'River King': Misery Signals release second single from new album 'Ultraviolet'

19 June 2020 | 6:05 am | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

New Misery Signals. Y'all know what to do.

Off the back of 'The Tempest' & now 'River King,' Misery Signals' new LP, 'Ultraviolet' can't come soon enough!



Whereas 'The Tempest' was a more uplifting first return for Misery Signals, 'River King,' the second single to be lifted from their new comeback album, represents a darker and heavier tonal shift. Basically, if you came here to mosh or headbang, you came to the right song! 'River King' comes off the band's first new album in seven years, the long-awaited 'Ultraviolet,' which arrives August 7th via Basick Records and it counties to jump our list of most anticipated 2020 albums.

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The contemplative and serene post-rock instrumental that begins 'River King' - which sounds remiss of 'Marianas Trench' by August Burns Red - floats through a pretty ether as these soft, borderline-spoken vocals contrast and prepare for the larger, heavier metalcore movements that soon hit you like a shovel to the face. As once we get past the 90 second mark in the track, Misery Signals do not fuck around: opting into some riffy and familiar sounding yet nonetheless satisfying and engaging metalcore and hardcore passages. There's a lot of different parts to 'River King,' but it all comes together handsomely. It sounds like classic Misery Signals yet also sounds fresh at the same time.

With some chunky hardcore and Turmoil-esque riffs, hard-hitting melodic qualities like the evocative staccato section that pulls your soul up from its very roots at 3:08, or the pummelling core breakdown that gut punches you over and over barely a minute-later, there's a lot to enjoy here. All members of the band are on-point with 'River King,' helping it sound and feel larger than the sum of its parts; it's collaborative and fleshed out. Something that's always defined Misery Signals' exceptional songwriting.

The nautical and oceanic imagery behind 'River King' is all about weathering a raging storm; about building a sound vessel that won't spring leaks or ever sink. Despite it's heaviness and aggression, it's an inspiring piece about endurance and resolve; about the impermanence of time and those trying, defining moments in our lives that we all one day face. Adding to this, the ways in which vocalist Jesse Zaraska roars lyrics from the heart like "Time spread so wide, and all we reach is the moment" is so gripping.

I think the world needs a new Misery Signals album now more than ever. August 7th can't come soon enough! Dive into 'River King' below: