Misery Signals: Absent Light

Five years have passed since the last Misery Signals CD. Basick Records signed them after a successful indiegogo fundraiser and hyped up this release Absent Light quite well. I had heard the band name but never actually heard them. A large percentage of Basick bands are up my alley so I wanted to check this out right away.

The gentle clean-electric guitar that starts "A Glimmer of Hope" is blown away by the hardcore-screamed vocals of Karl Schubach. There are some orchestrations underneath the pummeling of "Luminary" which gives the song a thicker complexion. More orchestration appears in "Reborn (An Execution) – this is a tastefully-used accoutrement that strengthens the songs.

"Carrier" features progressive metal-esque songwriting and vocal production; something other than just pure chugging and simple doubling of the vocals.

Guitarists Ryan Morgan and Gregory Thomas complement each other by writing cohesive yet separate guitar parts. Fundamentally, this heavy music is probably considered in the style post-hardcore or metalcore; I don't really care what you call it. Being a guitar player I can tell that these parts are constructed to fit together, not just fill the spaces between your ears. I appreciate the care this takes.

"Shadows and Depth" is a slower number and the mixing is easily identifiable. One guitar is favored in towards the right and the other, the left. The orchestration appears at the end and caps off this great song.

Bass player Kyle Johnson? I can't tell you about his performance as I can't pick up any of his playing. Drummer Branden Morgan? I should say he plays lead drums; the sound is crisp and right in your ears. He's got speed and taste.

After a few listens, Absent Light has grown on me. I do feel the vocals are a bit harsh, but then again I'm more of a melody fan than I am a hardcore fan. If you are into the heavy, screamed vocals (not guttural death-metal type) I guarantee you will like these just fine. Musically speaking, the dual guitars and orchestrations make this something that will continue to grow on me.

Track Listing
1. A Glimmer of Hope
2. Luminary
3. Reborn (An Execution)
4. Carrier
5. Shadows and Depth
6. Lost Relics
7. Two Solitudes
8. Departure
9. The Shallows
10. Ursa Minor
11. Everything Will Rust

Added: August 6th 2013
Reviewer: Ryan Good
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2072
Language: english

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