Misery Signals – Mirrors

It’s safe to say that I’m a fairly big fan of Misery Signals, I loved Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, I’ve seen them play a bunch of times, and I’ve been waiting on this album ever since I first saw them. I’ve built up a considerable amount of hype in that time too, but when Jesse Zaraska decided to leave the band, I was a little worried about the future of Misery Signals. Luckily, shortly after Jesse’s leave, they replaced the absent vocalist with Karl Schubach after asking for demos of potential singers over the internet. In August Misery Signals played Edmonton and I got to see them after waiting and learned that their new singer is great. His vocals sound a little reminiscent of Remembering Never although not as harsh. What draws me to listen to Misery Signals again and again though is the guitar parts, they’re always a perfect blend of slower riffs and heavy metalesque power chords. The songs have very little chuggy parts, and the notes they hit make the music feel… dream-like. If anyone listens to the intro of Migrate you’ll know exactly what I mean. The bass player doesn’t really stand out for me, I tend to obsess over the vocals and the guitarists when I’m listening to this band. The drummer is also phenomenal, in a music scene where double kick beats playing at rapid fire paces and quick time changes are not only the norm, but what’s expected, he fits the band perfectly. Every member of the band plays uniquely, it’s probably what makes them one of my favorites. At the moment I’m not so sure about the lyrics though, I lent the cd to my friend because I felt it was my obligation that he hears it and I haven’t got it back yet. I do remember that the cd artwork was interesting though, not the best I’ve seen, just kind of bizarre. Not that artwork effects the music though. The one thing I was a little disappointed about with this album is none of the songs have really stood out yet. Unlike Of Malice And The Magnum Heart where I knew what my favorite songs were the first time through, this one kind of blends together if you don’t pay close attention.

Yet no matter what negative thoughts might briefly pass through my head, this will probably be one of my favorite cd’s of the year. I definitely recommend this to any fans of 7 Angels 7 Plagues and fans of Misery Signals while they still had Jesse. Not to mention that metal and hardcore fans would probably enjoy this as well. This cd will definitely not lay idle in my cd case or lay around my computer for ages without being played.