Sunday: Atreyu - At Least I Know I'm a Sinner

     Let's see just how divisive a topic metalcore can be, shall we? Your Sunday song is taken from the debut album of one of those love-them-or-hate-them bands that came out of the screamo explosion. I'm talking, of course, about everybody's favourite boy warrior from The Neverending Story, Atreyu.

     I haven't been much of an Atreyu fan for years, but their first two albums... If we'd been listening to vinyl copies of those back in the day, we'd probably have worn out a few. Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses in particular got some pretty heavy rotation for a while there, so that's where we're headed for yesterday's metalcore song.

     The social or religious commentary in "At Least I Know I'm a Sinner" might be a little heavy-handed for some, but for the bunch of us snotty teenagers attending a Catholic high school it was just the right tone. Listening to this album now this track remains one of my favourites, but like I said, metalcore is divisive among metalheads, so obviously feel free to tell me how wrong I am.

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.