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"Misery" is the sixth studio album by Australian metalcore band The Amity Affliction. The album was released on 24 August 2018 on the UNFD and Roadrunner labels. It is the first album without drummer Ryan Burt, following his departure in February 2018.
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A follow-up to 2016’s This Could Be Heartbreak, on their latest effort, The Amity Affliction weave Electronic beats and Pop Rock elements into their typical heavy sound. These elements are quite a new step for the band, a lineup that now consists only of Vocalist/Keyboardist/Bassist Ahren Stringer, Vocalist Joel Birch, and Guitarist Dan Brown, following the departure of Drummer Ryan Burt in early 2018. No stranger to lineup shakeups, it seems as though the band took this time to reevaluate their sound and take something entirely new into the studio.
Easily the band’s least heavy effort to date, Misery is likely to divide The Amity Affliction’s considerable fanbase. Bringing in multi-platinum Producer Matt Squire, who has worked with everyone from Demi Lovato to Panic! at the Disco, the majority of these tracks are radio ready, easily accessible, and relatively tame when stacked up against the band’s previous efforts. It is no surprise that after fifteen years the band is looking to take a step in a new direction, but Misery may be too much too soon.
Vocally, many of these songs are performed exceptionally well, particularly when the clean and unclean couple up for some classic call-and-response type arrangements or thoughtful layering as heard on “Set Me Free” or “Black Cloud.” In fact, the vocal performances are enough to drive the record along despite any other shortcomings. Fans of bands like Linkin Park or who love the Hard Rock of the early 2000s might find a few kernels of joy in Misery, but perhaps The Amity Affliction are better off when leaning all the way into their standard pulse-pounding breakdowns. Different and surprising,
Reviewed by Katherine Szabo for crypticrock.com
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