Thrash metal outfit Misfire is one of the next big names in the metal and hard rock community. The band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Product of the Environment, which is scheduled for release Friday through MNRK Heavy, is proof positive of that. Set for release roughly three years after the release of its debut album, Sympathy For The Ignorant, this record is a step up for the band that definitely cements its place in said community’s current crop of up-and-coming acts. The musical arrangements featured throughout the 43-minute record make that clear, as the record’s current singles, ‘Left For Dead,’ ‘Living The Dream,’ and ‘We Went Through Hell’ have made clear. What those singles exhibit is just a portion of how much the album has to offer both musically and lyrically. The rest of the album’s overall content serves just as well to make that clear. Each will be discussed a little later. The production that went into this 12-song record rounds out its most important elements. It ensures a fully positive aesthetic that makes the record fully immersive. All things considered Product of the Environment proves to be among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Product of the Environment, the forthcoming sophomore album from Misfire, is a solid new offering from the up-and-coming metal outfit. Over the course of its 12 total songs, it proves this band to be one of the next big names in the metal and hard rock community. As its current trio of singles show, that is partially proven through the record’s musical arrangements. From the beginning to end of the album, the arrangements pay direct homage to the bands that laid the groundwork for this and other of today’s thrash acts – Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Testament, Exodus — while giving each its own unique modern touch. The result creates a solid foundation for the album. ‘Privacy,’ which is part of the record’s second half, is a prime example of this strength. Throughout the song’s three-minute-plus run time, audiences can hear clear vintage Exodus influence. That is evident in the rich instrumentation and the equally distinct vocal delivery style. On another note, the early entry, ‘Day To Day,’ does exhibit some Exodus influence, but the guitar riffs, the drumming, and solid bass line also hint at vintage Metallica and Megadeth thrash. Yet the band still manages to ensure the arrangement bears its own unique identity, making it another solid example of how much this record has to offer audiences, musically speaking. ‘End of An Age,’ yet another example of how the band manages so successfully to give the album’s songs such a unique touch. In its verse, the band clearly exhibits influence of Slayer. The choruses meanwhile are more akin to some of the compositions that Lamb of God has crafted. The duality therein makes this one of the most unique additions to the album, musically speaking. When it and the other songs examined here are considered alongside the rest of the album’s entries, the whole therein forms a solid foundation for Product of the Environment.
Building on that foundation is the lyrical content that accompanies those arrangements. The band covers a wide range of topics in the album’s lyrical content. From the trials and tribulations of going through the bad times to get to the good in ‘We Went Through Hell’ to the reminder to make the most of each day in ‘Living The Dream’ to even bearing the stress of mental health struggles in ‘Born To Die,’ the album’s lyrical themes are sure to resonate with a wide range of audiences. The band even takes on the rise of artificial intelligence in the aptly titled ‘Artificially Intelligent.’ The theme is clear as front man Tim Jensen sings/screams here, “A perfect formula controls the mind/You terminate the passion of mankind/Blind to this misconception/Hypocrisy skewed perception/It’s dumbing down the human race/Turning passion into artificial waste/Numbs the mind/To clear focused thought/Eliminates all we’ve been taught/Artificially intelligent/Unwilling to change/Eliminate free thought/Pacify your rage/You’ll never think you’re artificially you/Your subconscious never speaks/Artificially true.” That note of “turning passion into artificial waste” is pretty clear considering all the discussion that continues to be had about the role of AI. People’s passions, their abilities, are being turned into artificial waste thanks to AI because people are essentially being tossed aside like garbage in favor of AI. Jensen goes a step further later in the song as he notes that the “exploitation of the mind/rips apart your vanity/Your perception is irrelevant/Blinded by your incompetence.” He is pointing out how AI has caused people to not think for themselves anymore and become way to reliant on said technology. It is overall, a powerful yet familiar theme that is certain to resonate with audiences.
The band even goes the sociopolitical root (or so it would seem) in ‘End of An Age.’ Herein, Jensen launches right into the commentary as he notes, “I’ll tell you how it is/This world is made up of lies and corruption/Our foundation wasn’t built on truth/It’s just here to hold our ties/This is the end of an age/Not a new chapter or a new age/The old ways were bought and sold/Now we watch history unfold/Goodbye to evolution/Destroyed by revolution/This is the end of an age/They lost the key to the cage/And after all/We’re all slaves to this broken system/Until we fall/Chained to our beliefs/Killing each other to live.” He adds in the song’s second verse, “There’s enough proof/So just admit it/It’s history repeating itself/It’s impossible for us to recognize/We’re blinded by a vision created for us.” The song continues in this fashion in the third and final verse. The end result is a powerful commentary about how far society has fallen and how it continues to fall. It is yet another theme that is familiar and accessible. To that end, it is another example of the power and importance of the album’s lyrical content. When this and the other themes examined here are considered along with the rest of the album’s lyrical content the whole leaves no doubt as to the strength of the record’s overall lyrical content. When the overall lyrical content is considered alongside the musical arrangements, the two elements together build a completely solid foundation for Product of the Environment.
Putting the finishing touch to Product of the Environment is the album’s production. The production that went into the album’s production is important to examine because of the heaviness of each of the record’s dozen total tracks. The utmost attention had to have been paid to each song, to make sure each musician’s performance was balanced with those of his band mates. Luckily, that painstaking attention paid off as each song is completely immersive. At no point do any of the performances overpower one another. The rest is that the album’s listening experience proves just as engaging and entertaining for this aesthetic aspect as for the album’s content. All things considered they make Product of the Environment a powerful new offering from Misfire that is also among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Product of the Environment, the forthcoming sophomore album from Misfire, is a successful new offering from the up-and-coming metal outfit. The album’s success comes in part through its musical arrangements that throw back to the sounds of the bands that laid the foundation for thrash while also giving each song a modern touch. The balance of vintage and modern gives each arrangement its own touch that ensures listeners’ engagement and entertainment. That overall enjoyment is also ensured through the album’s lyrical themes. That is because the themes are familiar and written in a mostly accessible fashion. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation, ensuring audiences will appreciate its aesthetic side as much as its content. Each element examined is important in its own way to the whole of Product of the Environment. All things considered they make the album a solid new effort from the band that is easily among the best of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Product of the Environment is scheduled for release Friday through MNRK Heavy. More information on the album is available along with all of Misfire’s latest news at:
Website: https://misfireofficial.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Misfireofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/misfiremetal
