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)
Weight of the World
Misery Signals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't act surprised, by now it's second nature
It happens over and over again
I only bend so far before I break
And in return, nothing leaves me satisfied
But it's only a matter of time
Won't be long, I smell the fuse burn shorter
I'll take this head on till the end
Hear my voice, no cries for deliverance
I've become the victim of my own defense
And there's no one to blame but myself
As the structure fails
I'll pray for the fall out
For I am what I create
As the embers rise
I'll be at the bottom
When it all comes down
I'll carry the weight of the world
Strapped to my back
I'll carry the weight of the world
Chained to my neck
I'll carry the weight of the world
The lyrics to Misery Signals's song Weight of the World are heavy and introspective. The singer is grappling with a familiar feeling - that of biting the bullet, of putting up with pain and hardship time and time again. They are not surprised anymore, it's a part of their life and something that they have become accustomed to. But the weight of the world is taking its toll, leaving the singer unsatisfied and on the brink of breaking.
Despite this, the singer is determined not to back down, to face whatever is coming their way and accept the consequences. They have become a victim of their own defense mechanisms, which may have been necessary for survival but have left them feeling trapped and alone. The singer acknowledges that they are responsible for their situation, but takes solace in the fact that they will be able to handle whatever comes their way - even if it means carrying the weight of the world on their back.
The metaphor of the weight of the world is powerful, and speaks to the human experience of feeling weighed down by responsibility and struggle. The singer in this song seems to have reached a breaking point, but is still willing to bear the burden and push on. It's a sobering reminder of the resilience needed to survive in this world, and the importance of self-reliance in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Once again I end up biting the bullet
I'm once again taking responsibility for something that is not my fault
Don't act surprised, by now it's second nature
Others have been expecting me to take the blame, so I'm not surprised anymore
It happens over and over again
This pattern of being blamed continuously keeps repeating itself
I only bend so far before I break
I can only take so much blame before I can't handle it anymore
And in return, nothing leaves me satisfied
Taking blame for everything only leads me to feel empty and unsatisfied
But it's only a matter of time
I know this cycle will happen again, and I can't do anything to change it
Won't be long, I smell the fuse burn shorter
It's only a matter of time before a situation arises where I'm blamed again
And I'm not about to snuff it out
I won't avoid or prevent this from happening, I'll face it head-on
I'll take this head on till the end
I'll confront this issue until it's resolved
Hear my voice, no cries for deliverance
I won't ask for help or salvation
I've become the victim of my own defense
My tendency to take the blame has become a defense mechanism, even though it's hurting me in the end
And there's no one to blame but myself
I realize that I'm the source of the problem, since I keep taking the blame for everything
As the structure fails
As everything around me starts to crumble
I'll pray for the fall out
I'll hope that the destruction will somehow lead to resolution
For I am what I create
I'm responsible for the circumstances that led to this situation
As the embers rise
As everything continues to burn
I'll be at the bottom
I'll be at the lowest point, dealing with the consequences
When it all comes down
When everything falls apart
I'll carry the weight of the world
I'll bear the burden of the consequences
Strapped to my back
I can't escape from this responsibility
I'll carry the weight of the world
I'm the one who will have to deal with the aftermath
Chained to my neck
This responsibility is like a heavy chain around my neck that I can't escape from
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JARED EVAN SIEGEL, STANLEY BENTON, IVAN CORRALIZA, JEFFREY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind