Scott, Mattie

THE MISER

What do metalheads eat for breakfast, dinner, and tea? Riffs, riffs and more RIFFFFFFS! So given we live on a diet of fat riffs, meaty riffs, and most of all, delicious riffs, you'll be pleased to discover a rather tasty band to satisfy your need metallic chunkiness. Meet THE MISER, a groovy, rock 'n' roll influenced, stoner-type, brawny band from the UK, who pack their artillery full of thick, chonky riffs. These guys manage to make misery sound fun, focusing on gloriously dark thematic to fuel their burning embers, infusing nasty hooks, and whopping melodies to get their macabre fire roaring.

Our Editor, Leanne "Metal Maiden" Evans, spoke with Scott (Guitars) and Matty (Bass) to talk about the band's recent single, "House on the Hill", and to delve into why us metalheads adore the dark and all things death, and a few other "outside the box" ideas in between.

By Leanne "Metal Maiden" Evans

• February 16, 2023

THE MISER's Scott: "We've been through many incarnations and line-ups

Hey guys, how have you been doing?

Scott: Pretty good thanks! We've been pretty busy putting this release together and writing new material at the same time. We hope you're all gonna love what we've got in store!

Matty: Smashing thanks!

Well the taster I've heard of the new stuff is pretty damn good! Have you been getting stuck into attending any gigs or shows? If so, which are your highlights, and why?

Scott: I'm ashamed to say I don't get to as many gigs as I used to (or would like to) pretty out of touch with what's going on out there in the underground scene to be honest, we just get our heads down and do our own thing. The last gig I went to was pre-covid. It was Airbourne at the o2 in Oxford. They've gotta be seen to be believed in a small venue like that!

Matty: Bob Vylan. They've got things to say.

How do you view the underground scene as it stands? Do you feel the UK has a strong metal scene and which bands stand out most for you?

Scott: Literally no idea, I've not got my finger on the pulse there, I still listen to my favourites mostly and any new bands that I come across are a bonus!

Matty: Covid & Brexit killed it, but it's getting back on its feet.

You're not wrong there, it's starting to make a decent recovery (thankfully), but still with a way to go. And are there any bands that you'd be especially interested in working gig-wise?

Scott: Anyone that fits the bill. Book us and we will come!

Ha ha! Why be picky?! Now, let's talk about YOU! The Miser has actually been around since 2014; tell us how the band first came about? Was it a fairly organic creation, or was there a set 'agenda'?

Scott: Yeah 2014 which seems like a crazy long time, but we've been through many incarnations and line-ups in that time, but we've finally landed on one that's stable and really represents what the band is all about. Initially I wanted to start a band with some buddies that was like Thin Lizzy on steroids. What actually transpired when we got in the rehearsal room was the sort of heavy 70's 'Sabbath on a spin cycle' vibe that you hear from us today.

Matty: I wasn't in the original line-up but I was a fan and I hoped their former bass player would get caught up in a tragic yachting accident, and luckily for me he did… or something like that.

Dark humour to go with a delightfully dark sound…I love it! What's your background in music? Have any of you been in any bands previously, and if so, which sub-genres?

Scott: I've been in a bunch of different bands, blues rock bands, heavy rock bands, metal core bands. You name it! But my heart and soul has always been in the heavy rock that we represent now.
Matty: I've been playing in bands since I was 17 and all of them were awful!

Do you feel there's been a natural maturation in your sound and identity since first starting out?

Scott: The song writing has definitely matured, but it's not pushing any boundaries; it's just good old-time meat and potatoes rock and roll!

Matty: We all contribute now whereas when I joined, I was playing stuff that I had no hand in, now everyone of us has added "their" sound to the mix.

We love a well-thought band name at Metal Temple, and yours is a profoundly interesting one that hails from the 14th Century painter Hieronymus Bosch and his painting 'Death and the Miser', which your bio states "is a reminder that death does in fact come for us all". What do you think is with our fascination with death?

Scott: I'd love to say there is some clever reason why we used this band name but that would be a lie! I was just a fan of the paintings of Bosch, and it seemed suitably dark for the sound of the band.

Matty: It's inevitable. And when you know something is going to happen to you and people around you, you then question when and how. That's depressing isn't it?

Hey man, that's life! Now, you have a new single out called, "House on the Hill", and the thematic is centered around B-Movie horror films: tell us more about which film/s inspired you and why.

Scott: Ahh that's Crocker's (vocals) thing when it comes to themes and lyrics. I just bash out the riffs! Personally though, I feel like it gives Vincent Price/Hammer horror vibes. In terms of old horror movies though we probably need to give a shout out to Psychomania, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, and the Evil Dead series. They are a couple of titles I used to watch on the regular with our original bassist and a few beers.

Matty: House of the Devil for me, Crocker does the lyrics.

What's your opinion on metalheads' obsession with horror movies? Do you think we're fascinated with them because we're a dark specimen amongst mankind, or is it more to do with intrigue?

Scott: I think all humans are drawn to the darker side of things. Call it morbid curiosity, I guess.

Matty: For me, escapism and definitely intrigue and shock. I think I have watched every horror movie made and there's been some terrible films. But also, some belters!

Creatively speaking, your music has a moreish darkness about it, and you've previously been described as sounding like "Trouble partying with Budgie and Atomic Rooster"; is this an accurate synopsis of your influence? (To me, you sound like a miserable Orange Goblin and Sabbath have just done puff-puff pass with you, it's great!) How else could you describe your musical identity and the new single to anyone who hasn't heard it?

Scott: The Sabbath comparison is the most frequent one that we get and it's an obvious one. Honestly, I wouldn't even rank Sabbath in my top 5 bands. Obviously, they are a monumentally amazing band and still an influence but for me when writing the influences come from other sources and, once they've gone through The Miser mangler, come out sounding like we do - which apparently is 'Sabbathy'. Haha! It's not intentional.

Matty: Yeah, we're miserable, haha! And socially awkward. But… we do have big, BIG riffs.

You also have an upcoming EP, "Memento Mori", can you tell me more about that and what listeners can expect?

Scott: Imagine all the songs we have released previously just with different titles… NO! just kidding. It's very Miser. Big riffs, big hooks, you'll have trouble putting it in any one box and no two songs sound the same. It's a blast!

Matty: Big. Tight. Heavy. Riffs.

So, you've joined the mighty DC Sound Attack's roster! What are your plans? Can we expect plenty of shows on the horizon?

Scott: I hope! We wanna get out there and get in front of as many faces as possible!

Matty: Hopefully

Well, we have our fingers crossed for you guys, because we really rate you here at Metal Temple! What do you hope to achieve over the coming years in The Miser?

Scott: Plenty of gigs and tours, festival appearances would be great!

Matty: To play live as much as possible!

What would the real-life festival or live performance dream be for The Miser?

Scott: Any of the big metal festivals would be amazing for us!

Matty: Hellfest would be great.

Now to move on to the endearingly 'eclectic' section…If The Miser were a smell, what would it be?

Scott: 'Pour Homme.' A cheap aftershave located in the toilet of West Star Studios, High Wycombe.

That's as grim sounding as I'd hoped it would be! Right, now we're going to play a game that I did with DeathCollector. It's based on the concept of "Snog, Marry, Avoid", except there's a 'Leanne' twist, so it's "Ear Fuck, Mate for Life, Get in the Fucking Sea". So, give me three albums, one for each option, mainstream or underground, old or new, any genre that you'd choose and why.

Scott: Ear fuck - AC/DC Back in Black - sonic perfection. Mate for Life - Thin Lizzy Live & Dangerous (Rock perfection live or not) Get in the sea - Anything by Foo Fighters - middle of the road corporate rock garbage.

Matty: Ear fuck, The Bride Screamed Murder by The Melvins. Mate for life, Aenima by Tool and any and all AC/DC can get in the sea, creepy old man dressed as a schoolboy.

It seems the love for AC/DC isn't wholly unanimous… To round things off nicely, the signature "Leanne question" I ask in my interviews, indulge me and tell me who your fantasy celebrity metal tea party guests would be! You need to choose someone to cook, someone to chat with, someone to entertain you, and someone to party with…

Scott: If we're not worried about that then we're partying with Bon Scott because we all know how wild that would be, there would be no time for cooking, so we'll skip that and just add Lemmy to the party. Finally, we'd be chatting with Ronnie Van Zant, an interesting dude for sure.

Matty: Matt Pike from High On Fire because he works as a cook. Entertained by dead Kurt Cobain so he can tell me Courtney did it. And volume 4 era Sabbath to party with. I have to say that's quite the party, although I'm not convinced that Bon Scott would survive, especially having been chucked in the sea already…! Good luck to you all with the new single and keep us updated with the gig offers that'll come your way!

And there we have it, the wonderful THE MISER. You can check out the guys' brooding sound on their Bandcamp:

https://themiser.bandcamp.com/music

Keep an eye out on DC Sound Attack's Facebook page for plenty of the band's updates:

https://www.facebook.com/DCSoundAttack/

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