Reviews

From the ashes of Seven Angels Seven Plagues came Misery Signals, bringing the Milwaukee Rock sound: metalcore with a vengeance. Misery Signals still labors under the shadow of 7A7P, but with Of Malice And The Magnum Heart, their debut full length on Ferret, they take a step fleshing out a new place in hardcore. I’d seen them four times before the new album dropped, the first time I bought 7A7P’s Jhazmyne's Lullaby from them, the next time I grabbed Misery Signal’s self titled EP, the third time I was pissed having just missed Scarlet so I didn’t buy anything, but the last time I purchased this full length. I have enjoyed their progression, from a rushed “ex-members of” band, into a streamlined machine that awes you with its current song writing skills, as well as the possibilities of progression. At first, my favorite song on Of Malice And The Magnum Heart was their re-recording of “The Year Summer Ended in June,” but that was just because it was my favorite song of the EP. Having given it some time, I still think “The Year Summer Ended in June” is my favorite song, but the power of the rest has been awakened for me.  Ostensibly 10 songs, Of Malice And The Magnum Heart plays as if it were one intro, eight Misery Signals song, and a Coheed and Cambira and (Antenna era) Cave-In collaboration to cap it off. The Misery Signals songs are all about four minutes, heavy, technical, double-bass pedal happy, hardcore mostly concerned with the tragic car crash that killed Jordan and Daniel and the emotional aftermath, the guilt that racks survivors, and the sadness of those who have lost loved ones. The last song, the epic closer features guest vocals that remind me way too much of that infamous “prog-emo” band too many people put too much faith in. A dreamy tone settles in, and you have to wonder if this was the same band that was so uncompromising in their assault for the last half hour. Overall, a great album, another fitting tribute to good lives cut short.