When Wisconsin progressive metalcore act Misery Signals released their debut full-length effort Of Malice and the Magnum Heart in 2004, many hailed it as a landmark release for the hardcore scene, and a huge step up from their self titled EP from 2003.

Unfortunately, vocalist Jesse Zaraska decided to leave the band around 2005, leaving guitarists Ryan Morgan and Stuart Ross, bassist Kyle Johnson and drummer Branden Morgan in search of a replacement. Karl Schubach was soon found through the band’s open auditions and the band’s sophomore effort, Mirrors was released a year later. Mirrors was considered a strong album, and a worthy follow up to their impressive debut. But as solid as it was, there was a definite lack of new ideas from the band.

Two years on and the band are back with their third effort Controller, and thankfully the band have once again pushed themselves into new territory.

The opening track “Nothing” provides a powerful start to the album with the band’s musical backdrop reflecting a greater progressive edge, with the song at times pounding out a relentless force of aggression (where Schubach’s vocals more than match the other musician’s offerings), while at other times allowing for small passages of melodic atmospherics.

Follow up track “Weight Of The World” is by far the band’s heaviest track (and shortest at just under three minutes) to date, with Schubach spilling forth pure venom out front, while on the heavily riff driven “Parallels” and “Coma,” the band further demonstrate their technical finesse by splitting up the song up with pounding aggression and moments of gentle reprieve, without disrupting the overall flow.

The single “A Certain Death” and “Ebb And Flow” are certainly two of the catchiest numbers on the album with Schubach adding some well placed clean lines amongst his growling efforts. Meanwhile the hypnotic and dense “Set In Motion,” the crushing “Reset” and the stunning “Homecoming” show up as the album’s stand out highlights with the band pushing their progressive influences further than ever before.

Looking back, it’s easy to view Mirrors as just a transitional album. After all, Schubach had only just joined the group prior to heading in the studio.But with Schubach now a fully established member of the band, Misery Signals have once again pushed forward into the unknown and taken a step beyond Of Malice And The Magnum Heart to finally deliver their finest moment in Controller.

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