Out Now
UNFD
Words by Jimmy Glinster
Having just smashed through 12 seasons of Trailer Park Boys, a few of the movies, the animated seasons and the Swearnet spin-offs I may just have a better understanding and appreciation of Canadians. Well, at least SILVERSTEIN should hope so as I take on a review of the deluxe album version of their critically acclaimed 2022 release Misery Made Me.
Now, I’m not one of the critics that acclaimed the original release, so you are going to have to sit through me giving you a blow-by-blow of the first 11 tracks before I get to a couple of new ones titled Poison Pill and Stitches. There are also some orchestral, acoustic, and live tracks at the end, but we’ll just have to see if I’ve got the patience and care to make it that far.
How cute, we are only 5 minutes into this relationship, and they wrote a song about us called Our Song. It’s a bit of a rocker, and when the vocals hit it’s very pop-punk sounding until some heavy screams give it more of a post-hardcore feel. This is a catchy mother of a song, maybe a bit too catchy and a bit pop for some of our readers, but credit where credit is due.
Next up is Die Alone, and it starts a little slower than its predecessor but soon picks up the pace with a four-to-the-floor punk beat and chord progression. The choruses break down and halt the pace momentarily while some heavy screams wail over the top. Insert melodic bridge here, and we are back to a chorus for the song’s demise.
As Ultraviolet kicks in I’m very quickly reminded that I have heard this band before, and more specifically this song. It’s a big toon with its melodic verses and anthemic choruses. It takes a solid understanding of your art to be able to mould heavy and melodic in a way that doesn’t offend the elitists, but I reckon Silverstein have pretty much nailed it with this one.
Fuck, now they hit me with a ballad called Cold Blood and I almost throw up in my mouth. When this band rocks, it rocks, but this doesn’t and there really is no need for it. Well, at least not so early in the album. This could have been the last track when no one really cares anymore.
And just like that I skip tracks, and It’s Over which thankfully starts with a grinding guitar riff and follows with some fast picking and stuttered snare work. A well-structured pre-chorus drags the song into a pulled-back chorus and then shifts back into another verse. Rinse and repeat but his time with a much heavier, drawn out and somewhat warped sounding pre-chorus. I’m gonna take a guess and say that this may have been one of their singles? It’s a big track!
How fitting that this album is re-released on Good Friday as the band takes a minute to talk about The Altar/Mary. Now, I’m not sure if that has any relevance to the Virgin Mary, or some kind of religious altar, but it’s a fucking banging hardcore punk track and there are some lyrics poking through referencing ivory towers and bodies piling up. Moments later the song takes a sudden shift to become primarily a drum and bass interlude with references to Satan and penance. This doesn’t last long though and the track gets heavy as fuck with an absolute killer grooving guitar riff that almost melts my face off. And then there’s a weird synth bit at the end, which is just weird, but I’ll let ‘em have it.
More synth kicks things off for the next track Slow Motion which grooves itself along with distorted rolling bass lines and syncopated chugging guitars. Another anthemic chorus takes over, and it becomes quite evident that this band knows how to write a catchy tune. I mean, some of the vocals are a bit too squeaky clean for my usual taste, but they haven’t lost me, yet. This can probably be credited to the heavy guitar riffs, screams and breakdowns which seem to drop at just the right time.
Don’t Wait Up could quite easily be another single. This is very much a sing-along track, even when it gets heavier. It really doesn’t ever get that heavy though, it’s more of a hard rock tune.
I’m not sure what this next track Bankrupt is with its strange synth-pop intro, quasi-rap verse, nu-metal groove pre-chorus and melodic/symphonic rock choruses. It’s an odd adventure, but for some strange reason it works in a melting pot of genre filth.
The further this album gets along the more the synth and programmed drums seem to poke their head out. Live Like This starts that way but very quickly the heavy guitars join in and groove with the beat. The song then pulls back, and a clean melodic verse takes over. The programmed drums seem to continue in the background of the entire track however live drums blast through over the top as the song intensifies. It’s another big track, with another anthemic chorus.
Now I know why they put that other ballad earlier and not last. It’s because Misery, which used to be the last track on the album is a ballad, an acoustic ballad, the worst kind. I get it, and I’m guilty of doing it myself, but there really is no need for it. It’s a nice song, but let’s move on to these new ones yeah!
Poison Pill kicks off with some heavily distorted bass, drums and isolated vocals. As the guitar joins in the song begins to bounce and the further it goes the guitar gets heavier and the bounce bigger.
Another perfect example of how to mix heavy with melodic, and another anthemic chorus. Pop punk makes another appearance at the start of Stitches and although the song gets slightly heavier the vibe continues. The main difference is that the guitars have become a little more distorted since the 90s. A worthy addition to an already hefty album.
Alright, I made it, and I’ve surprisingly enjoyed it so far.
The question is, do I try out the orchestral, acoustic, and live tracks, or do I just leave the review here so as not to spoil the fun? Well, I listened, and they are what they say they are. Mary is orchestral, Don’t Wait Up and Poison Pill are acoustic, and Bankrupt and It’s Over are, or should I say were, live (In Toronto). The quality of these last few tracks is well-produced and will be a nice extra treat for fans of Silverstein. Well worth adding to their collections!
And not that it really matters because it’s already been acclaimed by the critics, but this critic acclaims it too!
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!
