It’s a rare occasion these days to truly be able to describe a metalcore band as a – œbreath of fresh air’, but that is precisely the first thing that comes to mind when witnessing Wisconsin five-piece Misery Signals. Maybe it’s because this ten-legged monster has touched on something incredibly unique within the currently-over-saturated genre or maybe it’s because they border more on the – œmetal’ side of things, rather than the – œcore’.

Having said that, supports The Amity Affliction tonight put on exactly what we’ve come to expect from these kinds of shows – loads of screaming vocals and plenty of frenzied convulsions, clearly giving it a hundred per cent but also completely playing it by the post-metalcore rules. Nothing wrong there, especially considering the fact that most of the crowd at Fowler’s Live tonight obviously expect nothing less from the Brisbane six-piece known for their on-stage party image. For the relatively short amount of time The Amity Affliction has been around for – almost five years to be exact – their ability to execute their energetic brand of melodic hardcore makes them seem like they’ve been doing this a hell of a lot longer than that. Stage presence aside, songs off their 2008 debut Severed Ties go down a treat with an audience that is quite clearly mostly made up of die-hard fans mouthing song lyrics word-for-word.

But the real – œtreat’ of the night comes in the form of the headliners who have returned to our shores two years after the 2007 Boys Of Summer tour package – and you can believe they’ve upped the ante. Having a bunch of brutal, kick-ass songs under your belt is one thing, but possessing the confidence to execute them with the right amount of intensity means you’re really onto a winner. With vocalist Karl Schubach stalking the stage like some pissed off bull, it’s hard to take your eyes off him even for a second, though at the same time it’s obvious that the frontman has clearly taken a leaf from the Phil Anselmo book of on-stage mannerisms. But let’s face it, it’s Schubach’s pipes of concrete that really matter and when the man starts barking, you will listen. So he barks songs from Misery Signals brand newie Controller, but generally it’s the stuff from the band’s previous album – œMirrors’ that really gets the noggin nodding – The Failsafe simply slays.

Anything but in the background, the rest of the band somehow amazingly manages to stay ultra-tight and in time with one another despite the songs’ insane time signatures and overall super-technical structures. Add to the whole shebang chugging riffs, double-bass drumming and loads of breakdowns with unexpected bright melodies here and there, and you’re basically seeing something pretty special. Everything about Schubach and Misery Signals is highly-charged which luckily rubs off on the audience, a few of which literally get airborne as they’re thrown about like ragdolls in the mosh-pit down below. Not safe, but definitely hilarious.

But time flies when you’re having fun and that’s certainly the case with this band’s set – before you know it, the lights go on and it’s all over for another couple of years. Nevertheless, you leave the venue knowing you’ve just had the privilege of being part of something completely unique and entirely of its own category. And of how many bands can you truly say that anymore?