2 of 2 thought this review was well writtenAfter the break up of 7 Angels 7 Plagues and Compromise, some of the members came together to Misery Signals. This EP is the bridge between those bands and what this band would put out in the future. It was released in 2003 and dedicated to Jordan Wodehouse and Daniel Langlois. It also has The Year Summer Ended in June, which they re-recorded on their debut album.
This EP is very raw, loud guitars and the mix in general is loud. Everything kind of fights to be heard. Can be annoying in the sense that it just hammers away at your ears. But unlike this bands other material a lot of the riffs or the songs in general are a lot heavier. That's why I consider this the bridge. Having the sound of the heavier riffs that you would hear from 7a7p but still that melodic progressive sound on the later releases. A lot more heavier chords on the lower strings, and faster tempos. Add the raw quality and it all makes this EP fairly heavy. The song writing can be not as strong, the progressive structures aren't as present. The riffs don't mix as well, or flow as well. A lot random changes and not as creative. Though its interesting to hear the faster, heavier sound. The song Echoes: Blessing Or Curse, starts off with clean guitar, that is very much like the later sound of this band. Very dreamy sounding, with a build up to the distortion. So while things sound different on this EP, and the song writing isn't that great, it still works.
But of course the rawness may bring a certain type of charm. Its not as great to listen to if the production was a lot stronger. The mix can be annoyingly loud. Its not as easy to hear the instruments separate. Rather than the mess it sounds like.
So this band still had a great start. The drumming the song writing, while not as strong as it would become, its still great. This EP has plenty of potential and passion. But for those still wanting to listen to this band or haven't checked this band out, this is not the best place to start.
