When the members of Long Island's
Misery were out promoting
Evil Is Crowned in early 2011, some metalheads seemed to think they were a new band. But in fact,
Misery have been around since the early '90s -- and
Evil Is Crowned isn't their first recording. Other metalheads have assumed that
Evil Is Crowned is by an Australian death metal band that has the same name. But no, Long Island's
Misery and Brisbane, Australia's
Misery are two different bands with two very different sounds, although both of them are part of metal. Produced by Joey Z. (of
Life of Agony fame),
Evil Is Crowned is not death metal, but rather favors a punk-drenched alternative metal approach along the lines of
Pantera,
Sepultura, and
Pro-Pain. This is a dense, abrasive, clobbering effort that thrives on crushing brutality, but in their own angry, corrosive way, the Long Islanders can be enjoyably infectious. While
Evil Is Crowned is hardly the most original or distinctive metal release of early 2011, one has to give
Misery props for delivering the hooks. Sledgehammer tracks such as "I Hate Your Face," "Bullet," "The Hurt Spell," and "Mind Your Own Business" are derivative, but they are also hooky -- and so is
Misery's noteworthy cover of
Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," which doesn't sound nearly as industrialized in
Misery's hands. Although
Evil Is Crowned doesn't pretend to point alt-metal in any new directions, it is a generally decent example of what these Long Islanders have to offer. Just don't call them a new band or a death metal band from Australia. ~ Alex Henderson