Album/EP

Silverstein - Misery Made Me (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

/10

May 6, 2022

7 min read

Silverstein – Misery Made Me
Released: May 6th, 2022

Lineup:

Shane Told // Vocals
Paul Marc Rousseau // Guitar
Josh Bradford // Guitar
Billy Hamilton // Bass
Paul Koehler // Drums

Online:

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Official Website

For some, May the 6th is referred to "Revenge Of The 6th", but for me, May 6th is the day that my favourite Canadian band, Silverstein, release their tenth studio album ‘Misery Made Me’. I was first introduced to Silverstein in 2016 and I asked myself ‘why have I been sleeping on this band?’ and from that moment I knew these Canadians were guys I wanted to listen to. The three singles from the album I’ve listened to the most, 'Ultraviolet', 'Die Alone' and 'Live Like This', are all vastly different so I definitely had high hopes coming into this.

The record starts with its anthemic opener, 'Our Song', with some good, old-fashioned, guitar, drums and bass which becomes an immediate earworm that gets you moving. The message behind the title 'Our Song' becoming apparent right from the start of the track with the lyrics ‘This is for the fuck-ups, double down on bad luck, you can tell everybody this is our song’. The whole song is really a bit of a ‘screw you’ to anyone that’s going to try to tell you to be someone or something that you’re not. The track also has some great bass work from Billy Hamilton, especially in the latter part of it. Next up is 'Die Alone' featuring guest vocals from fellow Canadian Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid. It’s the shortest track on the record with a run time of just under three minutes, but it’s hard and fast and Shane Told’s clean vocals mix really nicely with Neufeld’s more growled ones and it gives the track layers of light and shade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAZtplV9Wc

'Ultraviolet' is up next and it’s been one of my favourites since its release in February, which I’ll admit is half because of Shane’s dance skills showcased in the music video. The opening guitar riff on the track also has a lot to do with it, as well as the vocal melody. Shane Told is arguably one of the best vocalists in the scene, and has been for the past two decades, with his ability to do both cleans and screams in a way that seems effortless. Hopefully I get to see Silverstein perform this live so I can scream ‘I get lost in the ultraviolet!’ back at the band, and then go absolutely ham during the breakdown. After three harder hitting songs, 'Cold Blood' slows things down, almost being a ballad, but not quite at the same time. It features guest vocals from singer-songwriter Trevor Daniel, and the way he and Shane harmonise is, dare I say, beautiful, and the track as a whole just has a really nice ‘sad but happy’ vibe to it.

'It’s Over' is next and it reminds you that you’re listening to a heavy record in a big way, as it’s a complete 180 from the chill vibes of 'Cold Blood'. Paul Koehler absolutely slays on the drums on this one with some seriously fancy footwork, and really just pulls the whole song together for me. 'The Altar/Mary' is the next assault on your ears, and it really is an assault but in a way that is enjoyable and you want it to keep happening. It’s the mid-point of the record and is probably the heaviest track on it, for the first half anyway, and you should warm up your neck muscles before you listen to it so you don’t hurt yourself from head-banging. The second half is very…interesting, and I look forward to hearing what other people half to say about it! I won’t say too much, but I really enjoyed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G6W-UPqDn8

'Slow Motion' is very much a metalcore track, and fittingly it features a guest spot by none other then The Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica. Silverstein have never been afraid to experiment and the synth effect added to Shane’s voice in parts of this song just add layers and different elements. The breakdown is quintessential; Silverstein and Hranica’s vocals fit perfectly with the heavier vibes of the track.

'Don’t Wait Up' is probably the only song on Misery Made Me that I didn’t particularly enjoy, there’s nothing that’s bad about the track, it’s just a bit of a so, so song in my opinion. I did really enjoy Shane’s almost crooning vocals throughout and musically it’s solid, there just wasn’t anything that really stood out about it. We’re back to something heavier with 'Bankrupt', and the incorporation of synth and spoken vocals to open the track is a nice touch. I feel like it’s a bit of a throwback to I Am Alive In Everything I Touch era Silverstein, while also staying true to the current state the band is in. It’s another one of those heavy and dirty tracks, but with a bit of a grungy vibe at the same time. Shane also does some very nice screams throughout the track, as well as some beautiful cleans.

'Live Like This' featuring nothing, nowhere is the second to last track on the record, as well as being the final single to be released for Misery Made Me. ‘I don’t wanna die but I can’t live like this’ is another one of those extremely relatable lyrics, especially if you’re someone that’s having a hard time and struggling, but not really sure what to do about their situation. Shane Told playing on an acoustic guitar at the end of the song is a really nice touch and I’m not going to lie, I had a little tear in my eye. Finally, we come to 'Misery', the last song on the record that summarises the record. It’s a beautiful ballad and you can both feel and hear the emotion in Shane’s voice throughout, and that tear I had in my eye from the end of 'Live Like This' definitely managed to escape.

I’ve never been disappointed in a Silverstein release since I first started listening to them eight years ago, and Misery Made Me is no exception to this. It’s an example of why Silverstein have been such a shining light in the scene for the past 22 years, and why they continue to have such a dedicated and hardcore fanbase.