Misery Loves Co.

What ever happened to the heavy Misery Loves Co.? The Swedish sensation that lobbed us the weighty "Kiss Your Boots" and "My Mind Still Speaks," off their 1994 self-titled debut, which in turn gave Earache the morale boost they needed to recover after the missteps of Dub War and Pulkas. Fact is, it's difficult for industrial metal bands to keep their original focuses (Fear Factory, Soulstorm, Ministry) because of the dance/techno/wimpy forces at work against them. MLC's 1997 release, Not Like Them, is a prime example ¾ it didn't continue the brutal standards set by the debut. Your Vision... is easier to swallow after realising that MLC is now a goth/industrial band (they even cover an old Cure song) and a darn good one at that. The title song is a moody li'l tune copied from the palettes of Manson or Filter. "Like A Suicide" could be a heavier version of Duran Duran's "The Chauffeur," with its torrential "Kashmir"-styled triplet chord progressions. Front man Patrik Wiren doesn't yell and scream anymore (excepting the snarl-fests "When Everything Dies" and "Into The Grey"), but gets downright mellow in a Course Of Empire type of vibe on the excellent "Damage Driven" and "On Top Of The World." If you're a Pitchshifter fan of yore who doesn't have major hang-ups with that group's current mainstream bid, then you might enjoy revisiting MLC.