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 band's 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.
In 2003, the band released its eponymous debut EP. The EP was dedicated to the memory of Jordan Wodehouse and Daniel Langlois who were killed by a drunk driver in Alabama while on tour with their band Compromise.
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.[2]
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. During the funding stages of this side project he provided incentives to individuals and bands in return for financial support using crowd funding platform Kickstarter.[3] As part of this incentive scheme Karl Schubach provided guest vocals on a song by UK metal/hardcore band The Divided.[4]
Hardcore/punk band Burning Empires consists of members from Misery Signals, Fall Out Boy and 7 Angels 7 Plagues, with vocalist Ryan Morgan, bassist Kyle Johnson, guitarists Stu Ross and Matthew Mixon, and drummer Andy Hurley. The quintet also owns a clothing line / record label called Fuck City.
Milwaukee-based punk/post-hardcore band Lowtalker 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 released their EP People Worry About Everything in the spring of 2010 through FC records.
In 2010, Stuart Ross became the frontman of a Vancouver, B.C. pop-punk band Living with Lions. Ross officially left Misery Signals on September 25, 2010 to put his focus on Living with Lions, and was reportedly tired of performing heavy metal.[2][5] In October 2010, Kyle Johnson also announced his departure from the band.[6]
Absent Light (2011-present)
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.[2] Ryan Morgan commented that, "In the next few months, we'll group back up and return."[2] 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."[7]
The first new release from Misery Signals after going through this major line up change was a cover of Pink Floyd's song "Us and Them" from the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. The song was contributed to a soundtrack for the video game Homefront, which was released free of charge for digital download on March 22, 2011.[8]
In April 2011, Karl Schubach posted a couple tweets mentioning band practice, writing new material in June, and said "We're focusing on bringing the new guys up to speed at the moment." The new lineup has now been finalized and will appear on the Crush Em All tour fall 2011. As of early 2012 the band has stated that they are working on new material for the new album. Lead singer Karl Schubach stated in an interview "I think every band aims to progress with each album they write. But sometimes progression is learning what worked really well the previous records and incorporating those elements. So far these new songs feel like a purposeful blend of our most recent, more structured Controller record mixed with the chaos and spontaneity of the earlier Of Malice and the Magnum Heart." All of the members are reunited in the studio the recording the new album, and have started an indiegogo fundraiser to help pay for the recording, marketing, and pressing of the new album, as the band is currently signed to Basick Records.
On July 23, 2013, Misery Signals released Absent Light, with the first single "Luminary" being released twenty days earlier.
On May 30, 2014, news surfaced that Misery Signals announced plans to commemorate the tenth anniversary of their 'Of Malice and the Magnum Heart' album with the "Malice X Tour" later this year. The tour will feature the band's original lineup, which consists of Jesse Zaraska (vocals), Ryan Morgan (guitars), Stu Ross (guitars), Kyle Johnson (bass), and Branden Morgan (drums), and Misery Signals will be performing the album in its entirety.
The Failsafe
Misery Signals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We should know by now were so sick
It was buiding up and no one was watching
Were running out of darkened corners to sweep the waste into
In our distracted focus no one, no one had a chance when we lined up at the edge, we were opened wide like fools waiting for a sign
It was a freefall
An act of desperation, our backs against the wall
It was a freewall
Down we go
As we all went blind, like an answer to the call of an outstrectched hand
The hell we beckoned crept inside
The vultures, circling over-head, starving to pick the skeletons we leave
On the eve of the end, as the world around us collide, somehow we still beg, we beg
Give us a sign
Dawn brings revenge
Dawn brings revenge
Patience won't mend the broken
Promise of something greater
The cables wrapped around our throat, tonight pitch red casts over
Sense adrift, I lay me down, plague wraps it arms around me
Down We Go
It was a freefall
An act of desperation, our backs against the wall
It was a freefall
It was an act of desperation
Down We Go
When we lined up at the edge, we were opened wide, like fools waiting for a sign
The lyrics to Misery Signals' "The Failsafe" convey a feeling of impending doom and desperation. The opening lines "Breaking dawn will bring revenge / We should know by now we're so sick" set the tone for the rest of the song. The band seems to be warning that we are on the brink of destruction and that we have brought it upon ourselves. The line "in our distracted focus no one, no one had a chance" suggests that we have become too preoccupied with our own issues to see the larger problems that are looming. The desperation of the situation is emphasized by lines such as "our backs against the wall" and "an act of desperation".
The chorus of the song, "Dawn brings revenge", drives home the idea that the destruction is imminent and that we have sealed our own fate. The repetition of the line "it was a freefall" emphasizes the feeling of being out of control and helpless. The vultures circling overhead and the reference to our skeletons being picked clean add to the feeling of hopelessness and finality. The final lines, "when we lined up at the edge, we were opened wide, like fools waiting for a sign" suggest that we have been waiting for something to happen, but it is too late and we have already fallen off the edge.
Overall, "The Failsafe" is a powerful song that uses intense imagery and repetition to convey a sense of desperation and impending doom.
Line by Line Meaning
Breaking dawn will bring revenge
Retaliation is imminent and will come with the morning
We should know by now were so sick
We are aware of how broken we are
It was buiding up and no one was watching
Our problems were accumulating and no one was paying attention
Were running out of darkened corners to sweep the waste into
We are running out of places to hide our problems
In our distracted focus no one, no one had a chance when we lined up at the edge, we were opened wide like fools waiting for a sign
We were so focused on our own problems that we left ourselves vulnerable and unaware
It was a freefall
Our downfall was swift and uncontrollable
An act of desperation, our backs against the wall
We acted out of desperation with no other options
Down we go
We are falling
As we all went blind, like an answer to the call of an outstrectched hand
We all became blinded by our problems and struggled to stay afloat
The hell we beckoned crept inside
The destruction we invited has now taken root within us
The vultures, circling over-head, starving to pick the skeletons we leave
Others are eager to take advantage of our struggles and exploit our weaknesses
On the eve of the end, as the world around us collide, somehow we still beg, we beg
Despite everything falling apart, we still plead for help
Give us a sign
We are desperately searching for a glimmer of hope
Patience won't mend the broken
Our problems cannot be fixed through waiting alone
Promise of something greater
We hold onto the hope that there is something better out there
The cables wrapped around our throat, tonight pitch red casts over
We feel suffocated and trapped, drowning in the darkness
Sense adrift, I lay me down, plague wraps it arms around me
We feel lost and abandoned, consumed by our problems
When we lined up at the edge, we were opened wide, like fools waiting for a sign
We left ourselves exposed and vulnerable, hoping for a solution to our problems
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jenna G
Lyrics:
Breaking dawn will bring revenge
We should know by now we're so sick
It was building up and no one was watching
We're running out of darkened corners
To sweep the waste into
In our distracted focus no one had a chance
When we lined up at the edge, we were open wide
Like fools waiting for a sign
It was a free fall, an act of desperation
Our backs against the wall
It was a free fall
It was an act of desperation
Down we go
As we all went blind
Like an answer to the call of an outstretched hand
The hell we beckoned crept inside
The vultures circling overhead
Starving to pick the skeletons we leave
On the eve of the end as the world around us burns
(The ashes shall rain)
Somehow we still beg, give us a sign
Dawn brings revenge
Patience won't mend the broken
Promise of something greater
The cables wrapped around our throat
Tonight pitch red cast over
Senses adrift, I lay me down
Plague wraps it's arms around me
Down we go
It was a free fall
An act of desperation, our backs against the wall
It was a free fall
It was an act of desperation
Down we go
As we lined up at the edge, we were open wide
Like fools waiting for a sign
Tyler C.
Still one of the greatest songs ever made. Changed the game and made me who I am today
Queen Bee
One of the most influential bands in modern "melodic metalcore" or whatever you want to call it. They'll always be the kings in my eyes.
tommy guerrero
right there with you buddy the emotional feeling is undeniable
Mark Servilio
Don't forget about Hopesfall too. Their EP "No Wings to Speak of" and their first LP "The Satellite Years" are severely underrated but classics among those who've listened to it. Admittedly though, it seems Misery Signals got the spotlight over them. Both great bands.
Simon Sludge
They were heavily influenced by Shai Hulud, though.
Brennan Long
Booby Miles they more hardcore like hatebreed but either way they still pushed the bar
NC DOZER
Booby Miles poison the well is right up there with them
pSilo_Science
It's now 2019 and I am almost 27 years old. I remember blasting this in my 1996 Toyota Camry on the way to high school, smoking shitty cigarettes, and even shittier weed with my best friends and feeling, KNOWING that the world is infinite and anything is possible. The brotherhood, the nostalgia, the feeling of this song and this band is beyond words for me, the memories have been imprinted in permanently into my soul. It reminds me of when "Everything is just, well, everything is alright".
Jamal Fairbanks
Thanks for this!
Алекса Ристић
Pretty similar with me mate i can relate