ALBUM REVIEW: Sermon – Une Misère

Like the album cover suggests, there is a maelstrom of violence and blackness that surrounds the UNE MISÈRE debut Sermon. The Icelandic band have taken the ethos of what makes a great debut to heart and ensured that not only does the album pack a monstrous punch but also goes to great lengths to show what the band is capable. There is a lot to like about Sermon, and for anyone a fan of bands like JONESTOWN, CODE ORANGE, and VEIN should be falling over their own feet trying to listen to this record. 

Sermon opens with a distinctly death metal sound, emulating the thick and overwhelming mixes of early death metal before continuing this worship through buzzsaw riffs and tight, rampant double bass. The hardcore influence that makes up the majority of their blackened noise soon begins to seep through, as the drums start to echo and visions of flailing limbs in a open space come to mind. This isn’t to say that UNE MISÈRE don’t also know how to utilise dynamics, with the slow build of the title track and even more so on the post-metal intro on Fallen Eyes. 

The aforementioned track channels CULT OF LUNA like an effective seance would an evil spirit, and it highlights just how diverse the UNE MISÈRE brand of brutality could truly become. But brutality should always remain at the core of this band, because this is where they sit most comfortably. Whether that be death metal, beatdown, or straight modern hardcore, UNE MISÈRE have a violent centre to them, making even the eye of their storm no place for calm. 

The second half of Sermon does possess a deeper sense of cohesion, starting from the electronic rolling drums of Beaten that signal some true carnage, UNE MISÈRE really pick up the pace here, with the immediately following Grave offering 30 seconds of raw chaos that feels like being punched in the face by Mike Tyson. Failures feels light on it’s feet despite being distinctly gnarly; with some real familiar hints of bands like DESPISED ICON coming through that are a real treat. Ultimately, it just feels like Sermon has been crafted by genuine fans of a diverse range of heavy, angry music, and the band aren’t to let these influences shine through. 

Voiceless closes the album with an almighty bang thanks to it’s industrial lull before simply erupting like a volcano. It is the full stop on an album that feels like a bit of a masterclass in what the new school of metalcore needs to sound like. Uncompromising in its approach, UNE MISÈRE use the energies of death metal, hardcore, beatdown, and beyond to orchestrate a wild and vicious display of songwriting. These guys may just be onto something here… 

Rating: 8/10

Sermon is out now via Nuclear Blast Records. 

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