New wound for Sorry… .
Created by Greek guitarist Dimitris (EmptyLife, ex-After Death Alone), he collaborates with English singer A.W. (Cold July, Shallow Existence, Shroud of Blight…) to create Drowned in Misery, his fourth album.
They are also assisted by Apathy L. (bass, Empty Life, Stillness, Verlaine) and S. (drums/guitar, Winds of Tragedy, Rise to the Sky, My Dearest Wound).
We kick off this descent into hell with Its Always Painful to Say Goodbye, a composition contrasting dissonant guitars, violent screams and a kind of innocent gaiety in bass. The track is quite jerky, offering two pauses before a rather slow final then gives way to the haunting Fallen Tears of Internal Anguish, whose soaring melodies fit in perfectly with the suffocating riffs and various rales of suffering. Razor Deep in the Centre of the Problem lets us peacefully sink into its heart-rending melancholy, while the vocal parts diversify slightly, accompanying the heavy slowness before becoming lighter on The Distance That Torn Us Apart. Harmonics caress us from time to time, soothing the abrasive aspect of the rhythm, which becomes even more painful on Emotionally Destroyed, where the strident vocal parts send a chill down our spine. The lacerating rhythm is also more vigorous, but eventually returns to its heady apathy with Drowned in Misery, the eponymous composition, with its hypnotic riffs. The howls in the background give us chills again, as do the aggressive growls, then the band tackles the now mythical Don’t Go, a creation of the equally legendary American band Happy Days, whose melancholic spirit they keep, adding their veil of distress. The track accelerates, taking advantage of a furious double pedal before suddenly fading out, giving way to The Black Monolith‘s piano to create the hazy Lethe, an outro from which a few cries emerge before silence takes hold of us.
It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to a sound as raw and heart-rending as Drowned in Misery. Sorry… can be proud of having created such a well of darkness and suffering, which enters the DSBM universe with dignity.
95/100
