Second Opinion Review: Misery Signals—Controller

Artist: Misery Signals Album: Controller  Label: Ferret Music Released: 7/22/2008

BSTscore: 84

Let me get this out of the way before you potentially jump to a conclusion. Controller is a good album by a great band. I enjoyed the work as a whole, and it's a solid upgrade over Mirrors. Instrumentally, it's the Misery Signals we all know and love—technical guitar work, tight percussion, and complex song structures that meander back and forth between aggression and melody.

However, Misery Signals is like a high-performance engine running on all but one cylinder.

Vocally, this album falls short. While I put up with Karl Schubach's monotone growls on Mirrors, I've grown tired of them on Controller. The vocals rarely wander past the midrange, which causes some of the denser songs to be quite difficult to sit through, such as "Labyrinthian." The vocals have a tendency to mesh together into a bland blanket of sound—covering the good stuff. Also, the attempts at singing are inconsistent in quality and oftentimes clash with the flow. There were many times I wondered how Jesse Zaraska, Misery Signal's previous singer, would have fared with the material.

Granted, the vocals aren't atrocious. They aren't even bad. But, they are average at best and adversely affect the music. Schubach has his one trick scream down to a science, but that's far from enough to match the stellar instruments. It's truly unfortunate.

Nevertheless, the class of this album comprises the yin and yang "Weight of the World" and "Coma." "Weight of the World" is a furious three minute salvo, featuring nice injections of melody near the end. "Coma" ramps up the melodic quotient with intricate strings and a diverse framework. Other notables include "Parallels," "Set in Motion," and "Ebb and Flow."

What can I say? I knew what to expect with Controller. It's a good album, and I still enjoy Misery Signals. I guess my tolerance has waned a bit with the band's primary weakness. This release should be in 90 territory, but I have to listen to my heart—and my ears.

Musicianship: 95
Vocals: 70
Creativity: 85
Impact: 85

Favorite Song: “Weight of the World”

Listen to Misery Signals

You can also read Rob's take on the album.

Misery Signals—"Weight of the World"

Couldn't Help Myself

This may be the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Or the greatest.

BSTscore: 95

Click here for an encore, or here.

On a more important note, vote Obama.

Review: Unearth - The March

Artist: Unearth
Album: The March
Label: Metal Blade
Released: 10/14/2008

BSTscore: 98

The March is the 4^th full length from Boston’s Unearth. Yet again, the band delivers a haymaker to the metalcore world. The first riff of “My Will Be Done” (the opening track) is a blissful reminder of everything that makes Unearth so great. Blistering tempos, punishing beats, amazing guitar harmonies, and crisp vocals are delivered flawlessly. What lies ahead are ten tracks that only further the band’s stake as one of the best bands in metal today.

Despite constant assurances against it (including from front man Trevor Phipps in our interview a few years ago), my biggest fear with Unearth has always been that the band would stray away from their bread and butter or begin to repeat riffs or breakdowns. I can assure you; this is still not the case (and has pretty much eased my fears). The only change is that there isn’t as much thrash metal with this release. Regardless, The March is undeniably an Unearth album, and the songs remain unique and identifiable.

The obvious strength of the band’s music is the dueling guitars of Buz McGrath and Ken Susi. Their ability to layer riff after riff into solos is matched by few and still leaves me shaking my head. See “Hail the Shrine”, “Crow Killer” and “Cutman” for examples on this album. I’m further impressed by the seamless transition to new drummer Derek Kerswill. The beats are powerful and thundering from start to finish. The creative breakdowns and fills are executed to perfection. Call it cliché, but The March is definitely heavy and metal.

Equally as strong and impressive on The March is vocalist Trevor Phipps. His clear, crisp delivery is easily the best in the metalcore genre and makes the band easily identifiable. The power of his voice is something that gets your blood boiling and makes you scream along. Again, check out “Hail the Shrine” and “We Are Not Anonymous”. Lyrically, the songs show passion and depth, as well as anger (as always). Favorites for me include “Grave of Opportunity” and “Letting Go”.

Every time I review an Unearth album, I feel like I’m just repeating myself, and there’s good reason for that: There’s not another band out there that can consistently produce music like this. I could ramble on and on about how great this album is, but I think you should find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

Musicianship: 100
Vocals: 100
Creativity: 95
Impact: 95

Favorite Song: “Letting Go”

Listen to Unearth

Spotlight - October 10, 2008

Unearth, Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, Gwen Stacy

Gothic Theater, Denver, CO

The following is a recap of the show:

We arrived a little past the show start time, but I was a bit surprised that Gwen Stacy had already played. The show was listed as a 7:30 start and apparently it started early or the band only played for ten minutes. Either way, I can’t comment on what we missed, so I guess it’s on to what we did see.

The first band of the night (for us) was Whitechapel. Hailing from Knoxville, the sextet delivered their punishing brand of deathcore with energy, but did little for me. I am not much of a fan of the genre, so it’s hard for me to get into the band. The three guitarist approach certainly gives the band the ability to make things heavy and fast, but the lack of flow to the music is frustrating. It’s like speed bumps on a racetrack.

Next was the Acacia Strain. Vocalist Vincent Bennett is one of the more entertaining front men in metal. His energy is constant and he conveys the passion of the bands music on stage very well. Also impressing me was the band’s sound, despite the fact they tour with only one guitarist (and record with 3). Obviously, some of the depth of songs is sacrificed by this approach, but nevertheless, the band was solid. Their mix of older material and a few songs (“Skynet”, “Dr. Doom”) from their latest release, Continent, was well received.

Protest the Hero is one of those bands that people either love or hate. I, for one, love this band. The depth, technicality, and uniqueness of the band’s sound are something that the metal world needs. The fact that they don’t really care what other people think only helps the effectiveness of the band. Their set flowed well with offerings from Kezia and Fortress. Highlights included “No Stars over Bethlehem” and “Bloodmeat”. Every time I see this band, the more impressed I am with their musical abilities.

The headliner was Unearth. Supporting their recent album, The March, the band is as strong as ever. This was, hands down, the best set of the night. And I would venture to say, one of the best Unearth performances I’ve seen. Especially in the last 3 or 4 years. The band blistered through “Endless” and “This Lying World” before taking so much as a breath. The energy and power conveyed in their set is something that cannot be described, it has to be felt. There are countless reasons that I think this band is the best in the business, but shows like this only further my point. My only complaint was the overuse of the strobe lights, but that was offset by the guitarists taking turns with a beer bong. The band mixed in “My Will Be Done” and “Crow Killer” from the new record, as well as the staples “Giles”, “The Great Dividers”, and “My Desire” before ending with “Black Hearts Now Reign.” It was an excellent end to good show. I feel sorry for anyone who missed their set.