I was first introduced to the melodic metalcore juggernaut known as Misery Signals on a hot summer day in 2006 as my best friend and I rode down the 91 freeway on our way home from church. He had just purchased Mirrors, their release from that year, and neither of us knew what to expect. Within minutes, we were both furiously banging our heads and screaming with the excitement of a couple of five year olds. I have since played Mirrors many times, each time losing my mind over the bright, ultra-melodic guitar work, ambience, and sheer aggression Misery Signals put forth on that album. It was only natural, then, that when their much anticipated third album, entitled Controller, was announced, I shuddered with excitement and wondered how a band that I can honestly say is one of my favorites would ever top their previous releases (the aforementioned Mirrors and their debut LP, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart). The good news is that I was by no means disappointed.



 

The bad news is that I wasn't quite as blown away as I was by Misery Signals' other two releases.



 

Controller is, in some ways, an anomaly. For some songs, like "Parallels" and "Weight of the World", the band has regressed to a simpler sound, simpler rhythms, and have lost the complex, polyrhythmic "essence" that makes them Misery Signals. However, on other songs, such as "Ebb and Flow", "Reset", and "Homecoming", (which are ironically the last three tracks on the CD), Misery Signals pushes their trademark sound to new heights with the innovative and polished chord structures of guitarists Stu Ross and Ryan Morgan, bassist Kyle Johnson, and guest percussion brilliantly added by concert percussionist Richard Morgan (Ryan and Branden's father). [Ryan] Morgan and Ross show off their technical prowess on these tracks by picking through flawless arpeggiated rhythms and hauntingly proficient dissonance. That all being said, I feel the songwriting as a whole is less focused, relying more on traditional metalcore conventions (i.e. breakdowns) than on the novel Misery Signals sound that sets them apart from their mediocre brethren.



 

Vocalist Karl Schubach surprises the audience at moments throughout the album with cleanly sung vocals that are surprisingly in tune and full. His screaming voice is visceral as usual, but I feel like producer Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) lost some of Schubach's organic, raw power in favor of a deeper, more produced sound. Schubach's lyrics, though nihilistic at times and seething with fury, are actually quite relatable and intelligent, and I can't help but scream along to the words "Dear God, what have I let myself become?" during Controller's opening track, "Nothing". Drummer Branden Morgan deserves special mention because of his outstanding performance on this disc, perfectly setting the tempo for his brother's (Ryan Morgan) and with Ross' ever changing time signatures. His double bass pedal work is impeccable, and he can be described as a drummer that is intuitive, knowing when to keep things simple while also knowing exactly when to go berzerk. 



 

If Misery Signals would have written an entire album that sounds like Controller's last three songs, they would have served up a groundbreaking record that would have blown all of their previous work out of the water. Sadly, this album does not accomplish this and is inferior, albeit marginally, to Mirrors and Of Malice. Controller is, however, a solid album, and definitely warrants repeated listening, intent analysis, and the attention of anyone who calls him/herself a fan of metalcore.



 

Track Listing:


1.) Nothing


2.) Weight of the World


3.) Labyrinthian


4.) Parallels


5.) Coma


6.) A Certain Death


7.) Set In Motion


8.) Ebb and Flow


9.) Reset


10.) Homecoming



 

Favorite Track: "Reset"