Australian metalcore sweethearts The Amity Affliction are back with their new album Misery (August 24, Roadrunner Records). The album is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s This Could Be Heartbreak and it truly lives up to the high expectations!
The atmospheric lead single Ivy (Doomsday) kicks things off with powerful clean and scream vocals and an electronic tinge. It sets a different tone but still retains everything that fans love about the quartet. Feels Like I’m Dying takes the electronica further, branching out into a summery anthem.
The ominous introduction to Holier Than Heaven paves way to the heartbreakingly honest lyrics “I’m still sick with my depression, trapped inside my fragile shell”. The alternating clean and scream vocals throughout gives an added ‘heaven and hell’ feel. It is one of the stand-out tracks on the record and title track Misery combines brutality with melody. The chorus of D.I.E is infectious, as is the hook in Set Me Free. Set Me Free also sees an intricate guitar solo.
Misery is a wholly tight record, full of massive hooks as seen on Black Cloud and Ivy (Doomsday), delightful breakdowns (again Black Cloud stands out for this), angelic clean vocals throughout, perfectly complimented by Joel Birch’s brutal screams. As always the lyrics are honest and relatable. This may just about top This Could Be Heartbreak (and that is saying something because TCBH is one of my all-time favourite albums).