History
Formation (2002–2003)
Misery Signals was formed after the disbandment of several bands, including 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Hamartia and Compromise. Having played briefly with 7 Angels 7 Plagues, former Compromise vocalist Jesse Zaraska was approached by Ryan Morgan and Kyle Johnson for a new project, which would become Misery Signals. Jeff Aust from Hamartia joined on as second guitar, and Ryan Morgan's brother Branden joined as the bands drummer. Aust soon left the band and has since gone on to join With Honor, he was replaced by Stu Ross - a friend of Jesse Zaraska's from St. Albert, Alberta.
Signing to Ferret Music (2004–2009)
The band eventually signed to New Jersey's Ferret Music, releasing their first full-length album, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart. After extensive touring, Zaraska decided to leave the band to focus on a smaller, less aggressive project named Sleeping Girl, at which point the rest of the band decided to put up an instrumental song on their MySpace page, encouraging anyone who wanted to take over the spot of vocalist to record their own voice over the instrumental and e-mail it to the band. This was the way they found new vocalist Karl Schubach, with whom they recorded the album, Mirrors. In July 2008 Misery Signals released their third full-length entitled Controller. After extensive touring in support of Controller in early 2009, members of Misery Signals wanted to pursue other musical directions outside of their band.
Focus on side projects (2009–2010)
Schubach is involved in a heavy metal side project called Solace. He is the sole member of the band, recording guitar, bass and vocals in a D.I.Y.-fashioned home studio. The drums are added in digitally, through the use of a program on his Macbook.
The hardcore/punk band Burning Empires consists of members from Misery Signals, Fall Out Boy and 7 Angels 7 Plagues. Ryan Morgan does the vocals, Kyle Johnson plays bass, Stu Ross and Matthew Mixon play guitar, while Andy Hurley plays the drums. Andy Hurley is an avid supporter of the Wisconsin hardcore scene. The quintet also have a clothing line/record label called Fuck City. In October 2010, Kyle Johnson also announced his departure from the band.
There is also a pop punk/hardcore band named Lowtalker that consists of Branden Morgan and Stuart Ross of Misery Signals. They team up with Casey Hjelmberg and Matt Keil of Comeback Kid to complete the four piece project. Lowtalker are set to release their EP People Worry About Everything in the spring of 2010 through FC records.
In 2010, Stuart Ross became the frontman of a pop-punk band from Vancouver, B.C. named Living with Lions. Ross officially left Misery Signals on September 25, 2010 to put his focus on this new project, and was reportedly tired of performing heavy metal.
New album (2011)
After an extended period of inactivity with a heavy focus on side projects, Misery Signals made an official statement about the state of the band in November 2010. The press release addressed the loss of Ross and Johnson, and also announced that the band had not, in fact, broken up.[3] Ryan Morgan commented that, "In the next few months, we'll group back up and return."[3] Despite losing two of the founding members of Misery Signals, the remaining members did not consider changing the name of the group. On maintaining the continuity of the band's style and keeping the same name, Morgan said, "Stu and Kyle made awesome contributions, but the trajectory of the band remains the same in their absence. If the time came that our sound took a drastically different course, then it wouldn't be Misery Signals anymore, and we wouldn't pretend that it was.
On October 19, 2016, rumours of an original lineup reunion tour and album were confirmed by vocalist Jesse Zaraska. When reached for comment by Nic Huber of www.metalinjection.net, Zaraska had the following to say: "It is the truth, sir. We are in the midst of writing new material together and will be playing some show over the coming year. It has been very cool thus far. We will definitely be doing a proper US tour in 2017."
On March 24, 2018, at the event Midwest Meltdown in Iowa City, Iowa; Misery Signals frontman Jesse Zaraska, announced the band had been holed up on Boise, Idaho over the previous few weeks. He stated that they are, indeed, working on a new album. Zaraska stated on stage, that he believes their newest album "will be the BEST Misery Signals album yet." When asked about the style of the new album, Zaraska replied "It will probably be a lot like of Malice."
On the "Death to False Metalcore Tour 2019" with Darkest Hour and Unearth, the band played a song titled "Sunlifter" from their Absent Light B-Side vinyl release. Zaraska also stated November 2019 as the release date for their new album.
On May 8, 2020, a 26 second fixed-camera video of ocean waves, with only the date "05.15.2020" appearing center screen at the end of the video, was posted to Misery Signals’ social media accounts, suggesting that new music, or a new album, is set to be announced, and/or released, on that date.
On May 14, 2020, Misery Signals announced their upcoming fifth studio album, Ultraviolet, to be released on August 7, 2020, along with the release of the single “The Tempest”
Members
CURRENT LINE-UP:
Ryan Morgan – lead guitar, backing vocals (2002–present)
Branden Morgan – drums (2002–present)
Jesse Zaraska – vocals (2002–2006, 2014–present)
Kyle Johnson – bass guitar (2002–2010, 2013–present)
Stu Ross – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2002–2010, 2014–present)
Former Members:
Jeff Aust – guitar (2002)
Karl Schubach – vocals (2006–2014)
Gregory Thomas – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2011–2014)
Kent Wren – bass guitar (2011–2013)
Discography
Studio albums:
Of Malice and the Magnum Heart (2004)
Mirrors (2006)
Controller (2008)
Absent Light (2013)
Ultraviolet (2020)
EPs:
Misery Signals (2003)
Parallels
Misery Signals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will I be the one that finds a way?
Our fate unfolding
Is there something more then the roles we play?
How deep the roots dig
And they sink into my skin
I see myself in the cracks of your foundation
And these walls will crumble by our hands
And we're not letting down our guard
We are not alone
Everyone is lost
Waiting on a second wind
Just believe we are not alone
Speak to me.
What can be said while we're still being honest?
Only then will these marks start to heal
And cleanse us of these demons
But there's so much to say, and there's so little time
Take my hand and walk with me
Lead me to salvation
And in return I'll offer you my pledge to start all over
But there's so much to say, and we're so far behind
No footprints before me
Will I be the one that finds a way?
Feel how deep the roots dig
And they sink into my skin
I see myself in the cracks of your foundation
And these walls will crumble by our hands
We don't talk much anymore, but motherfucker we hit hard
No, we are not alone
Everyone is lost
Waiting on a second wind
We are not alone
The lyrics of Misery Signals' song Parallels share a message about the search for meaning and purpose in life. The opening line, "No footprints before me," sets the stage for the theme of exploration and individuality. The singer wonders if they will be the one to break the mold and find their own way. The idea of fate is also present, but the question remains whether there is something more to life beyond the roles we play.
As the lyrics progress, the focus shifts to the concept of relationship and communication. The roots that sink into the singer's skin represent the deep emotional connections we form with others. The cracks in the foundation suggest that these connections are not perfect, but rather flawed and in need of repair. The walls that will crumble by our hands represent the shared responsibility we have in building and maintaining relationships. The singer acknowledges that communication has broken down between them and the other person, but the desire for connection is still there. They urge the other person to speak honestly with them so they can begin to heal and move forward together.
Line by Line Meaning
No footprints before me
I am charting a new path, without any guidance from those who came before me.
Will I be the one that finds a way?
I am determined to discover a new way forward.
Our fate unfolding
The future is uncertain and our destiny is constantly changing.
Is there something more then the roles we play?
We question the meaning beyond the mundane day-to-day activities that make up our lives
How deep the roots dig
Our problems and struggles run deep within us.
And they sink into my skin
Our issues are not just surface-level, they are part of us at a deep physiological level.
I see myself in the cracks of your foundation
My own problems and insecurities are mirrored in the weaknesses of the people around me.
And these walls will crumble by our hands
We will take responsibility for our problems and deconstruct the structures that keep us from progress.
We don't talk much anymore
Communication has broken down between us.
And we're not letting down our guard
We are wary of each other and unwilling to be vulnerable.
We are not alone
Everyone is struggling in some way.
Everyone is lost
We all feel directionless at times and don't know what to do next.
Waiting on a second wind
We are hoping for a renewed sense of energy to propel us forward.
Just believe we are not alone
We can find strength in each other's company and shared struggles.
Speak to me.
I am ready and willing to listen to what you have to say.
What can be said while we're still being honest?
We want to have honest conversations and confront the truth, no matter how difficult it may be.
Only then will these marks start to heal
Our emotional wounds can only begin to heal when we are honest with ourselves and each other.
And cleanse us of these demons
By confronting our issues head-on, we can rid ourselves of the problems that have been plaguing us.
But there's so much to say, and there's so little time
There is a lot that needs to be addressed, but we don't know how much time we have left.
Take my hand and walk with me
Let's face our problems together and support each other through difficult times.
Lead me to salvation
Let's work together to find a way out of our problems and towards a better future.
And in return I'll offer you my pledge to start all over
If we work together, I am committed to putting in the effort needed to improve our situation.
But there's so much to say, and we're so far behind
There is a lot that needs to be addressed, but it feels like we are starting from behind.
No, we are not alone
We can find support and comfort in each other during difficult times.
Contributed by Liam E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.