With 2022 done and dusted, it will go down as a year packed with sublime releases from the likes of Vatican, Ithaca, Heriot, Holy Fawn and nightlife. Now following on from our 2022 Ones To Watch, we now have 25 bands and artists that are worth keeping an eye in what is set to be another exciting year for music.
Omerta
Running out of Houston, Omerta have been on a steady rise since their release of Hyperviolence in 2020, which combined nu-metal, rap and hardcore. During 2022, the quartet gained headwind as they began to put on live performances, including LDB and a country-wide tour with Loathe, Static Dress and UnityTX. With a strong foundation and quickly becoming a much discussed group, 2023 looks set to unleash their much anticipated sophomore record, Suicycle. Building on the sound established in Hyperviolence, Omerta look to infuse elements of J-rock and electronics into their eccentric sound that has captured that imaginations of many. With one of 2023’s strongest releases set to come from Omerta, they have the potential to soon become everyone’s favourite boy band.
FFO: Knocked Loose, Code Orange, Vein.Fm
VEXED [FEATURE]
Since releasing Culling Culture in 2021, VEXED have become one of the UK’s hidden gems. With their debut record being one of the strongest and most authentic records to come out of the UK in recent years, the wider scene has yet to truly appreciated the talent that VEXED have. With notable performances in 2022 supporting Spiritbox on their double-headliner in London and a headliner spot at Techfest, there are sprouts of deserved recognition coming to fruition. With their follow up to Culling Culture seeing VEXED enter a new era, what is set to come from the Hertfordshire has a great deal of anticipation and, while it may have been a long time coming, 2023 could become the year that the UK scene can no longer avert their eyes from the sublime act that is VEXED.
FFO: Paleface, Justice For The Damned, Graphic Nature
Cauldron
While the Birmingham group have been quietly building a name for themselves in their local scene, it was Cauldron‘s double single release of “Futile” and “Crossing The Threshold” that grabbed the wider UK scene by the scruff of the neck. With vicious and haunting dual vocals leading the tracks, the chugging riffs and hard breakdowns give something to throw down to. 2020 EP Last Words: Screamed From Behind God’s Muzzle allowed for deeper veins to explore Cauldron‘s sound, but their debut album set to arrive in 2023 will give the quartet an opportunity to truly shine. “Futile” can only act as an indictor to the quality that will be present on this debut record, which could begin to cement Cauldron as one of the UK’s most exciting prospects.
FFO: Last Wishes, Chamber (UK), Sanction
Forlorn [FEATURE]
With their unique identity as Midsommar Metal, Forlorn have quickly found their identity, something that can take many bands a long time to discover and establish. Those who will have attended headliners from Ithaca and Devil Sold His Soul will have witnessed not only this unique aesthetic but the huge sound that comes alongside it. Piercing and haunting vocals backed with crushing riffs, blending with melodic clean vocals that conjure an entrancing experience. Working alongside producer George Lever, best known for his work with the likes of Sleep Token, Loathe and Thornhill, combined with the slick quality of their videos, shows there is little room for nothing short of perfection when it comes to the creation of this project. For those entering 2023 looking to find new and exciting acts to support, Forlorn is one that should sit top of the list.
FFO: Rolo Tomassi, Palm Reader, Devil Sold His Soul
Volatile Ways
Since their emergence in 2019, the Newcastle act have made themselves a staple of the Aussie hardcore scene. Their 2020 EP, Condemned to Life, Burdened to Death, fully cemented this. The track “Natural Selection“, featuring Malevolence vocalist Alex Taylor, invoked the rawness of early Malev material. With a string of live shows across Australia that has seen them support the likes of Sanction and Confession, there is no shying away from their brutality in a live setting. Most recent singles “Goddess Of Rot” and “Shoveled Into A Bag” unleashed some of their finest material to date, showing an inspired ruthlessness that becomes more addictive with each listen. It’s time that Volatile Ways caught the gaze of the global hardcore scene as we enter in 2023.
FFO: Caged Existence, Jesus Piece, Malevolence
Mourn [EP REVIEW]
Since dropping one of 2021’s best EPs, The Next Life, the Welsh quintet have remained fairly quiet in terms of what is coming next. Offering up a powerful experience sonically, crushing instrumentals and vicious vocals that defined standout tracks such as “Hell To Pay” and “Gloom“, the group more than delivered up to expectation, with previous members coming from bygone bands such as Continents and Casey (who, as you’ll see below, are back better than ever). With new material on the horizon for 2023, what Mourn have in store holds much anticipation. Next year will hopefully usher in an era for the group that will see them become a staple of the UK scene and offer the opportunity to see them in a live setting.
FFO: Grayscale Season, Venom Prison, Pale Ache
Graphic Nature
The London unit are the one act to return from 2022’s One To Watch, with what they’ve delivered in 2022 simply too good to surpass; their debut EP, new skin, delivered on expectation and set a foothold for future growth. What was to come next with tracks “Into The Dark“, “Bad Blood” and “Killing Floor” was simply unexpected and took Graphic Nature to the next level. Invoking sheer violence with their breakdowns and a brutal performance from frontman Harvey Freeman, the ferocity contained within their new material is something to behold. Already, there is more on the horizon. With debut full length, A Mind Waiting To Die, set to release this coming February, Graphic Nature is a pipebomb that is seemingly waiting to explode upon the UK scene that will blow many away with their hazardous and unsettling assault on the senses.
FFO: Foreign Hands, Gift Giver, Yüth Forever
Paledusk
Since 2020, Paledusk have began to carve out a path that looks to place them as the kings of the Japanese heavy scene. Fusing together element of hardcore, EDM and 00s nu-metal, the quartet have created a sound that is relentless in its fury and infectious in its nature. With debut EP Happy Talk being the spark that lit the fuse. Their sophomore EP that is expected next year could be what ignites a well-warranted salvo of attention towards Paledusk. With their dominance in Japan ever-growing, and tours alongside Alpha Wolf, Polaris and an unfortunate miss out on touring with Loathe, they now begin to chip away at making a deserved name for themselves across the globe.
FFO: Diamond Construct, thrown, Weeping Wound
Lake Malice
The Brighton based duo have made huge strides since their emergence in 2021, with recent tracks “Black Turbine” and “Magic Square” catching the attention of many. Performing alongside fellow UK acts such as InVisions and Hacktivists and making an appearances at festivals such as Burn It Down, along with an appearance at Download Festival lined up next year, Lake Malice are set to bring their sound across the UK. Offering up a blend of nu-metal, hip hop, electronic and dream-pop, their unique sound quickly becomes one that is difficult to pass upon. With this just being the start for Lake Malice, what comes next can only be nothing less than exciting.
FFO: Enter Shikari, Grimes, Vukovi
Jivebomb
Running out of Baltimore, Jivebomb released one of the most exciting hardcore albums of 2022 with Primitive Desires, offering up the ruthless nature of traditional American hardcore blended with the modern elements that other acts such as GEL and Sunami have brought to the scene. While their debut EP might be a short affair, running in at just under 5 minutes and 30 seconds, its catchy nature will ensure it is revisited. With a tour alongside Scowl beginning to make them a marker in the hardcore scene, it seems unquestionable that this unit will become a staple of the scene with their efforts in 2023.
FFO: End It, Negative Approach, The Rival Mob
fakeyourdeath
Debuting this year with single “truth“, fakeyourdeath‘s explosive nature was enough to make an instant mark. Examining the complexity of human relationships and expressing yourself without holding back, it showed the pair were not willing to hold back with their authentic sound. Balancing the opposition between the raw, chaotic energy and the vulnerability and serenity of anger and blame, “truth” made for an unforgettable experience that yearned for more. With just a single out, 2023 will hold plenty more for fakeyourdeath that will see them break through the ranks of the UK scene and become a familiar name to many.
FFO: Brutus, The Armed, Gillian Carter
HEAVENSGATE
With singles “CHEMICAL HEAVEN” and “SHEMOVESLIKETHUNDER” giving a taste of what HEAVENSGATE have to offer, it would seem that Australia is once again going to look to claim the nu-metalcore crown. Delivering a cocktail of anguish, bloodshed and frenzy, those prepare to indulge will discover an entrancing experience that explores the feral and the serene with equal care. With savage moments that will be familiar to veterans of nu-metalcore, the influence of bands such as Loathe become pertinent as each track passes. Contemporaries such as Alpha Wolf have departed from the sound, leaving HEAVENSGATE seemingly set to become the star of the Australian nu-metalcore scene.
FFO: Loathe, ExitWounds, Vatican
Going Off
Since forming in 2019, Going Off have released two stellar EPs, andare to set to debut their full-length, What Makes You Tick? With an intense and relentlessly energetic live performance, and songs with lyrical themes worth going off about, the Manchester act are a band who need to be seen and heard. Their sound and message is rooted in British punk, with hardcore elements providing an extra draw and power to their groove ladened riffs. Replete with samples that are set to bring a wry smile to the face that also hold a pertinent underlying moment, there is a charm to Going Off that has perhaps been missing in both British hardcore and punk that is fulfilled by their upcoming record.
FFO: shame, Death Goals, Bastions
GEL
It is no doubt that GEL will be marked down as one of 2022’s breakout acts in the hardcore scene. Their split EP with Cold Brats, Shock Therapy, was awash with fluctuating harmonies and reverbed tones entwined with a ruthless hardcore scene. Their deserved attention came with live performance at LDB, which has the far reaching effect of it being shared by Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox. Since then, they have made headlines with a performance at Sonic Drive-In alongside Scowl. With 2023 set to see their debut full-length and headline tour in the UK as well as a performance at Outbreak, it is difficult not to see GEL riding hardcore’s current wave right to the top.
FFO: Mindforce, Gulch, Life’s Question
Death Goals
Comprised of Harry Bailey and George Milner, Death Goals dropped the frenetic The Horrible and The Miserable in the summer of 2021, a metallic hardcore sound with unnerving lyricism and anguished vocals that make for a shock therapy experience. With a string of headline dates under the belts, along with several festival experiences, Death Goals are slowing becoming a familiar name. It looks likely their sophomore record will release in 2023, which will hopefully see the duo breakthrough into the upper echelons in the UK scene, and with it bring a much-needed dose of brutalised humanity to the clean and compressed merry-go-round of bands occupying the space currently.
FFO: Pupil Slicer, Grief Ritual, SeeYouSpaceCowboy
ENOLA
2022 has seen the Melbourne-based ENOLA release sublime tracks “Metal Body” and “Strange Comfort“. Their raw post-punk is underpinned by a background in electronic production, melded with the grunge and shoegaze. In the same vein as shame and Fontaines DC, ENOLA traverses boundless plains musing on isolation and in search of catharsis. With these poignant tracks giving a yearn for more, there is a poised excitement for what is next in the pipeline. As each track is released, ENOLA‘s popularity seemingly grows, and with that it is only a matter of time before the talented artists makes their way to the forefront of post-punk.
FFO: shame, nothing, Fontaines D.C
Fever Cult
Formed in 2020 by guitarists Kyle Cade and Austin Cervantes, later recruiting Erin Quinn on bass and vocals, Fever Cult released a string of singles from “Over It” to “Downtown” across last year, blending dream-pop with rock and atmospheric elements. With “Club Midnight” they further cement their gorgeous sound that has earned themselves a spot opening for 2023’s Heart of Gold tour across the US. 2022 saw the release of single “Joyride“, which refined the sound that Fever Cult experimented with across 2021, leaving the future extraordinarily bright. With plenty more material to come in 2023, next year looks to become theirs to claim.
FFO: Chrvches, Wild Nothing, Cannons
FFO: Crosses, Papercut, Alice Glass
In Fear
It’s clear to anyone paying attention that Bristol’s In Fear are gearing up for something massive in 2022. The recent release of single “Abyss” from their yet-unannounced studio LP, along with their string of UK tours and festival appearances, demonstrate that they’re a UK act not to be underestimated, harnessing unmatched percussive energy and floating ethereality, soaring above many of their contemporaries with ease. With their full length being helmed by the legendary producer George Lever, too, it seems they’re in more than capable hands on the production end; “Abyss” sounds absolutely gargantuan, and they’re sure to turn heads with what comes next.
FFO: Thornhill, Northlane, Loathe
Curses (US)
Virginia quartet Curses are a metalcore group whose impact belies their small discography. Following their signing to SharpTone in 2020, the group refined their classic scenecore sound, devising more captivating and unique clean vocal melodies, a pervading Japanese flair, and waves of ambience which give the contrast between crushing lows and soaring choruses greater impact. Combined with some intricate and ridiculously fun guitarwork, and Chapter II: Bloom was one of my favourite releases of the year. With a Chapter III seemingly set for 2023, on a record label which rarely disappoints, it’s an exciting time to be a fan.
FFO: Crystal Lake, The Afterimage, Like Moths To Flames, Until This Dawning
Blind Summit
After a barnburner performance at this year’s Tech Fest, Manchester progressive metalcore outfit Blind Summit made quite the impression on me. Their acute focus on haunting, ethereal vocal melody, contrasted by a visceral, djenty undertone, made for one of the most unique and exciting new bands I discovered in 2022. Whilst their plans for the year are yet unknown, one can only hope they continue to capitalize on the momentum of 2021’s Hell And Heresy. Perhaps with a full length?
FFO: TesseracT, Sleep Token, Thornhill
Akkadian
While Cambridge’s metal prospects for the past decade or so have been quite dire to say the least, one shining beacon in recent years within the scene has been Akkadian. A brutally heavy metalcore outfit seemingly inspired by the likes of Gojira, the band have been ramping up single releases and live shows across 2022, and seem to be on the precipice of truly breaking out in 2023. That is, at least, if there’s any justice in the world, as Akkadian are truly one of the tightest live acts the UK has to offer.
FFO: Gojira, Lamb of God
El Moono
It seems the steady rise of Brighton post-metal newcomers El Moono is soon to come. With their 2022 effort, Temple Corrupted, already achieving a spot on our Best EPs of 2022 list, the prospect of a full length with a similar, if not elevated quality, is an exciting prospect to say the least. While the timeline of exactly when to expect El Moono’s upcoming LP is hazy, the band are due to start recording as early as January next year, so it’s safe to assume we’ll hear something before the tail end of 2023.
FFO: Arcane Roots, Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan
Casey
The returning of the Welsh quartet that was teased and hinted at finally came to fruition at the end of 2022 with the release of single “Great Grief” and an announcement of several live shows this coming January. With their releases “Love Is Not Enough” and “Where I Go When I Am Sleeping” being staples of melodic hardcore, their departure in 2019 after a farewell tour stung for many. Now, Casey return to a much different landscape and a new generation that could be solid terrain for them to exceed their previous heights. With further new material in the new year and sold out shows aplenty, the melancholic sounds of Casey will toll once again.
FFO: Holding Absence, Stepson, Movements