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I've been following the progress of Misery Signals since a demo version of "The Year Summer Ended In June" appeared online late in 2002. It's hardly necessary to say that, since then, I've been a huge fan of the band. While they don't necessarily break miles of new ground with their music, they are one of the strongest bands in metal/hardcore, whether you're looking at them musically or at the fervent way they convey their emotions and messages. Few bands spark such an uncontrolled blaze of excitement and genuine enthrallment within me like Misery Signals does, and their debut full-length, "Of Malice And The Magnum Heart," adds a few gallons of gasoline to the fire.
The tragedy that struck Misery Signals vocalist Jesse Zaraska provides, although sadly, a dark, spiritual overtone to much of the content on "Of Malice And The Magnum Heart." Zaraska once fronted the metal/hardcore band Compromise but, while driving from a show in June of 2002, the band's tour van was struck by a drunk driver. The accident killed two of his bandmates and ultimately led to the demise of Compromise. Zaraska took the terrible losses he faced (and seems to still face) to provide Misery Signals with not only poignant verbiage of loss and remorse, but also a passionate outburst of mid-ranged screams and a few spoken vocals. There's a lot of genuine and serious feeling on this album, which instantly allows Misery Signals to surpass most of the sarcastic metal/hardcore bands floating around.
Like I've already said, Misery Signals hasn't reinvented the metal/hardcore genre. They do, however, play their respective instruments really well and with ample creativity. Guitarists Ryan Morgan and Stuart Ross effortlessly bounce between huge, chugging breakdowns, melodic chord progressions and memorable, metallic riffs without sounding anything like another At The Gates or Hatebreed clone. While each song has a lot of different riffs and picking sequences, the songs remain memorable and focused. The strings of tempo shifts are kept tightly knit thanks to drummer Branden Morgan, whose drum kit mastery provides the music a strong backbone. Overall, the music is melodic, but still ferociously heavy.
"Of Malice And The Magnum Heart" had me hooked from its first 30 seconds. The thunderous introduction, which seems to have been influenced by the production of Devin Townsend, opens things up with acoustic picking layered over a monster guitar chug and minimal lyrics that are more than easy to scream along with. "The Year Summer Ended In June" was rerecorded for this release and it sounds better than ever, still reflecting the pain of Zaraska's loss two years ago with vibrant, personal feelings. The fourth song, "In Summary Of What I Am," is seriously brutal, inflicting a feeling of pure rage (in a good way) with each listen I give it. "Worlds And Dreams" is a completely clean and hypnotic interlude, and the closer, "Difference Of Vengeance And Wrong," introduces clean singing to Misery Signals' sound, which was a nice surprise. With all of the songs achieving a high quality level, I could go on, but it's hardly necessary at this point.
Misery Signals went the distance with "Of Malice And The Magnum Heart," delivering what is, to me, one of the best albums to be released in 2004. The snazzy artwork, massive and beefy production, hearty, developed songs (with great breakdowns) and highly personal lyrics make this an entire package. Maybe I'm jaded, but this album seems to truly dignify metal/hardcore music while many other bands have nothing but a sarcastic, humorous side that will probably be forgotten relatively soon. "Of Malice And The Magnum Heart" will likely become my soundtrack to the summer of 2004. Hell, it already is. Awesome.
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