Mist Of Misery – Shackles Of Life – EP Review

After their critically acclaimed sophomore full length Absence, emerged from the mists back in 2016, Mist Of Misery have been busy working on their long anticipated follow-up, the mini album Shackles Of Life; the first of two chapters that are set to be opened by these symphonic black metallers from Stockholm!

Make no mistake, Shackles of Life is a gloomy affair, an outpouring of emotion backed by cunning melody and moody melancholy, blast-beats and orchestral flourishes, harsh shrieks, Gregorian chants and spoken-word passages. It’s a symphonic black metal meets post-metal blast of revolving, swirling riffs and ambient noise and its many layers offers rewards to both the adventurous listener and the more hardened symphonic black metal fan.

“Dagon” is the big hitter, home to a satisfyingly crunchy riff and Darkthrone-esque atmosphere (but with a suitably clear production, there’s nothing lo-fi about this recording), this indicates how strong Mist Of Misery truly are; the band forging ahead with bravado and brawn, the exact opposite of the piano led interlude that proceeded it.

At a running length of half an hour and with 7 tracks included, this EP borders on a short, snappy full length release but Mist Of Misery are sticking with the mini-album format and the second chapter — Fields of Isolation — is to follow at the tail end of this year. It’ll be well worth checking out if Shackles Of Life is anything to go by! 7/10