Misery
Band Members
- Final Line-Up
- Damon Robinson (vocals, bass)
- Scott Edgar (guitar)
- Anthony Dwyer (drums)
- Former Members
- Lazslo Khaninghinis (guitar) (1991 - 2001)
- Mosies Contreras (vocals) (1994)
- Darren Goulding (vocals) (1991 - 1993)
Website
Formed
Brisbane, QLD, 1991
Band information
Misery was one of Australia's earliest and longest-running death metal bands, possibly the closest any local band has come to Morbid Angel's vision of the genre. The band formed in Brisbane in 1991 with members drawn from other local acts such as Black Magic, Northwinds, Anger In Motion and Savage. Problems with lead vocalists marked the course of the band's early career, but even so the band had already laid the foundations for their dense and formidable, all conquering holocaust. The "Sorting of the Insects" and "Astern Diabolos" demos (the latter with its confronting "demon birth" artwork) established Misery as a supremely heavy act, with a sound that flirted with flat out grindcore and elements of doom along with their patented no mercy death metal.
Original singer Darren Goulding was jettisoned from the band after the release of A Necessary Evil and a national tour with Pungent Stench. Into the breech stepped Mausoleum's Moises Contreras for the 'Insidious' EP, which experimented more with doom elements and spawned the legendary gore-drenched video for the track 'Torn'. Contreras' stay with the band soon came to an end also, though his departure was on much more amicable grounds than Goulding's, and after several frustrating months finding a permanent replacement, Robinson took up the gauntlet himself. Goulding went on to join Manticore and Sulkus and Contreras later formed Sakkuth.
The scene was now set for Misery's next phase, and after being picked up by Warhead Records the band recorded one of the heaviest albums ever recorded in Australia, the brutal and vital Revel in Blasphemy. The raw production standards employed on the CD only helped to enhance the sinister, cataclysmic death metal which sprawls across the album. Revel... helped to put Misery on a more national footing and revitalised interest in a band which had almost been forgotten outside of Brisbane until that stage.
After this, Misery continued on their path with merciless live shows, featuring at Metal for the Brain and at several smaller shows in and around Sydney. The band's next album was completed by 1998 but scheduling issues with Warhead meant it wasn't released before the label closed down. Eventually Curses appeared on Venomous Records in 2000. During this time all the band's members were involved with other groups: Khanaghinis in stoner band Green Steam, Robinson, Dwyer and Khanghinis recorded a demo with a doom band called Cardinal Sin and Edgar was in Sound Surgery for a few years.
After a tour of New Zealand late in 2001, Khananginis decided to leave Misery to concentrate on Green Steam. The remaining members kept Misery going, recording a fourth album was that completed by 2005. After this, Robinson left Australia to live in the US and Misery disbanded. Obsidian Records released On Demon Wings in mid-2007. Scott Edgar formed The Dead in 2005 but left that band in early 2008.
Misery will reform for a tour with Mournful Congregation in March 2009.
Discography
Album:
| 1993 | A Necessary Evil | Velvet Urge | |
| 1996 | Revel in Blasphemy | Warhead | |
| 2000 | Curses | Venomous | |
| 2007 | On Demon Wings | Obsidian |
Singles:
| 1995 | Dark Inspirations | Subcide |
EP:
| 1994 | Insidious | Valve |
Compilation tracks:
| Year | Track Title | Album Title | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Morbid Dreams" | Come to Daddy | Thrust | |
| 1995 | "Innocent Toture" | Worst Case Scenario | Underclass | |
| 1997 | "A Song Before Dying" | Thirteen | ABC/EMI | |
| 1999 | "Immortal" | Under the Southern Cross | Chatterbox | |
| 2004 | "Holy Devil" | Legions: Opening of the Southern Gate | Blacktalon Media |
