2022 saw the return to full time touring and consistent album release cycles. With many artists forced off the road for 2 years, creativity flourished and a ton of great music was released in 2022. Many newer artists really broke through in 2022 with new music, solidifying their sound. Here are our Five Fave: 2022 Newer Artists Rock Albums.

#5 – Bad Omens – The Death Of Peace Of Mind

Bad Omens is one of the fast risers in the rock world today. Frontman and producer Noah Sebastian has been steadily building a strong following. The band is rounded out by guitarist Nicholas Ruffilo and Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson, with Nick Folio on the drumkit. They have perfected their own style of modern rock, with sufficient levels of angst to satisfy the current generation of rockers.

Standout Tracks: Like A Villain, Concrete Jungle, The Death Of Peace Of Mind

#4 – Dorothy – Gifts From The Holy Ghost

Dorothy dropped a different kind of album this time around. The sound is still based in the blues, but the message is much more optimistic and forward looking. This is an album about redemption and rejuvenation. Dorothy Martin has one of the strongest voices in rock today, and you can feel every emotion flowing from her soul.

Standout Tracks: A Beautiful Life, Rest In Peace, Black Sheep

#3 – Black Swan – Generation Mind

Black Swan is a throwback supergroup formed in 2020, and Generation Mind is their second album. The band consists of hard rock legends Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group) – Lead Vocals and Background Vocals, Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake) – Guitars and Background Vocals, Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner) – Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Keys and Background Vocals and Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big) – Drums and Percussion. Their blend of hair metal styles coalesces perfectly this time around. This is an album that could have been released in the 80’s, yet it sounds fresh and exciting now. These are extremely talented musicians who are pure joy to listen to.

Standout Tracks: Eagles Fly, Generation Mind, I Will Follow

#2 – Fire From The Gods – Soul Revolution

Fire From The Gods adds a touch of reggae and hip hop to the nu-metal mix. The collective energy of lead guitarist Drew Walker, bassist Bonner Baker, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Jameson Teat, drummer Richard Wicander and lead vocalist AJ Channer provides a light of hope and progress. Akil Jelani Channer loves to bring his social consciousness into the lyrics, providing a roadmap to progress for the listener. The burdens of facing injustice can be felt deeply, and the lyrical and musical catharsis allow the listener to let go and move forward.

Standout Tracks: SOS, Thousand Lifetimes, Be Free

#1 – Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows (D.R.U.G.S.) – Destroy Rebuild

In 2011, Chiodos vocalist Craig Owens formed a Warped Tour supergroup called Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows and released one of the greatest albums ever made – D.R.U.G.S.. After 2 years of touring, the band broke up. A decade later, Owens has brought back the project with new musicians and in 2022, released Destroy Rebuild, which is another of the greatest albums ever made. Owens is a master at crafting songs that reel from quiet beauty to out of control urgency, and back again. Every single song has a vocal or musical hook that grabs you and gets you excited to listen. The lyrics are thought provoking and some of the song titles are ridiculously clever, which is one of Owens’ trademarks. It is impossible to pick only 3 standout tracks, but the 3 standout titles are “Supercalifragilisticexistentialcrisis”, “(Are we not drawn onward to) NEW ERA” and “What’s the Code for Heaven’s Gate?” – none of which are even remotely related to their lyrical content. Most of the songs are about personal growth, and are quite inspiring.

Standout Tracks: Outcasts VS Everyone, Destiny, The Longest Road

Five Fave: 2022 Newer Artists Rock Albums first appeared on Game On Media.

DIO’s Studio Album Collection: 1996-2004 Remastered Reissues Available Today first appeared on Game On Media.

Last In Line’s New Album “II” Out Today Via Frontiers Music Srl New Video for “Blackout The Sun” Out Now – WATCH Their debut album, Heavy Crown, was a fine slab of melodic hard rock, and this new effort is arguably even better. -LA Weekly- An unforgettable reminder of what Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice can do within the context of classic heavy metal. -Metal Wani- Campbell was one of the best riffmeisters of the 80’s and he lets loose some killer guitar work here. Campbell…sounds rejuvenated, shredding like he did 35 years ago. -Decibel- Even Ronnie and Jimmy would agree that LAST IN LINE have come full circle on their legacy strictly on their own terms without the need to sound or flash its own horns to come from last to first. -KNAC- ### Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Phil Soussan, and Andrew Freeman collectively known as Last in Line, have released their second album, “II” today via Frontiers Music Srl. Get it on CD/LP/Collector’s Box (feat. CD + Exclusive T-Shirt)/Digital and/or stream the album HERE: http://radi.al/LastInLineII Be sure to check out the Last in Line’s latest video for “Blackout The Sun” HERE. “I feel that the ‘II’ album displays a lot more confidence and ambition than ‘Heavy Crown.’ We’ve played a lot of live shows over the last 3 years and I think that we’ve really grown as a band and that’s reflected in the song writing and playing on this record. We’re a band at the top of our game,” says Vivian Campbell when asked to comment about the release of “II.” Bassist Phil Soussan adds, “I feel very proud and very pleased with what we have done on ‘II.’ Respecting the creative roots of the DIO nucleus, it has taken from that classic style and shot it into a trajectory to create a valid contender in today’s music. The album has universal appeal on the surface and depth where needed. Most of all I am thrilled about how the writing of this album was truly a collaboration between all of us and certainly nothing that could have been done any other way. This album makes a statement that LIL can be seen as an original band in its own right.” Last In Line was formed in 2011, when Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, and Vivian Campbell, (Ronnie James Dio’s co-conspirators and co-writers on the “Holy Diver”, “Last In Line” – the album from which they took their name, and “Sacred Heart” albums) teamed up with esteemed vocalist Andrew Freeman. The debut album “Heavy Crown” was released in February 2016, landing at #1 on the Billboard Heat-Seekers Chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. Last In Line, honoring what they knew would be Bain’s wish to keep the band moving, brought in renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-Ozzy Osbourne) and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as Saxon and Megadeth. In late 2017, the band gathered in L.A. to start the recording of the second album, which was produced by the band members and Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, The End Machine, ex-Dokken), who also produced the debut album. Having really gelled as a band while touring in support of the debut album, the songwriting came readily to the members. They’ve created a record that shows a big progression in sound, while immediately being recognizable as Last In Line thanks to Vinny Appice’s rhythms, thunderous bass from Soussan, amazing vocals from Andrew Freeman, and the roaring guitars of Vivian Campbell. Tracklisting: 1. Intro 2. Blackout The Sun 3. Landslide 4. Gods And Tyrants 5. Year Of The Gun 6. Give Up The Ghost 7. The Unknown 8. Sword From The Stone 9. Electrified 10. Love And War 11. False Flag 12. The Light LAST IN LINE LIVE: 4/26: Las Vegas, NV @ Golden Nugget Casino 4/27: Ramona, CA @ Ramona Mainstage 5/3: Wantagh, NY @ Mulcahy’s Concert Hall 5/4: Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance Theater 5/5: Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works 5/6: Warrendale, PA @ Jergels 5/9: New Bedford, MA @ Greasy Luck 5/11 – Teaneck, NJ @ Debonair Music Hall 5/12: Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille 6/14: United Kingdom @ Download Festival Lineup: Andrew Freeman – Vocals Vinny Appice – Drums Phil Soussan – Bass Vivian Campbell – Guitars For More Info Visit: https://www.facebook.com/LastInLine/ https://www.instagram.com/lastinlineofficial/ https://twitter.com/lastinline http://www.lastinlineofficial.com

Last In Line Resumes Tour Supporting Second Album first appeared on Game On Media.

The End Machine, featuring George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown, & Robert Mason Debut Album Is Out! Video For “Leap Of Faith” Premiered! It’s not some half-assed supergroup, either. This is a solid album from a new project and it deserves to be heard. -L.A. Weekly- George Lynch and company are masters of creating catchy, memorable hard rock music -Metal Wani- For those who appreciate these musicians and their ability to move forward with new music, this is an outstanding hard rock album that stands on it’s own. -XS Rock-

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The End Machine, featuring George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown & Robert Mason Debut Album first appeared on Game On Media.

The End Machine, featuring George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown, & Robert Mason Release Lyric Video For “Burn The Truth” Self-Titled Debut Album Out March 22 via Frontiers Music Srl Hard rock titans collide for The End Machine, a brand-new project that features classic-era DOKKEN members George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, and Mick Brown as well as current WARRANT singer Robert Mason. The band will be releasing their self-titled debut on March 22nd via Frontiers Music SRL. Today the band has released their second single “Burn The Truth” in the form of a lyric video. Watch it HERE. Pre-order The End Machine’s self-titled album on CD/LP/Digital here: http://radi.al/TheEndMachine A limited amount of signed CDs and LPs are available here: https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/frontiers Surely, some fans may be wondering to themselves, isn’t this just Dokken without Don Dokken? “Musically, of course there’s bound to be moments that will be reminiscent of Dokken. That’s only logical,” says bassist Jeff Pilson. “But, my guess is there will be less of that than people would expect. Some people who’ve heard it say they think it’s closer to Lynch Mob than Dokken, but really it is pretty much its own thing. We allowed ourselves to get a little deeper than either of those projects really have, while still staying extremely melodic and not being afraid of good old-fashioned guitar rock. Maybe Lynch Mob, a bit of Dokken, but then some 70’s guitar rock added in. George [Lynch] is playing fantastic on this…very inspired. Everyone is really, but George covers some new territory here and it’s very cool. Plus, the songs as compositions took on their own life, especially adding Robert [Mason] to the writing. That’s what I’m most proud of, is the way this stands on its own. It doesn’t step on our legacy together one bit, but it has it’s own personality and I think that’s important.” “This is decidedly not me ‘stapled’ onto a DOKKEN record,” adds Mason. “I wouldn’t have been involved if that was the intent. Fans will hear bits of our styles in this collection of songs, and while reminiscent signatures are undeniable, The End Machine was purposely built to stand apart and on its own merit.” Tracklisting: 1. Leap Of Faith 2. Hold Me Down 3. No Game 4. Bulletproof 5. Ride It 6. Burn the Truth 7. Hard Road 8. Alive Today 9. Line of Division 10. Sleeping Voices 11. Life Is Love Is Music Catch The End Machine on tour on the U.S. West Coast this April. The  itinerary is as follows: 04/04/19: Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A Go Go https://bit.ly/2M1pElN 04/05/19: Las Vegas, NV @ Vamp’d https://bit.ly/2sh5yKW 04/07/19: Tucson, AZ @ Club XS https://bit.ly/2CczjRN Lineup: Robert Mason – Vocals Mick Brown – Drums Jeff Pilson – Bass George Lynch – Guitars For More Info Visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheEndMachine/ https://twitter.com/EndMachine https://www.instagram.com/theendmachine/

The End Machine, featuring George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown & Robert Mason Release Lyric Video For “Burn The Truth” first appeared on Game On Media.

George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Mick Brown, and Robert Mason announce new band The End Machine first appeared on Game On Media.