Album Review: Une Misère – Sermon (Nuclear Blast)

Somewhere deep inside the aching chest of Iceland, the earth shifts, and from its cracking plates discharge the tragic sounds of 5 scorched young men whose own existence drives them to creative madness. The product of a modern age; the sonic nature of Une Misère cannot be easily defined. With an inherently heavy nature, the band sits somewhere on a vast spectrum of blackened hardcore and aggressive metal.

Making their full length debut on November 1st, 2019 on Nuclear Blast Records, Une Misère are seeking to perform their darkened ‘Sermon’ for the world.

Whatever category you might find yourself putting Une Misère in, there is one thing everyone will be able to agree on and that this band is aggressive. Sermon is an aggressive album with fire and fury running through it from track 1 through to track 12. A bulbous vein of intensity delivered with a shocking amount of heavy based focus.

Sin & Guilt emerges from a cocoon of deep and dark doominess to reveal a terrifying creature that is part hardcore, part death metal and abject horror. Une Misère then double down for a punchy and groovy run at the title track, the guitars getting things up and moving. Before the double of Overlooked / Disregarded and Burdened / Suffering turn the heat up as only a band with the kind of confidence Une Misère has could do. The former is an absolute rager where the drums excel while the latter takes a moment to unleash its torrent of savagery but doesn’t let up once it does.

The general shortish tracks makes each and every punch on Sermon feel like knockout blows. Even when they dare to be a bit ‘mellower’ such as during the intro of Fallen Eyes, they’re hardly lacking in power and they are often just biding their time until the next eruption.

The oddest track of the bunch comes with Beaten, the industrial-style drum beat at the start makes it seem like we’re about to hear a techno track or an early Slipknot effort. While, it isn’t either of those, there is something a little off about this one. It’s one of the most aggressive tracks on the album (just listen to the lyrics) but also the most ‘meathead’ of the bunch.

A short slice of pounding drums, faint guitar squeals and angry vocal statements arrives with Grave before Failures continues the ferocity we’ve experienced so far. Although here we get a bit more of a duel vocals performance. It works well, especially with the slower and filthier groove.

Leaning into their deathier side, the riffs of Damages are mind-flaying stuff liable to leave a fair few people with a headache. Especially when it slows right down before unleashing a veritable bludgeoning of heaviness.

It’s another short break with Offering but surprisingly and seemingly pointlessly, it’s a gothic sounding melody that wouldn’t seem out of place as an intro on a black metal album. Considering we’re at the end of the album and the following track, Spiral keeps things focused on the more foot-stomping side of Une Misère‘s metal sound, it’s very strange.

Finally, this contender for most aggressive album of 2019 comes to a violent finish with Voiceless. A classy closer as Une Misère throw their all into an exceedingly cruel bout of aggression.

It’s not hyperbole to say this album will leave you feeling mentally battered and bruised.

Une Misère – Sermon Full Track Listing:

1. Sin & Guilt
2. Sermon
3. Overlooked / Disregarded
4. Burdened / Suffering
5. Fallen Eyes
6. Beaten
7. Grave
8. Failures
9. Damages
10. Offering
11. Spiral
12. Voiceless

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