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 SCOTT HARMS gets talking with MISERY SIGNALS founding bassist KYLE JOHNSON about the band’s new album, as the pair also speak of some of the label issues other bands are experiencing within the North American heavy scene.
In a world where most bands are struggling to write a fresh open-chord triplet, Misery Signals remain the resistance to the torrent of simple-minded mosh that’s becoming the undertow of the scene. With the nu-metalcore sound emerging, bands are cashing in by churning out by-the-numbers brutality that the scene kids are flocking to; they can relate to the vocalist’s girl trouble, while throwing down in the pit to the relentless chugging from the rest of the band.
But Kyle Johnson is on a mission to bring back – wait for it – actual thought and intelligence into heavy songwriting. After all, just because your band has breakdowns that sound like the end of the world, doesn’t mean you can’t be progressive in your approach. “It’s not about putting a part here because you want to put a part there; it’s got to make sense with the rest of the song,” Kyle says. “It’s more about the integrity of the song than it is about a certain formula. I think that’s where a lot of bands get it wrong.”
Misery Signal’s new effort, Controller, exhibits how to do a proper metalcore album. With the producer of their debut Devin Townsend returning to sharpen the band’s melodic prowess and off-timed Meshuggah-influenced chops, they almost sound like a different quintet to the one that recorded 2006’s Mirrors. “The only reason we didn’t go back to [Townsend] for Mirrors was that we wanted to try something new,” Kyle says. A visit from the legend after a Vancouver show however convinced them that he was the man to control (pun intended) the new record. “We were both on the same page – we like his work, he likes our music – so it just seemed like the right move.”
Controller’s quieter interludes on tracks like Reset and Homecoming have contributions from the father of guitarist Ryan and drummer Branden Morgan – dad is a classically-trained percussionist in his own right. “We thought it would be kinda cool to include him on some of the stuff, because there’s definitely room in the music for it.”
Without the label heat that a lot of bands are feeling on the larger indies, Kyle is able to reflect on the support they’ve received from Ferret, who have released all three full-lengths; and he does have feelings on some of the others. “I think that Ferret has treated us fair over the years, and they’re one of the few labels left that’s really maintaining that; not going bankrupt, staying on top of the game,” he says. “Labels like Trustkill, Eulogy and other mid-level labels are having problems making enough money to sustain.” As for Victory Records taking cuts of band merch? Some say it’s a natural reaction to falling record sales; others, like Kyle, vehemently uphold the ideal that outside of the record itself, no label should touch an artist’s earnings. “They’ve done it for years,” he says. “Victory is an evil corporation; I’ve never had any respect for that label.”
Misery Signals are planning to tour Australia in November – and Kyle can’t wait. “The sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned!”
CONTROLLER is out Saturday July 19 on Ferret/Stomp. www.myspace.com/miserysignals
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