Album Review: Silverstein – Misery Made Me (UNFD)

Few bands on their 22nd lap around the scene could claim to be in ‘just getting started’ mode as much as punk stalwarts Silverstein. On Misery Made Me, they find themselves spring boarding off the heights they’ve reached over the past handful of years. The new album will be released on May 6th, 2022 via UNFD.

Reveals vocalist Shane Todd:

For the first time in our career, we truly put it all out there. We went into this with no rules and no preconceived notions of what Silverstein is or what it could be. The results are bold. We somehow wrote the heaviest, saddest, catchiest, and most emotional songs in 22 years of being a band … all on the same album.

Credit where credit is due, Silverstein could have sat back and coasted on their legacy but instead they have gone out of their way to challenge. Both themselves and the listener. That the end result is such a resounding success is one life’s intimate pleasures.

Kicking off with the fiery and anthemic Our Song, Silverstein set the bar high with a simply staggering bout of catchy punk/hardcore-infused hard rock.

The first of several guests makes an appearance on Die Alone, with Comeback Kid’s Andrew Neufeld adding his meaty hardcore vocal style to a track that is bristling with intensity. Before Ultraviolet showcases an impressive combination of melody and metal power. Another anthem on an album that is packed with them.

Further proof of that statement coming from the heartfelt powerhouse that is Cold Blood. A track that features singer/song-writer Trevor Daniel and is one of the most emotionally-wrought tracks on the album.

It’s back to the meatier and faster numbers with the thrilling It’s Over and The Altar/Mary. The former featuring a chorus that is stupidly infectious and the latter featuring unbridled aggression and stunning shifts towards a more modern, clean and mellow sound. If that wasn’t enough, the intense electronica tone that rises for the ‘Mary’ segment of the song is quite something.

Both are filled with hardcore-infused fire, a ton of memorable hooks and some really incredible vocals. This point on the album might be the standout section as Silverstein showcase just how creative this album is.

Talking about vocals though… when you see The Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica appearing as a guest, you know things are about to get wild. Which they do on the brilliant Slow Motion but perhaps not in the expected way. Another surprising track on an album filled with surprises.

With the two-thirds of the album complete, there’s no denying that Silverstein have one of the best records of their career here. Something that acknowledges the past but is also looking to the future.

Happily, the final third doesn’t drop the high quality as we get the stunning head-banging power that is Don’t Wait Up. As well as the teeth-shattering wildness of Bankrupt, where the intensity is off-set by a sing-along chorus. Then the penultimate track, Live Like This is something that refreshes the palette. Where singer/rapper nothing, nowhere joins in for a track that has a modern danceable tendency alongside Silverstein’s moments of fiery hardcore side rising up here and there.

All good things must come to an end and it’s with Misery that this album finishes up. A sorrowful, melodic and reaffirming finish. A beautiful and touching closing track on an album that doesn’t disappoint at any stage.

Silverstein – Misery Made Me Full Track Listing:

1. Our Song
2. Die Alone (ft. Andrew Neufeld)
3. Ultraviolet
4. Cold Blood (ft. Trevor Daniel)
5. It’s Over
6. The Altar/Mary
7. Slow Motion (ft. Mike Hranica)
8. Don’t Wait Up
9. Bankrupt
10. Live Like This
11. Misery (ft. nothing, nowhere)

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