Hear Misery Signals' Blistering New Song "Sunlifter" | Page 2 | Revolver

Hear Misery Signals' Blistering New Song "Sunlifter"

Upcoming album marks return of founding vocalist Jesse Zaraska

Milwaukee-based metalcore veterans Misery Signals are gearing up to release their first album in seven long years, Ultraviolet, tomorrow, August 7th. If that weren't monumental enough, the LP also marks the return of founding vocalist Jesse Zaraska, his first appearance with the group since 2004's Of Malice and the Magnum Heart. In anticipation of Friday's big drop, Misery Signals have teamed up with Revolver to premiere the blistering new single, "Sunlifter." It's full of powerhouse screams, chaotic riffs and ripping breakdowns.

All of the band's founding members — Zaraska, lead guitarist Ryan Morgan, rhythm guitarist Stu Ross, bassist Kyle Johnson and drummer Branden Morgan — spent the last few years writing and recording Ultraviolet. "Jesse has this really clear voice, and even in his most vicious screaming the vulnerability gets through first," explains Morgan. "People will hear the record and there won't be any need for decoding the emotional content. 'Sunlifter' was the first song we wrote for the record and it set the tone thematically for the lyrics on the album, which came to be about ambition and striving and all the parts of ourselves that are in contradiction with each other.

"There is a lot of playing back and forth between the drums and the strings. There is a rhythm theme throughout the whole song, and when it disappears from the guitars, my brother keeps it pulsing on the kick drum. He's such an impressive drummer on a technical level and obviously he has great moments of flash, but I don't know if people realize the amount of deep writing Branden is doing. I think a lot of people miss layers of details he's putting in. It's one of my favorite things about the band, and 'Sunlifter' is a great example of it. There are fully formed riffs on the drums, it's like the drumming for the song could stand alone as its own complete song."

Zaraska adds, "It is a record that purveys a much greater sense of hope than those that preceded it, and I think that as older individuals this was important from the onset of the process. I tried to create a Misery Signals record that was lyrically more positive than the previous outings, something that I could get behind as a father. Though there still exists a fair amount of tension and darkness, there shines a great amount more light."

Ultraviolet  is available for pre-order now.