is vibrant. The Post Hardcore unit from the UK have taken the success of their debut album Within Each Lies The Other and crafted an album diverse and ambitious. The track is the fourth single from their upcoming second album ‘Ultraviolet’, due for release on 21st April via Long Branch Records. Sonically expansive, ‘Flip Side’ is the equivalent of someone releasing the valve on bottled up frustration, subtly shapeshifting between rousing verses and it’s explosive chorus. The connecting sections between and the bridge of the song are impactful, heavy hitting and the give every member of the band the spotlight. The result is earth-quaking. With three singles already under the band’s belt and more to come, there’ll be no stopping As Everything Unfolds once the album drops. – Jac Holloway
Meet Under The Sky, the South Coast Melodic Deathcore collective making a strong impression within their city. Their career as a unit may well be in its infancy, but it’s already a journey that has been moving at full speed as the band grind to the bone. Since the project’s inception in 2022 the Southampton five piece have moved from strength to strength, climbing the ladder of the city’s grassroots circuit and delivering an impressive live show on some of the county’s most prestigious stages. Their first release Ashes In The Wind provides an impressive debut offering in the form of a 5 track EP – with tracks ‘Swan’ and ‘For What It’s Worth’ quickly becoming staple favorites among a rapidly growing fanbase. Our only criticism is that it could always get heavier – and that’s exactly what the band are promising with a fresh release cycle already rumored online.
The year’s touring schedule is already in full effect, with the bands largest headline show to date counting down at Southampton Joiners on the 27th of this month, and the final single from the record ‘Tortured Pneuma’ announced for global release via SpaceUntravel this coming weekend. Big things are truly on the horizon, and watching an entire community becoming equally fascinated by a relatively new ensemble leaves a distinct air of intrigue around what they might bring to the table next.
We caught up with the band to discuss the impending headline performance, when to expect new music and what motivates Under The Sky during the creative process.
“We’re all at the University of Southampton, Leo made a Facebook post in a society group chat which Ed and Ethan responded to. We got to know Henry and Dipen through RockSoc and that completed our line-up. From there we started rehearsing at Ethan’s house, where we practiced covers for open mic nights, before writing our own material.”
Ed: “Thank you! In my opinion, music and poetry go hand-in-hand and I love poetry just as much as music. Ashes in The Wind is a philosophical exploration of pain and death. It has been a great way to express the ideas I’ve been wrestling with for a long time. The lyrics explore the melancholy of musing on death, but find solace in embracing its inevitability. Each song on the EP is written from a different perspective and attempts to evoke a unique feeling in the listener. There is a strong feeling of nihilism in the EP which is a result of the narrator’s failure to find the meaning which they desperately seek. I think that it is important to question ideas and feelings through art. Writing the lyrics for Ashes in The Wind has helped me to answer a few of the heavy questions that I have been wrestling with for much of my life and I hope that listeners find similar respite in our music.”
“Overall, our favorite track is Swan. There are some melodies we’re really proud of, and the lyrics explore pain openly and honestly. Leo’s performance on the chorus makes this song a real highlight on Ashes, you can hear a cold emptiness in his high screams which really gives the track that favour.”
Following on from the first part of our list – which you can find here – here’s the second part of the top 20 bands set to take the year by storm.
It’d be hard not to have noticed Lake Malice’s name popping up at almost every festival in the UK this year. For a band with only a handful of released songs they sure are making a name for themselves through relentless touring alongside their visceral live performances and penchant for visually striking imagery both on stage and in their music videos, Lake Malice put quality above all else, as it’s been nothing but solid gold from this duo since their inception.
Fusing elements of heavy music with high levels of electronic production, the result sounds a bit like what might happen if The Prodigy decided to remix a bunch of artists from Tech Fest’s line up, and then grabbed a feature from Mick Gordon for good measure. Keep your eyes peeled as you won’t be able to miss this band’s meteoric rise over the next year. They’ll be playing many of the UK’s best music festivals including Download, touring relentlessly and releasing their first full body of music later in the year. Lake Malice are not a band to do things by half measures, and it’s almost undeniable at this point that they’ll soon become a force to be reckoned with in the UK alternative scene. – Elliot Grimmie
Former and current members of God Damn, Table Scraps and Dead Slow (although hard to tell from their ‘names’ (Jim Thing, George Casual and Screamin’ Scott Vincent) have come together to form a metal worship, riff lovin’ machine from the home of Black Sabbath, Birmingham. Having teased out a couple of songs and playing a handful of shows last year they have kicked off 2023 releasing a new single ‘Death Lurks At Every Turn’ via notoriously heavy label Heavy Pysch Sounds. Sounding nostalgic in their clear influence from legends within the worlds of stoner, doom and pysch rock, they are putting their fresh spin in an area of metal that can become tired and well-trodden ground.
In their short existence they have already garnered positive live reviews for their energy. Considering they are just a trio this face melting power is mightly impressive. Get your flying V guitar worshipping boots and earplugs at the ready for their self-titled debut out April 21st and live appearances at Desertfest, Astral Festival and hopefully more shows to come. – Adam Vallely
Calva Louise have supported the likes of other vastly experimental bands like Strange Bones, Trash Boat and Boston Manor over the past year or so, and now they’re taking bold leaps into heavier musical territory, pushing the boundaries of not only their own music, but the world that they’re building alongside it too. The band have already got a comic, a movie and a card game under their belts; vocalist Jess even took the time to learn to animate within the Unreal Engine for their recent music video ‘Third Class Citizen’. With a killer new sound and more music on the way, it’s certain to be a riotous year for this multicultural Manchester based trio.
The band are as DIY as it gets, choosing to craft the storyline for their fictional world themselves, producing their own music, styling themselves both onstage and in their sci-fi laden music videos, it’d be an understatement to say they’re one of the hardest working upcoming bands in the UK right now. Expect plenty of high energy live performances and wildly innovative music from them in the near future. – Elliot Grimmie
Arguably one of the UK’s finest underground bands, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion are back having announced third full length Galore and joining the stellar ranks on the Church Road Records roster. Not ones to rely on formulaic post-hardcore tropes of hard riffs and full pelt vocals (characteristics that they continue to excel in), the Bristol mob explore new worlds of sounds with lead single ‘Submechano’. The band seem to have had some robotic upgrades as the driving riffs feel almost inhuman. It feels like The War of the Worlds as the men turned machines obliterate all in their path. This electronic infused hardcore is a stunning curveball and a taste of the new direction the third LP is taking Damien Sayell and co. Catch them out on tour in April/May to witness an exciting new chapter for the band and watch your back, the robots are coming. – Adam Vallely
The latest track from everyone’s favourite indie-emo darlings Lakes, ‘Aces’ certainly lives up to the singular version of it’s namesake. The followup to the band’s brilliant 2021 LP Start Again, ‘Aces’ is a wholesome, effervescent and just haplessly lovable slice of tangy indie that carries all of the charm and charisma of the work that made them such an appealing entity within the UK scene in the first place. Those with a love for acts such as Sleep Outside, Orchards and Algernon Cawallader – a band that Lakes should be most definitely performing alongside on their return to their shores this summer – will find plenty to adore here. – Dan Hillier
Arguably the most thrilling band in the entire British Isles right now, Heriot have returned ‘Demure’, a track that could be suitably described as a musical flaying. A continuation of the act’s total commitment to scalping atmospheric brutality, ‘Demure’ grasps one within its iron clad grip prior to suffocating all traces of life from one, leaving the listener post experience lifeless and withered. Whilst this may sound overtly aggressive and relentless – and truth be told, it is – the single also showcases the band’ ardent focus on using spaciousness and minimalism in their work to maximalism the hefty impact of their work. Whilst many acts are dabbling with this kind of ironclad and inhospitable extremity right now, quite frankly, this track showcases that no band are executing this sound nowhere near as well as Heriot. – Dan Hillier
