Metal Band of the Week:
Misery Signals
August 15, 2009 by Kyle BradyTags: "Misery Signals", Band, Metal, Music, Review
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For a band with three full-length albums and an EP, Misery Signals still remains relatively unknown to many audiences, but manages to impress and improve with each subsequent release. Formed in 2002 out of the ashes of assorted bands, Misery Signals launched themselves as a metalcore-hardcore hybrid that has evolved over the last seven years into something decidedly more talented and original.
On their self-titled EP and first full-length release, “Of Malice and the Magnum Heart”, their musical interest appeared to lay in combining the chugging brutality of hardcore with some of the more melodic elements of metalcore, while managing to feature a significant amount of dissonance. Jesse Zaraska, the original vocalist, preferred a harsh and midrange pitched scream for the majority of their material, but occasionally used a clear speaking voice overtop riffs. Their early years are difficult to appreciate in hindsight, with the rare exception of songs like “The Year Summer Ended In June”.
However, the presence of Karl Schubach as a replacement vocalist seemed to have a significant influence on the band: the guitars became more diverse and intertwined, the song structure saw more experimentation, and, above all, the development of a unique sound. The use of dissonance became more integrated with Misery Signals as they released “Mirrors” in 2006, and the evolution of the band was clear. In addition to combining melody and brutality into a surprisingly wonderful result, the vocals tended to stay in a deeper range than on previous albums, which resulted in better overall coherence. Songs such as “The Failsafe” demonstrate their ability to combine guitar distortion with clean tones, beauty with brutality, and melody with absolute dissonance.
It is with the semi-recent release of “Controller” in mid-2008 that Misery Signals defined themselves as what could be called a progressive metalcore band: embracing the best of the metalcore and hardcore genres while experimenting outside the normal parameters. Without a doubt their best album to date, the 41-minute album blends one song seamlessly into the next and runs the gamut of human emotion, bringing the listener along for the ride. The guitar riffing that was first seen on “Mirrors” finds greater use and purpose in direct opposition to the even deeper, but more understandable, vocals that incorporate Jesse’s habit of clean speech, and unexpected surprises can be found in guitar solos, instrumentals, and actual singing, not to mention lyrics that are alternately haunting and disturbing by turn. They have cemented their sound as a balance between the light and heavy, and have created something truly original – the as-yet-unannounced successor album will likely be a continuation of this musical brilliance, as difficult as it is to imagine.
Currently on tour in Europe, Misery Signals can be found on MySpace; their newest album, “Controller”, can be found on Amazon [CD] [MP3] along with their full-length backcatalog of “Mirrors” [CD] [MP3] and “Of Malice and the Magnum Heart” [CD] [MP3].
Kyle can be found on Twitter and MySpace, or reached via email.
