Misery Signals

[.EcKS.]

Every now and then, a band will release an album that grabs a hold of your throat and don’t let go for the duration of the listening experience. An album that’ll be the measuring stick in its respective genre; an album that makes you wish that more bands could do such work. This album is Mirrors, the second album from Milwaukee quintet Misery Signals. This metalcore outfit has released an album that is both gentle and brutal; eleven tracks that’ll leave you exhilarated. Mis Sigs fought the adversity of losing founding vocalist Jesse Zaraska, replacing him with Karl Schubach. Mis Sigs found Schubach through an open audition, and they found a gem in Schubach. Using a range and intensity that dwarfs their debut album Of Malice And The Magnum Heart, Schubach and the rest of Mis Sigs (guitarists Ryan Morgan and Stuart Ross, bassist Kyle Johnson, and drummer Branden Morgan) aim to kick ass and take names with Mirrors.

The album wastes no time getting in your grill with the energetic and booming “Face Yourself.” Schubach begins with a powerful scream while Morgan’s double bass beat kicks you in the jewels. “The Failsafe” begins with the clash and roll from drum kit while Ryan and Stuart build up a static of guitar riffs into a powerful intro. This song has a beautiful destruction to it, as it goes back and forth between melody and metal. The interlude between the chorus and verses take you to a dreamlike state of mind. “Post Collapse” is a relentless chugger while “Migrate” is a two and half minute lullaby, or at least the closest thing a metalcore band can come to creating one. Schubach screams are faded out into a haunting whisper over drawn out guitar riffs and Kyle’s steady bass. The next song, “One Day I’ll Stay Home,” is one that’ll stick out the most on your first listen as Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump sings the hook. Melody and passion fuse once again here, as Stump’s tenor is the perfect counterbalance to Schubach’s monstrous growl. Stump does a great job at staying within his range and even singing a bit lower than usual, and his part is definitely the highlight of the track. “Something Was Always Missing But It Was Never You” again channels a soft guitar strum that goes into a full on rampage of your ears, as Ryan and Stuart’s guitars collide with Branden’s thunderous drumming. “Reverence Lost” picks up the pace and chugs along and echoes in your membrane, while “Sword Of Eyes” is a five minute long beatdown that features the battering rhythm section of Branden and Kyle, while Ryan and Stuart are graceful and vicious with their guitars. “An Offering To The Insatible Sons Of God (Butcher)” begins with a very slow intro that builds for about two minutes and then delivers into crushing guitars and booming basses. Schubach doesn’t enter with his unforgiving vocals until two and a half minutes have passed. It’s a nice ambient change of pace. “Anchor” is one of my favorite songs on the album, as it bleeds with emotion and aggression and Schubach balances between screams and speaking, making this one of the more powerful songs on the album. The album closes with the epic seven minute title track. It twists and turns and builds up only to brutally breakdown multiple times. It ends Mirrors in an undeniable state of mind that this is one of the elite metalcore albums of the past few years.

It’s astonishing to see how one vocalist could take Misery Signals from the middle of the metalcore pack all the way up to the front. The overall songwriting from the band has improved dramatically since Of Malice and Karl Schubach has added so much to this outfit. Mirrors has made Misery Signals one of my favorite bands, instead of just a band I occasionally listened to. Mirrors is one of the most satisfying and complete albums you’ll hear all year, regardless of genre. With Mirrors, Misery Signals has risen the bar for all modern metalcore bands, let’s just hope they all get the memo.
-absolute punk.net

so anyways...definately one of the best albums of the year. this cd hasnt left my cd player for a good two months.

definately worth picking up.