Misery Signals
Encyclopedia
Misery Signals is an American metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 band formed in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 in 2002. The sound of their music is defined by bright melodies backed up by odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....

s, chugging riffs, and breakdowns
Break (music)
In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece....

.

Formation (2002–2003)

Misery Signals was formed after the disbandment of several bands, including 7 Angels 7 Plagues
7 Angels 7 Plagues
7 Angels 7 Plagues was a Progressive Hardcore/Metalcore band from Racine, WI, United States, a town just south of Milwaukee. 7 Angels 7 Plagues formed in 1999 from the scraps of local Milwaukee bands Castahead and Intercede...

, 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
Ferret Music
Ferret Music is an independent record label, founded in 1996. The label is owned in part by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and in part by Philadelphian artist manager Paul Conroy, and based in West Windsor Township, New Jersey...

, releasing their first full-length album, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart
Of Malice and the Magnum Heart
Of Malice and the Magnum Heart is the debut full-length album by American-Canadian metalcore band Misery Signals. It was released on Ferret Records on June 1, 2004.It was produced by Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad.-Track listing:...

. 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
Mirrors (Misery Signals Album)
Mirrors is the second full-length album by American-Canadian metalcore band Misery Signals. It was released on Ferret Records on August 22, 2006...

. 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.

Hardcore/punk band Burning Empires consists of members from Misery Signals, Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...

 and 7 Angels 7 Plagues
7 Angels 7 Plagues
7 Angels 7 Plagues was a Progressive Hardcore/Metalcore band from Racine, WI, United States, a town just south of Milwaukee. 7 Angels 7 Plagues formed in 1999 from the scraps of local Milwaukee bands Castahead and Intercede...

, with vocalist Ryan Morgan, bassist Kyle Johnson, guitarists Stu Ross and Matthew Mixon, and drummer Andy Hurley
Andy Hurley
Andrew John Hurley is an American musician and drummer. He is best known as a member of the Chicago-based rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several different bands. He is currently the drummer in the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things with Fall Out Boy guitarist...

. The quintet also owns a clothing line / record label called Fuck City. In October 2010, Kyle Johnson also announced his departure from the band.

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
Comeback Kid
Comeback Kid is a Canadian hardcore band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Formed in 2002, the band is currently signed to Facedown Records. Their name comes from a headline in a newspaper about hockey player, Mario Lemieux coming back to the NHL. The band was formed in 2002 by Andrew Neufeld and Jeremy...

 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
Living with Lions (band)
Living with Lions is a Canadian pop punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They are currently signed to Adeline Records in the United States, and Black Box Music in Canada.-History:...

. 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.

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. Ryan Morgan commented that, "In the next few months, we'll group back up and return." 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."

The first new release from Misery Signals after going through this major line up change was a cover of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

's song "Us and Them" from the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...

. The song was contributed to a soundtrack for the video game Homefront
Homefront (video game)
Homefront is a first-person shooter video game developed by now defunct Kaos Studios and published by THQ, in which players play as members of a resistance movement fighting against a near-future Korean military occupation of the United States. The story was written by John Milius, who co-wrote...

, which was released free of charge for digital download on March 22, 2011.

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.

Members

Current
  • Karl Schubach – vocals (2006–present)
  • Ryan Morgan – guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

     (2002–present)
  • Gregory Thomas – guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

     (2011–present)
  • Kent Wren – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (2011–present)
  • Branden Morgan – drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

     (2002–present)


Former
  • Jesse Zaraska – vocals (2002–2006)
  • Jeff Aust – guitar (2002)
  • Stu Ross – guitar (2002–2010)
  • Kyle Johnson – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     (2002–2010)

Discography

Studio albums
  • Of Malice and the Magnum Heart
    Of Malice and the Magnum Heart
    Of Malice and the Magnum Heart is the debut full-length album by American-Canadian metalcore band Misery Signals. It was released on Ferret Records on June 1, 2004.It was produced by Devin Townsend of Strapping Young Lad.-Track listing:...

    (2004)
  • Mirrors
    Mirrors (Misery Signals Album)
    Mirrors is the second full-length album by American-Canadian metalcore band Misery Signals. It was released on Ferret Records on August 22, 2006...

    (2006)
  • Controller
    Controller (album)
    Controller is the third studio album released by Misery Signals and was released July 22, 2008. The album was recorded by producer Devin Townsend who produced Misery Signals' debut record Of Malice, and the Magnum Heart....

    (2008)

EPs
  • Misery Signals
    Misery Signals (Album)
    Misery Signals is the debut EP by Misery Signals, released in 2003. It was followed the next year by their debut full-length album, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, which featured a new version of the track "The Year Summer Ended in June"....

    (2003)
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