There are many metal bands called Misery. Stephen King also wrote a book called Misery. The Misery we're talking about today was a death metal band from Australia. In fact, they're one of the better known death metal bands from the early 90's. They formed in 1991 and released their debut full-length A Necessary Evil two years later. They lasted until 2007 but everyone sort of forgot about them after their debut. Will A necessary Evil hold up to the test of time? Let's find out.
The production is superb. It has a rich, thick sound and everything is mixed to perfection. Nothing sounds muffled and all the instruments can be heard clear as day, even the bass. The drums remind me a great deal of Deicide, rapidly alternating between simple mid-paced beats and rapid blast beats. He also uses a great deal of double bass, and although they sound too much like the clacking of a typewriter, I still enjoyed them. I especially loved that little display of technical wankery on “Septic Octopus”. The vocalist growls like a beast, and his performance sounds like a mix of Glen Benton and Barney Greenway back in their early days.
As with most other classic death metal albums, the guitars are the best part. As with the drums and vocals, the guitars are heavily influenced by Deicide. They play a lot of fast and evil sounding riffs all wrapped up in a tone that sounds like it was lifted straight from Deicide's self-titled debut. However, there are some riffs that sound rather reminiscent of Vital Remains's early work, especially during the more complex riffs. They also perform a few doom/death riffs such as on “H.I.V.” and even a few breakdowns such as those on “Born Dead”. Of course, the best parts are the solos. They have an absolutely wicked tone to them, and whenever they show up, it sounds like the man is tearing his guitar apart. They're like a mix of Deicide and Cannibal Corpse, and I love 'em.
The only problem I can find with this album is that it's too long. It's forty minutes and I feel it would have had a bigger impact if it was just thirty minutes. Other than that, this was an amazing album full of great drum work, sick growls, and wicked guitar work. If you're a big old school death metal fan, then this album is perfect for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment