Calling All Captains
(e)motion sickness
Look, the fact that Calling All Captains released their album in 2021 and have gone basically unmoved since isn’t good. Blame pop-punk being on the cusp of its latest identity crisis at the time, though a band plying easycore-ish material more common about five years prior wouldn’t have helped. So maybe that was the impetus behind this new EP, as Calling All Captains now spread themselves out to account for whatever corner-case trend that pop-punk has embodied in recent memory, perhaps in the hope it might crop up again. Almost sounds like a band with no concrete direction for themselves and are looking to wing it with as composed a visage as they can muster. Hmm…
In any case, (e)motion sickness isn’t booting down doors any time soon. If this were the most established names in the scene putting it out, it still wouldn’t, and it’s hard to imagine that Calling All Captains don’t know that. They can be good—Slowly Getting Better was a solid album—but this kind of pivot that never properly commits to anything has no chance of letting them grow. What they would grow into is never clear, given the rotating hats worn across every track, compounded by obvious previous trends and anachronisms that do them no favours. Wallflower is a cumulative crib of The Story So Far’s early-2010s orbit; Skin & Bones has the emo flavouring from a bit further down the timeline; One More Day is the ever-ephemeral acoustic ballad customary in pop-punk since God knows when; and Sunbeam couldn’t be a more obvious homage to current-day blink-182.
To be fair to Calling All Captains, none of these are precisely bad. Honestly, Wallflower and its easycore compatriot Be Cool would be rather good as standalones. As part of a package, though, when they’re cut away before being allowed to blossom and replaced with another unsprouted seedling, it seldom amounts to much. To keep the metaphor going, you’re left with a garden full of stalks but no flowers—technically there’s life to be found, but is it as well-cultivated as it could be? The answer is no, regardless of how well-performed it all is, or how Luc Gauthier can indeed tailor his vocals to the ‘correct’ style. If Calling All Captains really wanted to strike, they’d have committed their efforts to one uniform approach, instead of flitting around and cutting their substance off at the knees.
What’s even more disheartening is that, when you zoom out a bit, the entire picture is one of a pop-punk band for whom greater success isn’t on the cards. This isn’t what gets big anymore, and Calling All Captains’ way of trying to remedy that is exceptionally roundabout at best. Even if its far from the worst example of bands stuck in the halcyon days and, by hook or by crook, are determined to make it work again, (e)motion sickness reads as just as futile as the rest, at the end of it all. It’s already a tough one to remember, even just an hour or so removed from the last spin. Just imagine it in the coming weeks or months—basically reduced to atoms, as far as traces are concerned. • LN
For fans of: The Story So Far, blink-182, Four Year Strong
‘(e)motion sickness’ by Calling All Captains is out now on New Damage Records.
Mister Misery
Misery Misery
For a band who look, sound and are named like some of the more regrettable parts of early-2010s goth-metal, Mister Misery aren’t too bad. Not that they aren’t a poor man’s Motionless In White, or that any semblance of quality they engender isn’t there through pure happenstance. They just happen to land a bit more cleanly sometimes, is all. That, and the freak flag they’re flying isn’t totally threadbare from a decade’s worth of breaking in to little avail. You’d expect Mister Misery to be far more cringe coming so late after the fact, but the curl of the monkey’s paw has kept them out of the graveyard (that they wouldn’t otherwise frequent on their own time), with the caveat of being chained to this exact style forevermore.
Therefore, this third album is practically indistinguishable from the last two, likely by design. The fact they’ve even gotten this far in probably says to Mister Misery that this is too valuable a formula to just drop, despite the tomes of historical evidence to the contrary that—let’s face it—are not about to be dispelled by this, of all albums. The truth is, it, too, is just…fine. It’s what you’d expect, in the big choruses and shredding, blustery guitars, and the sense that there’s not a legit surprise to be found amongst it. Well, maybe Until The End as a song about Resident Evil, but even so, the musical side and semantic field of generally spooky things goes unbothered. Twelve tracks of that can feel like a lot, too, especially when the only major deviation is Crooked Man and its grating Muppet voices.
But beyond that—and aided immensely by a low genre average for this sort of thing—Mister Misery aren’t doing anything objectionable. They’ve got the ear for grand histrionics on Erzsébet (The Countess) and Survival Of The Sickest, and enough juice in the hooks to elevate them to where they need to be. The earlier Motionless In White comparison might have read as a little glib, but squint hard enough and there are similarities to draw. Even if it’s predominantly aesthetic branding (i.e. Mister Misery are critically lacking the industrial heft that gives Motionless In White their best work), there’s enough to go on. More often than not, you’ll find yourself humming along as the album goes on, a rarity for a sound that often feels so throwaway and insubstantial. In other words, it’s good that Mister Misery are worth more than just tuning out of completely. What an upgrade!
Look, bands like this just don’t have a significant shelf life, and Mister Misery’s existence as one of the ‘better’ ones is out of necessity, more than anything. You’d never choose them over a genuine article, nor would you miss them that much if they vanished tomorrow. But they’re also not the worst at this, either. They’re not as tryhard to as much of a teeth-clenching, dig-your-fingernails-into-your-palm way, which actually holds some significant value when talking about bands like this. Mileage will undoubtedly vary, of course, but for what Mister Misery are ordained to do for the rest of time…it’s alright. Don’t expect to have the ground ripped from underneath you and you’ll be fine. • LN
For fans of: Motionless In White, Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides
‘Mister Misery’ by Mister Misery is released on 2nd August on AFM Records.
Revoid
Evergrey
Following from the impression made by their debut Sleepless Still, Brisbane-based Revoid open up with an emotionally raw offering in Evergrey. The alternative metal quartet produce a striking impact through their considered balance of electronics and metal instrumentation across a highly produced sound. The opening track Everything, delves into self-reflection and appreciation of each version of oneself over time from vocalist Dale Dudeson. Revoid clearly had a vision in mind when designing the track list for this release. Everything’s dramatic introduction is a percussion led greeting. Its enticing and already showcasing power through the single instrument. A clean lead creating a new focal point prior to the vocals and heavier instruments kicking in. The high production quality is clear from the off, as is the emotional nature of the song. Harsh vocals inject a fierceness while also enhancing the textural nature of the track. The track blends a vastness, a powerfulness through the music with the intimacy of the lead vocal performance and lyrics.
The energy ramps up considerably in the following track, Visionary. A more rhythmically driven track, it bursts into life with an increased focus on the heavy instrumentation, enhanced with harsh vocals. Revoid’s arrangements place an emphasis on the mood or ideas of the track. For an alternative metal band, the guitars don’t necessarily take on a central role across every song instead, they are used effectively to inject a heaviness where it best fits. Clean vocals return in Visionary’s chorus developing the track further with a shift into lighter tones before diving back in the heavy. Continuing on, discordant guitar chord stabs enhance the darker aspect of their sound while airy synths compliment the clean vocal tone and fill out the space above the thundering fast-pace beneath.
Running with a design of contrasts, Let You In is slower in pace with a melancholy opening and brutally honest, hard-hitting opening lyrics. The guitars are strategically placed throughout the track—this elevates certain sections and adds drama without shifting too far away from the character of the song. Euphoria in contrast, makes for a violent offering with its aggressive onslaught. By layering synths subtly alongside the distorted instruments, the atmosphere feels huge with an eerie sensation emerging here and there. However, it isn’t overpowering with electronics.
Nevermind traverses between moments of greater and lesser intensity. Initially it manifests a sense of urgency through the distinctive opening synth lead before reining back into a calmer arrangement in the first verse, allowing the vocals fill the space. By then gradually rebuilding the intensity in the background, the track seemingly rises and falls, mirroring the dynamics of the moods being portrayed. The ending of this release mirrors the intense emotion of its opening. The atmospheric electronics and backing vocals paint a striking setting in Fray. With a more progressive structure and more extreme contrast of light and dark, Revoid unleash their fierceness with huge heavy chord progressions across the track and notably in the breakdown. • HR
For fans of: Currents, Void of Vision, Bad Omens
‘Evergrey’ by Revoid is out now.
Words by Luke Nuttall (LN) and Holly Royle (HR)
