Misery Signals

Saturday September 22, 2007
The Orpheum
Photo by Tandy Williams

Out of all of the shows I have been to in Tampa, I have never witnessed one like this.
Maybe I’ve been hanging out in the wrong places. Maybe I’ve been going to the wrong shows. Maybe Tampa is alive after all.
I’ve never seen any venue in Tampa or St. Pete this intense before. The whole floor in front of the stage at the Orpheum was moving.
Hardcore dancing. Spin-kicks. Circle pits. Blood. Camaraderie.
I actually witnessed as a guy who had just punched someone in the face get picked up from the floor by that very same person he punched.
Sorry if I’m carrying on, but I’ve never seen Tampa like this before. And I must say that it was refreshing.
The hardcore show consisted of various versions of metal-based music demonstrated in the bands Born of Osiris, Sky Eats Airplane, Emmure, The Agony Scene and Misery Signals.
Ironically, I think the craziest show I have ever been to was one that Misery Signals played up in NYC with Bleeding Through a few years back.
Tonight, I watched the show from the bar, where I was safe enough. Although, I did get a little worried about the 6’ 7” guy behind me who was screaming the words to every song by Misery Signals and throwing his fist in the air.
Misery Signals hasn’t been to the area in nearly a year, but they were brilliant as always. Formed in 2002 from the fall of two of the greatest hardcore bands, 7 Angels 7 Plagues and Compromise, Misery Signals continues to send out a message with brutal force. They create the perfect balance between aggressive hardcore riffs and softer, dark ambient melodies.
They are touring with their newest vocalist and guitarist Karl Schubach. Playing music off their self-titled EP and first full-length album, Of Malice and the Magnum Heart, Schubach did justice to the band’s first works, including the songs “A Victim, A Target” and “Five Years.” Misery Signals also performed newer music from their highly anticipated second full-length album Mirrors, which came out in 2006.
The show was absolutely amazing. Probably one of the best ones I’ve been to all year.