Misery Loves Co.
Not Like Them

After publishing the review of an album played by a dubious band and, as usual, upsetting the champions of the politically correct, I'm getting back on track (is that how you say it?) with an album that has nothing political about it and is light years away from Oi! or similar genres.

Raise your hand if you remember the good old Misery Loves Co.! A Swedish band from the mid-'90s, driven by great ideas, even if often too anchored to the sound of masters like Nine Inch Nails, Fear Factory, Pantera, and...Cure!

Yes, you read that correctly. Besides the metal-industrial sound assault, the Swedes loved to captivate the listener with dark and decadent atmospheres, atmospheres that at the time brought to mind the early Cure, or sticking to those years, the Bowie of "1.Outside."

Compared to their debut, played mainly on violence and frontal assault, here there are more ideas, and the taste seems to have refined. If we want to exaggerate, it could be said that the debut was a child of Fear Factory, while this enjoyable "Not Like Them," fitting and unusual title, could be considered as a sort of tribute to Mr. Reznor.

There is also some reference to the Seattle sound, especially in certain choruses, and to the acidic guitars of Nirvana and Alice In Chains. It's not that bad! It's simply an album that's a product of its time, and like all albums that are products of their time, an album with the obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Best songs? "It's All Yours," "A Million Lies," the catchy "Prove Me Wrong," and "Complicated Games."

Perhaps one of the most "commercial" bands produced by Earache, but trust me, an LP that can be listened to without much effort while not being superficial.

No intellectual drivel, no kindness (on the contrary!), and no political rhetoric (which, in most cases, leads to lousy indie-hipster conservatism). Only anger and darkness. Obviously marked with the '90s.