Miséricorde is a Brooklyn-based band that was formed in the summer of 2022, and their music represents a type of discordant black metal that borrows from both traditional and non-traditional sources. The band’s sound is characterized by a blend of death metal, hardcore, and screamo, resulting in a heavy and chaotic mixture of music. Their approach to music is marked by an essential experimentation of styles that allows them to create a unique and original sound that is not confined to one particular genre.
These are just a few of the boundary-pushing bands that have inspired and influenced Miséricorde in their musical journey. From the brutal intensity of Converge to the avant-garde chaos of Plebeian Grandstand, Miséricorde’s sound is a testament to their diverse and eclectic range of musical tastes.
Today, we’re honored to give you the full stream of their crushing debut EP, “Self Deprivation”!
The first offering, “Self Deprivation”, is the beginning for Miséricorde. Written before the inclusion of Guitarist Nico Alonso (Descarnado), Bassist/Vocalist Mike Gardell (Extinction AD, A Constant Knowledge of Death) and Drummer Angelo Tomasello worked rigorously to create this project that pushes the boundaries of heavy and aggressive music.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Aki McCullough (Dreamwell, A Constant Knowledge of Death) at Nu House Studios, “Self Deprivation” is a dark dive into themes of worship, self harm, and abandonment. Partnered by flurries of dissonant arpeggios, relentless blast beats, and heavy chugging riffs, the music complements the themes presented in the lyrics. Miséricorde begins with a vicious statement with the release of “Self Deprivation”, one with relentless intent and introspection.
Speaking about their musical inspirations, Miséricorde gave us an interesting list of their top picks, along with their first-hand commentary below.
Mike(Bass/Vocals):
Plebeian Grandstand – False Highs, True Lows
It’s hard for me to choose just one Plebeian Grandstand album as my favorite, but I feel as though False Highs, True Lows had the greatest impact on me in terms of musical influence. It is such an important album for dissonant black metal and still sounds original to this day. The band weaves through angular, asynchronous, and dissonant riffs that leave me mesmerized every time I listen to it. I’m even more impressed that the band was able to improve on such an amazing album with their last release “Rien ne suffit”. But with False Highs, True Lows I learned the musical language of dissonant black metal. This band is probably the biggest influence on me when it comes to writing the music for Miséricorde.
Loma Prieta – IV
This is by far one of my top albums of all time when it comes to Metal and Hardcore. The album is chaotic, aggressive, and sometimes downright beautiful. I love the combination of screamo, power violence, and hardcore that they combine to create their sound. The playing on the album is passionate and is accompanied by equally passionate vocals. I hope to make a song as catchy and gut-wrenching as “Aside From This Distant Shadow, There Is Nothing Left” and I think the song that defines this album. Hardcore has always been a genre I love, while this album is more on the screamo side of things, this album has had a huge impact on me since its release. Between the passionate chaotic riffs, heavy breakdowns, and emotional chords, these are all elements I want to take and incorporate with this heavy dissonant black metal sound that I also love.
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY
When it comes to lyrics and vocals, Lingua Ignota was by far my biggest influence for this project. I was religiously listening to her discography for most of 2022, just to give you an idea of where my mental health was at. Her use of religious imagery to express her themes of trauma and abuse are beautifully crafted and were a huge inspiration to me for my own lyrics. I deal with themes of self-harm on the EP, and perpetuating that cycle over and over again, so incorporating religious imagery to convey that message felt like it could get that message across in a way that fits that zealous cycle.
Nico (Guitar):
Job For a Cowboy – Demonocracy
I’ve always been a big fan of technical death metal. I really love how this album takes you on a journey from heavy riffs to fast runs. The darkness in the chords combined with the aggressiveness is something that really fits my style
Cattle Decapitation – Death Atlas
Their last three albums have really been all bangers, and this last work is really a consolidation of their sound. What I’ve always loved about cattle is the screeching vocals and insane blast beats. Some of the chords and sweeps are amazing to me and so unexpected that I really love it. They also have very nice ambiences that are very enjoyable which is the type I’m looking for when writing backing tracks.
Angelo (Drums):
Converge – Axe to Fall
Most of my inspiration comes from a combination of different drummers from hardcore and death metal when approaching our music. Ben Koller from Converge is one of my biggest and Axe to Fall is a great album that showcases his drumming prowess. Axe to Fall is a great combination of thrash and hardcore drum grooves. I’m heavily inspired by the grooves he lay down and try to incorporate those techniques when Mike or Nico come up with a riff. I like to take knowledge from every drummer I like and try to manipulate the best I can when I’m given a guitar riff or bass groove from my peers.
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis
Another favorite drummer of mine is Billy Rymer from The Dillinger Escape Plan. On Option Paralysis especially the drumming inspired me for this kind of music. The constant changing of grooves and the amount of power that’s brought into a section and then taken away is executed extremely well. That effect of giving the audience something and taking it away in a song is so cool to me and always leaves me speechless. I want to capture that kind of energy and bring it to the table in Miséricorde, while holding true to my death metal drumming influences from bands like Dehumanized, The Black Dahlia Murder, Dying Fetus, Deicide, and more.
