Review by Saxy S for Misery Signals - Ultraviolet (2020)

For the first time in seven years, Misery Signals are back with a full length studio album. And this time they have recruited their original lead vocalist, Jesse Zaraska, after a very successful ten year run with Karl Schubach. 

And while my history with Melodic Metalcore is expansive, it isn't a genre I typically return to all that much. Part of that is how samey much of it sounds. And this album is no exception. I tried to craft this review without mentioning that these guys sound way too much like August Burns Red. But I just couldn't do it. The comparisons are almost too obvious to miss. They've even gone so far as to start modulating with the song structures. "River King" and "Some Dreams" are Constellations era A.B.R. to a tea.

The mixing is pretty good. The stylistic changes from faster, hardcore passages to slower, breakdowns is decent. The softer passages that break up the heaviness of this album sound okay. "Redemption Key" feels a little too soft in the mix overall, causing the metal breakdown during that tracks final third to be a bit too harsh. 

But I grew up with a lot of this stuff, so my criticisms are muted because I appreciate a good Melodic Metalcore album, in a genre littered with Car Bomb's and Fit For An Autopsy. Tunes like "Sunlifter" and especially "The Fall" are tuneful and fun. But even by those standards, this album still feels very safe. Fans of Misery Signals, as well as Melodic Metalcore, will probably enjoy this, but everyone else may treat this as just like any other Melodic Metalcore album.