Korn releases their fourteenth studio album, Requiem, a more melodic release, with an emphasis on layering guitars. The album is released to positive reviews, and is the second best-selling album of the week on the US BillboardTop Album Sales chart. However, factoring in streaming music data with album-equivalent units, it only debuts at number 14 on the US all-format Billboard 200 chart, making it their first album since their debut album in 1994 to not debut in the top 10.[12][13][14]
English musician Frank Turner releases his ninth studio album, FTHC. It became his first album to top the UK albums chart.[15]
Canadian musician Avril Lavigne releases her seventh studio album Love Sux. The album, produced by John Feldmann, Mod Sun and Travis Barker, marks a return to her earlier pop punk sound. It debuts at number 9 on the Billboard 200, moving 30,000 album equivalent units, and is her first album since 2013 to debut in the top 10 of the chart.[16][17]
Three Days Grace and Shinedown each have songs that top the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The fact that both have been topping the chart since early 2000s, and keep trading places for band with most songs to top the chart, elicits discussions about staleness and dormancy of modern rock radio.[18]
Tears for Fears releases their seventh studio album, and first studio album in 18 years, The Tipping Point. It debuts at number 8 on the Billboard 200, moving 31,000 album equivalent units. It become the band's highest ever charting debut, and their first in 30 years to debut in the top 10. It is also the best selling album of the week in pure sales as well.[19][17][20]
Jethro Tull releases their 22nd studio album, The Zealot Gene, their first in almost 18 years.[22] It charts at number 9 on the UK OOC all-formal albums chart, making it their first album in 50 years to crack the top 10 of the UK albums chart.[23]
Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) releases his third solo album, Earthling. It is the best selling album of the week in the US, topping the Billboard Top Album Sales chart with 16,000 copies sold.[24]
March
Swedish band Ghost release their fifth studio album, Impera. First started in 2020, the album's creation spanned 2 years as the band waited out the 2020 US Presidential Election season and some rougher parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter inspired frontman Tobias Forge to revisit and complete an album idea he has had since 2014, about "the rise and fall of empires". The album debuts at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 70,000 album equivalent units. The debut is the band best of their career in both chart position and units moved. It is the highest charting hard rock album since 2020's Power Up album by AC/DC, and the best selling hard rock album in over a year, since 2021's Medicine at Midnight album by the Foo Fighters. As of its March release, Impera was also the highest pure sales of 2022 of any album genre.[25][26][27]
Feeder releases their eleventh studio album, Torpedo. Described as "heavier but still melodic", the album is themed around the band's frustrations of not being able to perform live due to COVID-19 restrictions.[28] It debuts at number 5 on the UK all-format Official Charts Company albums chart, their tenth album to place in the top ten of the chart.[29]
Machine Gun Kelly releases his sixth studio album, and second one of the rock genre. Originally announced as Born with Horns, it was later retitled to Mainstream Sellout. It tops the all-format US Billboard 200 albums chart upon release, moving 93,000 album equivalent units. It is the first rock album in over a year to top the chart, with the last ones being AC/DC and Kelly's own Tickets to My Downfall in 2020.[30][31][32][33] Despite the success, Kelly announced that he would be returning to rap music for his future releases.[34]
Kid Rock's twelfth studio album, Bad Reputation, fails to debut in the top 200 albums of the Billboard 200 upon its release. His prior seven albums had all debuted in the top 10 of the chart. His turn towards politics was cited as a possible reason for the steep decline since prior albums.[35]
After its appearance in the March 2022 film The Batman, Nirvana's 1991 song "Something in the Way" appears on the BillboardHot 100 all-format song chart at number 46. It is the first song of the band's to appear on the chart in 20 years, since 2002's "You Know You're Right", and the first time the song had ever appeared on the chart, with it never having been released as a single in the past.[36]
The Black Keys release their eleventh studio album, Dropout Boogie. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, moving 33,000 album equivalent units. It is the band's sixth album to chart in the top 10 of the chart, and their second within a year, after Delta Kream in May 2021.[44]
Swedish band Draconian announce the departure of singer Heike Langhans, the return of Lisa Johansson on vocals, and the addition of guitarist Niklas Nord.[45]
June
British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree releases their first new studio album in 13 years, Closure/Continuation. The album was recorded intermittently over the course of a decade in complete secrecy while frontman Steven Wilson pursued a solo career and other members moved on to other projects. The COVID pandemic halted their other projects and allowed them the time to finally complete the album. The album title is self-referential to the fact that the band is uncertain if this is the end of the band's career, or the start of a new era. The album tops four separate national charts in Europe and peaks at number 2 in the UK, all career highs.[46][47]
Shinedown releases their seventh studio album, Planet Zero. The album was initially scheduled to be released in late 2021, and then delayed to April 2022, before finally being released in July.[50] It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 43,000 album equivalent units. It's their fifth album to debut in the top 10 of the chart, but has a 17,000 unit drop from their prior album, 2018's Attention Attention.[51]
Jack White releases Entering Heaven Alive on July 22, 2022, his second album of the year. His first of the year, Fear of the Dawn, highlights a heavier sound, while Entering Heaven Alive features softer and acoustic music.[52]Entering Heaven Alive debuts at number 9 on the Billboard 200, moving 27,000 album equivalent units.[53]
Dance Gavin Dance releases their tenth studio album, Jackpot Juicer. It debuts at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 33,500 album equivalent units. It is the band's first album to debut in the top 10 of the chart.[54]
Rage Against the Machine plays their first live performance in over 11 years, and makes headlines for their commentary critical of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, including the catchphrase "Abort the Supreme Court". They also commit to giving almost half a million dollars in concert ticket revenue towards reproductive rights organizations.[55]
August
Panic! at the Disco releases their seventh studio album, Viva Las Vengeance. The album features work from Butch Walker who was said to add "a sound that showcases guitars and nods to the arena rock sound of decades past, primarily the 1970s".[56] While the prior two studio albums topped the Billboard 200 chart, Viva Las Vengeance did not, and missed the top ten altogether, debuting at 13.[57]
Five Finger Death Punch releases their ninth studio album, AfterLife. The album is not a formal concept album, but was created as a cohesive unit. The album debuts at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 29,000 album equivalent units. The debut is the highest rock album of the week on the chart, landing above Panic! at the Disco's Viva Las Vengeance, and also topping the Billboard Hot Hard Rock albums chart, but it still a drop from their prior album, F8, which moved 55,000 units in its first week.[58][59]
Muse releases their ninth studio album, Will of the People, becoming their seventh consecutive UK number one album,[60] selling over 300,000 units by the start of 2023.
September
Swedish band Ghost's 2019 song "Mary on a Cross" goes viral on TikTok after a fan releases a slowed down version of the track. The band, in turn, officially releases their own slowed down version of the song, which goes on to top the Billboard Hot Hard Rock streaming songs chart, and eventually even find cross-over success, peaking at 90 on the all-format BillboardHot 100 chart. The song is the band's first to reach the Hot 100 chart, despite not even being a single or their most recent studio album.[61][62]
Megadeath's sixteenth studio album, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! debuts at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 43,000 album equivalent units. It is their first album in 6 years, and their eighth studio album to debut in the top 10 of the chart.[63]
Ozzy Osbourne releases his thirteenth studio album, Patient Number 9. It is his second album to be produced by Andrew Watt, and was recorded while Osbourne was struggling with medical issues affecting his physical health. The album debuts at number 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 56,000 album equivalent units, and is his ninth album to debut in the top 10. It is also his highest ever charting album in the UK - debuting at number 2 - and hits the top 10 of over 13 other national album charts.[64][65][66]
Alter Bridge releases their seventh studio album, titled Pawns & Kings. The album was written and recorded across the last few years as band members balanced it with their respective other musical projects.[72][73]
The Smashing Pumpkins released their twelfth studio album, Atum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts. The album is described as a sequel concept album exploring concepts started in the band's prior concept albums Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1996) and Machina/The Machines of God. The release has an uncommon release format, entailing three separate 11 song releases in 11 week intervals, culminating in a boxset release that contains all 33 songs and an additional 10 exclusive songs. Atum: Act One released on November 15, 2022, while Atum: Act Two is scheduled for January 31, 2023, and Atum: Act Three and the box-set is scheduled for April 23, 2023.[78]
Nickelback released their tenth studio album, and first in 5 years, Get Rollin' on November 18, 2022.[79]
Disturbed releases their eighth studio album Divisive. Frontman David Draiman described the album as sounding like their older material, including their first (The Sickness) and third (Ten Thousand Fists) albums. The album is the bands first since their debut album to not debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number 13.[80][81]
December
Metallica's song "Lux Aeterna" tops the Mainstream Rock chart, and starts a ten week run at the top that goes into 2023.[82]
My Chemical Romance reschedules their reunion tour for 2022. It was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[86][87]
Emerson, Lake & Palmer member Carl Palmer announces a live concert in November 2022 of him performing the band's songs with high quality live performance video footage of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake performing, who both passed away in 2016.[97]
Nine Inch Nails performs a belated concert celebrating their 2020 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that had been repeatedly delayed due to COVID, in September 2022. Frontman Trent Reznor recruits members from earlier lineups of the band to perform some songs, including Richard Patrick (of Filter) and Danny Lohner. Patrick even performs a cover of "Hey Man Nice Shot", the first single Patrick released in 1995 after deciding to break away from Nine Inch Nails to start his own band (Filter).[98]