It’s been five long years but Misery Signals have returned, all guns blazing, proving they were down but never out.
After significant issues such as group members leaving, their label being absorbed and a three year writing process, Absent Light is a breath of fresh air on a troubled past.
A community funded album, the latest record has reinvigorated and re-energised the team from Milwaukee.
“Luminary” perfectly captures the new direction they have taken, while also highlighting their matured sound through experience and time.
Absent Light acts as a combination of all the great things that their previous studio efforts offered and makes up for many of their inconsistencies. “Shadows And Depth” shows this dynamic with their well-known breakdowns combined with haunting guitar bridges sliding across the top. These guitar bridges set the tone for the album, creating a powerfully sinister noise.
What’s truly refreshing about what the five-piece have managed to accomplish is the scope and musical dynamics they’ve covered, with eerie instrumental interludes of violins and guitar providing moments to reflect upon the album as a whole.
“Reborn (An Execution)” best presents this new musical direction Misery Signals have followed. While it still garners the intensity and technicality of a modern metal-core album, these moments offers a much-needed moment of respite.
Final track “Everything Will Rust” comes as the greatest shock but also the best example of the musical intimacy of their fourth LP, with fluid transitions from smooth melodic beginnings into a triumphant pinnacle of force.
Misery Signals and Absent Light holds testament to the fact that patience, time and effort pay-off. After numerous setbacks the metal band have proven that they’re back to their best. Whether you’re encapsulated by their melodic riffs, hard-hitting breakdowns or smooth instrumentals, Misery Signals offer a fantastically unique addition to the metalcore scene.
