The Miser - House on the Hill


Formed in 2014, The Miser, based in London, have forged their dark and gloomy sound for around a decade. The name is taken from 14th century painter Hieronymus Bosch, and his painting Death and the Miser', a reminder that death does come for us all. Their upcoming EP 'Memento Mori' - which of course means that no one can escape the ultimate fate of death - will look at themes of horror, mental illness and loss within its lyrics. With that said, there's still an element of fun and entertainment within The Miser and what they do.

Their newest single, 'House on the Hill', kicks off with a punky, Misfits-style vibe - appropriate considering that the track openly pays homage to B-movie horror films! There's some killer, groovy old-school doom/stoner metal riffing (think Church of Misery or Trouble) supporting a soulful vocal from Sean Crocker. The chorus is super catchy and sticks around in your head after the song finishes and his subtle harmonies illustrate the vocal line really nicely. Sean has a charming grit to his voice, at its best when he lets rip with a few high notes throughout the track.



The guitar work from Scott Haslett is cool without being needlessly flashy. There's a hint or two of Mastodon in the way that some of the lead lines come out during the verse, and the super-heavy breakdown after his simple, tasteful guitar solo definitely nods to their epic style of riffing. It's a nice surprise for the song and prevents it from sounding dated. The band synergy is clearly very strong - they seem to know when to add energy and when to crush bones with heaviness in a really natural way.

Full of groove, doom and horror, The Miser's ode to a man's struggles with his own mind - through the lens of a horror flick - is a strong start for a new era of the band. All four members fire on all cylinders and serve the song faithfully - I recommend you play this one loud when it drops!

'House on the Hill' will be released independently on 24.11.22 (link to music video)

The Miser: FB | IG | BC

Via DC Sound Attack

MN

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

REVIEW: Man in the Arena - a rebirth for The Sound of Origin

Image
The Sound of Origin are back with their second full-length in three years, Man in the Arena . After the release of the excellent The All Seeing Eye during lockdown, the band appeared at Bloodstock Festival for the first time in 2021 and recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's Sick Things for Pale Wizard Records. A rebrand followed, introducing a new drummer in Jack Walker, also of Gandalf the Green . On Man in the Arena , he brings a distinctly different flavour compared to the previous drummer, assuredly stamping his mark onto the band. Other than that, the deliciously fuzz-soaked riffs are still present and the other addition to personnel is Kyle Thomas, famously of Trouble , Alabama Thunderpussy and Exhorder , who lends his distinctive vocal prowess to two songs on the record. What does it sound like, then? Sound of Origin - Lockjaw/Morning Bird (live at Bloodstock 2021) The two Kyle Thomas-guested songs are a neat encapsulation of the two sides to Man in the Arena . Frail Old
Read more

ARTICLE: Why I love Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Image
On this day 50 years ago, Black Sabbath released Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on Vertigo I didn't grow up in a household of heavy music, so my first memory of hearing metal is being in my friend's kitchen at around seven years old, at the time when The Osbournes was on the telly. I didn't know what Black Sabbath or metal was back then, but I picked up on a couple of earworms that turned out to be Sabbath songs later down the line. Fast forward to the age of 13 and I was chatting to an older mate of mine about music. When I told him that I was listening to a lot of Green Day and Kings of Leon, he turned his nose up and told me I should try a bit of Black Sabbath and get into metal. I went to a youth club in my village back then and a few months after that conversation I noticed a CD lying by the player at the end of a night with 'Black Sabbath Greatest Hits' written on the front. I stole it, put it on my mp3 player (showing my generation here) and brought it back the n
Read more

LIVE REVIEW: Bands, breakdowns & beers on Sunday at Rabidfest 2023

Image
Rabidfest is a yearly event in Oxford that's seen the likes of Discharge , Diamond Head and Blaze Bayley headline through the years. I was there for the first time last year as a performer and was really impressed at how well-run the event was; this year is no different, with friendly security, bar staff, organisers and front of house, as well as a ton of incredible bands. I'm only able to make the Sunday this time unfortunately, but I'm still left with some serious local and national talent to enjoy for a full day.  I get to the Bullingdon to the sweet, dulcet tones of Fetus Destruction blaring out of the speakers. With a band name like theirs, and directly titled songs such as 'Kunt', you can make a good guess at what to expect, but what you wouldn't necessarily take for granted is just how tight they are as a live unit, with particularly intense drumming and an excellent lead vocal. Despite playing around two in the afternoon, there's a sizeable and
Read more