My 10 Favorite Iron-Pumping Records of 2022

I spent my entire adult life in bad-to-terrible shape. I entered my 20s as an extremely skinny (5'9", 105 lbs.) stoner smoking about 1.5 packs of Camel Filters a day. Although I eventually quit smoking weed and cigarettes, I also started eating a shit-ton of desserts and gaining weight -- that naturally high metabolism couldn't last forever -- which accelerated during COVID, culminating in me being what I would describe as "a fatty boy" by the end of 2020. Then one day in April of last year, I decided to work out. Although it hadn't really been the plan, I have continued to work out pretty much every day since. Midway through 2022, while on vacation and without other means of pumping, I became intensely pushup focused, and that's where I'm at now.

Music always plays a major role in all my routines, and I knew as soon as I started working out that it was gonna shift my musical tastes. I was not wrong. My ideal workout music is angry, punchy, and tight, which generally translates to burly hardcore, death metal, and hardcore-infused death metal, so I've ended up listening to a ton of it. These are my favorite records of 2022 that soundtracked me grunting, flexing, and dripping sweat all over my living room floor. Rankings represent the record's efficacy at pushing me over the top, as well as my perception of its quality.

#10

End It

Unpleasant Living

7-minute EP from Baltimore's finest. 'Traditional' hardcore/crossover. hate5six has a bunch of End It videos, here's the one that (I think) introduced me to them.

#9

The Bearer

Chained to a Tree

The Bearer make chaotic, scream-y metalcore like the late 90s never ended.

#8

Static Abyss

Labyrinth of Veins

Two members of Autopsy started a side-project to make Autopsy-esque death/doom, and I like it more than any of the Autopsy reunion records.

#7

Hexis

Aeternum

A black/doom/hardcore hybrid that's clearly indebted to Celeste, but Hexis is currently beating Celeste at their own game.

#6

Corpsegrinder

Corpsegrinder

Death metal with hardcore breakdowns. How has this dude taken on this lovable, weirdly wholesome public persona? He's the Snoop Dogg of death metal, and I love his first solo record.

#5

Descent

Order of Chaos

Australian death metal with Swedeath buzzsaw guitars and enough chugging/general toughness to suggest a hardcore influence.

#4

Mutilatred

Determined to Rot

Brutal death metal from the well-known metal hub that is Toledo, Ohio.

#3

Comeback Kid

Heavy Steps

Hooky, melodic, nonetheless very heavy metalcore. I wasn't sure what to make of those clean-vocal choruses at first but I got there. Of all these records, Heavy Steps best represents how working out has got me listening to shit that I probably never would have otherwise.

#2

Killing Pace

Killing Pace

Swole-as-fuck hardcore/grind made for crowd-killing and deadlifting. Or as someone on Bandcamp put it: "Nothing but heaters and ass beaters from top to bottom." It's only a 12-minute EP but I've listened to it probably around 30-40 times. Probably played a major role in my Spotify year-end wrap-up telling me that I like to start my mornings with "Mayhem Amped Hardcore."

#1

Analepsy

Quiescence

100% perfect technical slamming death. I just don't think the genre can get any better than this. It's a wrap. Slap on your finest mesh shorts and an Obituary sleeveless, turn this up loud as fuck, and drop and give me 50.