Album review time!

Misery Signals- “Absent Light”

“But the gaslights all burned out, you left me here to walk along a burial ground. I don’t blame you…we all give up eventually.”

“Absent Light” is the fourth studio album by Misery Signals, a band which is no stranger to most metal enthusiasts. Though if they were then it’d be somewhat understandable, since the band took somewhere near five years to release this record, their last record, “Controller”, having been finished in 2008. That album was very well received by the general music community, it more or less perfected the “Misery Signals sound” of crushing riffs and occasional breakdowns, along with bright chords and beautiful melodies. Add the occasional odd time signature, the rare poly-rhythmic section and some noteworthy lyrics, and the listener is left with some of the most rewarding heavy music being made these days.

The question is: what can we expect from Absent Light? Well, if “Controller” is akin to “Batman Begins”, then “Absent Light” is it’s “The Dark Knight”.

Everything in this record is stepped up and force-fed protein shakes in comparison to what they were five years ago. The riffs are heavier, the lyrics are more poignant, the odd time signatures are weirder, and the beauty is…well, gorgeous. This is a gorgeously heavy album, almost comparable to watching a good drama film. Beauty in this album is almost always accompanied by darkness; for example, the song “Carrier” opens with pretty guitar chords and a breakdown accompanied by what sounds like light keyboard chords in the background, thus offering a sense of near-peace. However, the song devolves into chaos as the chords become darker and the lyrics more and more sinister:

“Never again will she hear the raindrops fall against the glass and not feel a chill. Transported to the night it all changed, and the sound of her door being forced open…she awoke to the panic.”

This is the album’s greatest strength. Misery Signals have become very adept at balancing beauty and darkness with this album, and it makes for a very rewarding listening experience. In fact the album closer (“Everything Will Rust”) is incredibly powerful, as the use of vocalist Karl Schubach’s clean singing adds a very beautiful dimension to the song.

Speaking of individual contributions, it’d be a crime to go an entire review without giving major credit to drummer Branden Morgan; while his performance on “Controller” wasn’t lacking, “Absent Light” shows off just how much benefit five years of practice can be, as he shows a proficiency of his instrument right up there with genre stars such as Matt Halpern (Periphery) and Matt Greiner (August Burns Red). Branden brings most of the technical prowess to the ensemble; nothing that either of the guitarists or the bassist do is particularly impressive technically speaking. Though, it is impressive from a compositional stand point- every riff has a purpose, and it’s clear that nothing on this album went particularly un-planned.

The only real complaints with the record are that Schubach’s vocals are more or less still the monotone screaming/occasional death growls from “Controller”, which was one of the main complaints with that album. The only varations in harsh vocals we get are the contributions of Matthew Mixon on “Carrier” (from 7 Horns 7 Plagues), Todd Mackey on “Lost Relics” (from With Honor” and Fredua Boakye on “Everything Will Rust” (from Bad Rabbit). In addition, some might lament the relative lack of clarity in the production; seeing as “Controller” was produced by none other than the masterful Devin Townsend, “Absent Light” may feel a little low budget in comparison. However both of these issues are rather nitpicky, and definitely don’t detract from the experience of the album as a whole (depending on how critical the listener chooses to be).

“Absent Light” is, as a whole, a powerhouse of an album. It masterfully meshes beauty with dark tragedy, and never leaves the listener wanting for anything. From the desperate-sounding opening provided by “Glimmer of Hope” to the oppressive closer of “Everything Will Rust”, and all the standout tracks in-between (“Carrier”, “Lost Relics”, and “Shallows” just to name a few), “Absent light” has proved that Misery Signals are completely capable of consistent excellence. They represent everything that is refreshing and impressive in today’s metal scene, and have given us a glimmer of hope for continued improvement and excellence in heavy music.