Words can not express how exciting it is to be able to share a review of the first new Misery Loves Co. full-length in over 19 years with you. Hell, words haven’t been invented yet to describe how exciting it is that there actually IS a new Misery Loves Co. record to review in 2019 but here we are with Zero ready to release on November 29th!
Listen to Your Vision Was Mine To Share from 2000 and then immediately dive into this one…or don’t. You can either hear Zero as the next logical step in the sonic journey that Patrik Wiren and Orjan Ornkloo set out upon all those years ago or as a fresh start. Either way, Zero is a killer album.
“Suburban Breakdown” perfectly kicks off the new record as it captures all that fans grew to love about Misery Loves Co. in the first place. Tribal drumming, Industrial-sized riffs, and vocalist Wiren’s emotive yet biting lyrics and voice are all present in a banger that’s sure to excite longtime fans as well as first time listeners.
The first taste of something that hasn’t ben previously released, “A Little Something” is brooding and menacing before exploding into a huge chorus with synths and Ornkloo’s uncanny bass playing rumbling ominously. And then the first of many surprises comes as Wiren, backed by female vocals, launches into a soulful almost gospel-like sing-song that’s so far out there but works so well.
“Dead Streets” is Post-Punk at its’ absolute best and something else completely different for Misery Loves Co. as they channel their inner Killing Joke mixed with some Psalm 69-era Ministry. The cover of “Only Happy When It Rains” marks a turning point for the album with “Fell In Love” following Misery Loves Co.’s unique take on the Garbage classic and sounding tonally different, like something played during a classic noir like Chinatown or a cybernetic one like Blade Runner.
“The Waiting Room” is incendiary and haunting with these pummeling drums coming at listeners with a visceral intensity as Wiren channels the spirit of the man who once screamed like a drill sergeant and spewed lines like “I wanna kiss your boots” so furiously and passionately as another new Industrial behemoth is born. Elsewhere, Misery Loves Co.’s first comeback single, “Would You?”, has that Your Vision Was Never Mine To Share vibe all over it which is fitting as it was the first offering of new music in 2017 and like a continuation of their epic third full-length is filled with sweeping choruses and staccato beats that are the perfect counterpoint to Wiren’s words.
The title track is a grinding and quirky Industrial monster just waiting to be unleashed and when it eventually does becomes this glorious soundscape with Ornkloo’s pulsating synths and Michael Hahne’s heavy riffage creating an unstoppable sonic wall accented by short percussive blasts that lead into a steady groove. Then there’s the Middle eastern-tinged “One of Those Days” which is a reminder of how potent Misery Loves Co. can be even when they slow it down on occasion. It’s as if Dead Can Dance suddenly decided to pick up an electric guitar, a drum machine, and use their powers for evil instead of good.
“Way Back Home”, which also had previously been released as a Zero prelude, has been transformed into an epic seven plus minute finale for the album with echoes of “Never Gonna Grow Up” from 2000’s Your Vision… heard all over as this world building song offers up a powerful conclusion to an equally powerful comeback.
Zero is out through Black Lodge Music on November 29th and can be pre-ordered in a variety of digital and physical options by clicking here. For the latest on Misery Loves Co., follow the socials here and here.