Mister Misery – 'Unalive' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. The Blood Waltz

2. You And I

3. Stronger

4. Rebells Calling

5. Legion

6. Tell Me How

7. My Ghost

8. Dead Valentine

9. Alive

10. Live While You Can

The first thing that this album makes me think of is a carnival or circus. A bleak, dark, fucked up circus. It’s probably just the fact that the opening track is a waltz, and the beautifully big production, but that’s what this album will always make me think of, a carnival of Metal. And what an entertaining carnival this is.

'Unalive' is the debut album from Mister Misery, though you wouldn’t know it was a debut on listening to it. It is a hugely confident album, declaring it’s statement of intent firmly when you start it, and not letting up for 10 great tracks.

I’ve already mentioned opening track “The Blood Waltz”, but I can’t emphasise enough how much of a brilliant scene-setting track it is, and how well it sets you up for the rest of the album. It’s also very telling that although it does this very well, it doesn’t even sneak into my favourite songs – this album is an embarrassment of riches in that regard.

For me, the high points of the album are three particularly standout tracks. 'Legion', the fifth track of the album and the first one to really make my heart race in the way that only the best music does. This high-energy, track pummels you with it’s intense verse, before giving way to an easily singable chorus.

The other standouts for me are two songs near the end of the album. 'Rebels Calling' is a rifftastic beast of a song showcasing some absolutely stunning guitar work and with the refrain of “Fuck your shit, we’re coming in”, will appeal to all those disgruntled people having to deal with boring everyday life. And then there is my last standout track, my favourite of the album – 'Stronger'.

It’s tough to describe why this song is so good. It opens with some killer riffs – dual guitars in an almost Iron Maiden-kind of way, with a brilliant rhythmic groove underneath. And then the chorus is so simple and yet so catchy, that I could see entire crowds chanting along with it, declaring that they are all “Stronger than Before”.

In short, this is an absolutely fantastic album. I’ve had this copy for a couple of weeks at the time of writing, and have listened to it countless times. This is definitely a contender for one of my top ten albums of the year, and I suspect it will be listened to even more after release, when I can add it to my Spotify playlists as well.

They may be a band you’ve never heard of, but I can honestly say that this is a polished and perfected debut album, and Mister Misery deserve to be absolutely massive off the back of it. Give this a listen, and if you like it, buy it. Show your support to this fantastic band and help them achieve the success they truly deserve.