DARKEST HOUR

THE BLACK CAT, WASHINGTON DC

MISERY SIGNALS

Shrouded in near darkness, Canada’s MISERY SIGNALS do away with a ‘traditional’ live stream and instead focus on cinematography. Their one-hour set is almost a music video anthology, with various effects spliced over the band playing their riff-laden metalcore at full throttle. It’s a slick, professional production, but the decision to master and mix the sound hinders the overall experience; there’s no raw energy or amp feedback that would usually be expected in a live show and, as such, there’s a sense that the finished result could have been achieved with the studio recordings instead. DARKEST HOUR present an ‘encore’ performance of their September streamed set from the Black Cat, this time with special guests appearing via their own home footage inlayed over the stream. It will come as no surprise that it’s a death metal feast by one of the best to ever execute it, but again the sound is too polished and, by chiefly using the same footage from three months prior, it feels little more than a rehash. Consequently, as a whole package this represents a missed opportunity for both bands to stake one final claim in 2020.

ELLIOT LEAVER