Misery "Production Thru Destruction" CD
[Crimes Against Humanity]
This is yet another re-release from longstanding crust punk icons Misery, this time of their debut full-length from 1991, and much like their recently issued disc on Profane Existence it's somewhat of a surprising sight.  Make no mistake, this LP is great and I'm a big fan of Misery, I don't think they've ever let me down.  But the thing is, nine out of these 11 tracks were reissued on "The Early Years" CD that Crimes Against Humanity put out a few years ago, and that disc is still available.  So it's almost like this entire reissue exists just for those two songs and a retake on the original cover art.  Crimes Against Humanity's prices are cheap as fuck, so that's totally cool, but... I mean, is anyone who bought "The Early Years" gonna want to pick this up just for those two songs?  I'm not entirely sure.  Regardless, this is a damn solid slab of classic crust punk that's actually a little stronger in the recording department than 1995's "Who's the Fool... the Fool is Silence" (though the songwriting on that record remains the band's finest hour).  The guitar tone is somewhat unnatural in its distorted bite, but the mix is pretty even and I actually think the sound is really effective for the raw aesthetic it possesses.  Expect 11 tracks of heavily Amebix inspired crust punk that's not quite as atmospherically dark, and maybe a little faster at times, falling back on its traditional backbone of hardcore/punk (or at least this particular niche of hardcore/punk) and utilizing gruff vocals that are basically low shouts that hint at barked growls.  There's still plenty of eerie metallic creepiness though, not to mention some pummelingly dense power chords and dirge-y rhythms.  Just check out the pounding instrumental intro to "Born, Fed, Slaughtered" or the dissonant leads during the intro to "Pain".  And don't even get me started on the clean guitars and prominent bass runs that kick off "What Freedom?" before surging forth into a brilliant dissonant melody that's all too succinct.  Talk about textbook crust at its finest - this is definitely one of the band's greatest moments.  But then you've also got total ragers like the aptly titled "Bomb Blast" or "Production", so there's an equilibrium throughout the record.  The layout keeps it simple with the band's usual knack for high contrast black, white, and red artwork that looks good to me.  The lyrics are a little hard to read but it's no big deal.  Of course the content deals with apocalyptic visions of war, destruction at the hands of capitalist greed, etc.  "Pain, fear, anxiety, Life on this planet where bloodthirsty lunatics reign, The almighty evil remains, The noose becomes tight, It's dragging you in, You're vomiting and choking, Into the crypt, The days have now passed, A wretched nightmare, Under reign of evil, This world is dead."  Misery is definitely a huge name in the crust punk scene, and with good reason, so it's awesome that all of their material is basically still in print in one form or another, and I wish some of their age's contemporaries would follow suit.  Like I said, if you've got "The Early Years" collection this might not be worth the investment, but otherwise?  It gets the green light from me.  It's a damn shame that they really don't make ‘em like this anymore.  Very few newer bands that shoot for this whole style come anywhere close to the mark. (7/10)
Running time - 38:05, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: What Freedom?, Born, Fed, Slaughtered, Final Chapter]
Crimes Against Humanity Records - http://www.cahrecords.com

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