Misery Signals - Reborn (An Execution)

     Looking back, I don't think I've given enough love to Absent Light, Misery Signals' crowdfunded follow-up to 2008's masterpiece Controller. Sure, I picked it as one of my ten favourite albums for 2013, but since then I haven't really listened to it a whole lot. Let's fix that today, shall we?

     Your Thursday song, only very slightly thrown back, is "Reborn (An Execution)" from 2013's Absent Light by Misery Signals. That interlocking set of intro guitar riffs, in combination with the off-time groove that sits underneath them, are proof positive that even if Absent Light isn't a shower right off the bat, it sure as shit is a grower. You feel me? Yeah, you feel me.

Album of the Week: Misery Signals - Controller

     Recently Heavyblogisheavy had a post discussing the best of progressive metalcore, and I was gratified to see that one of my favourite albums not only of that genre but of any genre made their list. The band in question isn't exactly underground, but they're not mainstream either, and this album is most definitely one that rewards multiple listenings, so I see no reason why Controller by Misery Signals shouldn't be this week's Album of the Week.

     I've been a Misery Signals fan since Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, having discovered their song "The Year Summer Ended in June" on a sampler disc that came with something else (Atreyu's The Curse, I think, but don't hold me to that). I really dig all of their work, but for me, the best selection from their catalogue BY FAR is 2008's Controller.

     I guess I'd call Controller metalcore, or even progressive metalcore as Heavyblogisheavy does, but to me it's got so much more meat than that. It's aggressive without that being the only emotional state conveyed. It's technical, but under the surface rather that in a showy or flashy way. It's dense, as I've said many times before, but it's not extreme, fringe-genre stuff by any means.

     All of Misery Signals' stuff has these qualities, but Controller represents the band firing on all cylinders. Musically, vocally, even production-wise (Devin Townsend produced this one.. yeah, that Devin Townsend) this album is spot-on, and it deserves a little of your listening time this week. Give it a couple of spins and I'm confident it'll hook you like it hooked me.

Misery Signals - Carrier

     I think I've mentioned this before, but just in case I haven't let me make it perfectly clear right now: I'm a sucker for physical media. If a band I'm into has a pre-order (or, as the case today may be, a crowdfunding campaign) you know I'm going to be all over the deluxe double CD version. I'm not quite so far gone as to be one of those vinyl-or-nothing people (although I do have a turntable and a small record collection) but I definitely will pick a CD over a digital download every time, to the point that when a band offers only a digital-download version of their release it makes me a sad, sad panda.

     My fixation on physical media is such that, when I do pre-order an album (or contribute to a crowdfunding campaign) I typically don't listen to it a whole lot until my copy arrives. Sure, I'll stream it on release day so I'm on the same page as everybody else for when it comes time to write this blog, but beyond that initial acquaintance-making I usually wait until I get my copy to really dig in.

     Thus it was with great delight that I opened my Indiegogo perk package from Misery Signals earlier this week. Yeah, I know the album came out over the summer, but I sprang for the "making-of DVD" package, and I believe the band chose to include some tour footage on said DVD, hence the delay.

     In any case, I've finally gotten the chance to really listen to Absent Light (which typically consists of a lot of plays through a record whilst driving back and forth to work) and it's growing on me with every spin. I still think Controller is my favourite, but tracks like "Carrier" from Absent Light are doing their best to change my mind. That's why (after a long-winded lead-up) "Carrier" is your song tonight. Enjoy.

Song of the Day: Devin Townsend - Grace

     There's absolutely no denying that Devin Townsend is stupidly talented. I've always been more of a fan of his production work than his personal musical output -- his production credits include Darkest Hour's Undoing Ruin and Deliver Us as well as Misery Signals' Of Malice and the Magnum Heart and Controller, just to name some of my faves -- but Devin can play a lick or two on the guitar too, and carry a decent tune, and keep a beat...

Song of the Day: Misery Signals - Reset

     Yesterday I posted about Canadian up-and-comers Mandroid Echostar and their indiegogo campaign to fund their next release. Well in the wake of Mandroid, who themselves are one of many bands who've recently gone this route, perhaps most successful of which has of course been Protest the Hero, I've just read that another band I dig is asking their fans for a hand. And this time it's one of my very favourites.

Song of the Day: Misery Signals - Nothing

     Today's choice of song was brought about by yet another studio video from yet another good band. It seems this fall is going to be chalk full of good album releases, as there's a bunch of bands either with records done and ready to go or records in the works. One such band is Misery Signals, one of my favourites for a long time now. Dense, technical, aggressive, and cathartic, Misery Signals is a band I call metal with the hesitation that such a classification doesn't do them justice. At any rate, Misery Signals isn't ready to put anything new out yet, but things are in the works.