Review - Misery

Misery
Misery

Ok, now that the weather's starting to cheer up, I thought I'd post a review of a nice, upbeat record for you. So, this this Misery, by Misery. Misery describe themselves on their Bandcamp page as an "experimental funeral doom metal band," and I can certainly hear what they mean - this six-track album has the funereal atmosphere, sludgy guitars and longform musical approach that you'd expect from a band with the name Misery. The vocals really live up to the band's name - low-pitched death growls give way to high, tortured screams, and although it's not possible to make out what the singer is singing about, it's pretty clear he's not very happy. The guitars churn and chug in all the ways you'd expect from a doom band, but this isn't just about the riffs (good though they are). Unexpected textures crop up here and there - an organ drives, among other tracks, The Box, which is permeated throughout with sounds like dragging footsteps, rattling chains and shattering glass. Sunn 0)))-like bass drones provide some bowel-quivering moments, and at times the organ sounds almost like something from a Burzum record.

There are two main problems with this record: the drums and the production. The latter isn't necessarily the band's fault; the former is. The drummer has some great moments, particularly on the title track, but a lot of the time he just meanders, as if he doesn't quite know what he's doing. And that's a major problem - on a lot of these songs, the band need a strong drummer to give them a sense of momentum, to create that feeling of being crushed under a heavy weight that the best doom bands do so well, and the lack of a decent drum part really brings a lot of these songs down.
The production is less of an issue. Although the band sound muted, almost like a bad live recording, their music is good enough that Misery is still an album worth checking out. Just sack the drummer, guys.

Rating: 6/10