Mister Misery

A Brighter Side of Death

---

Genre: Horror Metal, Alternative Metal.
Released: 23/04/2021
Via Arising Empire

Album Review: Mister Misery – A Brighter Side Of Death

The ever eccentric Mister Misery are back with their new album ‘A Brighter Side of Death’. The Swedish Horror Metal outfit has generated quite the buzz around them with their upcoming release and fans have shown their excitement by getting the first single ‘Ballad of the Headless Horseman’ to over 200,000 streams on Spotify alone! I just had to check out what they had in store so without any further delay, Here is my review of Mister Misery’s ‘A Brighter Side of Death’. 

The album starts with the ambient ‘Ballad of the Headless Horseman’, right off the bat you get an overwhelming feeling of excitement from this album. The use of melodic harmonies gives the song something to write home about. Harley Vendetta’s vocals are quite something. They are full of enthusiasm and charisma which elevates the song to new heights. This level of energy is continued into the track ‘Buried’. Harley’s and Alex Nine’s duel guitar playing complements the track very well. The song itself is an enjoyable listen that has some cool passages scattered throughout. 

Following that is the song ‘Mister Hyde’. The intro to this track is awesome and as the song progresses you get a real scene of something truly special. From Rizzy’s dominant drumming to Harley’s interesting vocal delivery, everything just falls into place nicely and this is by far my favourite track of the record. Unfortunately, it is then followed by my least favourite track, ‘Burn’. Something just feels off with this track and it seemed to lack the same level of energy and passion as the rest of the tracks on the album.

‘Devil In Me’ is certainly an improvement over the previous song as it returns to the bands more ambient sound. Mister Misery know how to make an atmospheric song and this is yet another great example of the band’s ability. This song in particular makes great use of Alex Alister’s Bass playing as the bassline seems to just keep the whole song together. Keeping the upwards momentum ‘I’ll Never Be Yours’ is a great track if your a fan of awesome percussion. Rizzy completely dominates the track from behind the kit and makes for one hell of a listen. 

Continuing down the album ‘Under the Moonlight’ is a decent entry. Nothing special but a good listen never the less. It’s just one of those songs that comes and goes without really leaving an impression on you. However, the same cant be said for ‘In Forever’! This song feels larger than life at parts and is an exceptional example of what the band are capable of producing. Harley’s vocals once again are a big part of what makes this song what it is however the whole band put their all into this one and it’s clear to see. 

The circus comes to town with ‘Clown Prince of Hell’ and I’m ready for it. The track does a great job of creating a feeling of danger and circus theatrics all at the same time. If your a fan of Ice Nine Kills ‘IT Is The End’ then I can guarantee that you will find a lot of enjoyment from this track! Similarly ‘We Don’t Belong’ is full of character and personality. Mister Misery have something special in their arsenal to be able to make their songs feel like they are alive and in their little world. This one is a good listen!

The penultimate track is ‘Home’. This one is a strange one for me. I dont dislike it however I also can’t say I’m a fan of the more anthemic style for this band. It seems like a real u-turn on what the rest of the album had created and breaks the bands sound a little too much for my liking. Thankfully, the final track ‘Through Hell’ is the complete opposite. This song could be the bands cover letter for the album as it incorporates a bit of everything that’s come before to create one hell of an ending to a rollercoaster of an album. 

Overall, Mister Misery’s ‘A Brighter Side Of Death’ is a joy to listen to. The way the band present themselves throughout the album adds to what they have produced. I highly recommend this album to fans of bands like Ice Nine Kills, Miss May I and Motionless In White.