After last year’s mini-CD “Overthrow,” which received a lot of positive attention Misery Index is back with “Retaliate”. It may not be exactly the same Misery Index because 2 of the 4 members left but they still sound like them. “Retaliate” features 10 aggressive hateful compositions which are in the vein of “Overthrow” but sound more mature and even more brutal.

Misery Index has a heavy link to Dying Fetus, both musically and personally. Every musician who has played in Misery Index also played in Dying Fetus. So, in a way it’s not strange they sound like DF but if I compare the two bands I have to say MI sounds more straightforward grind oriented and DF sounds more death metal oriented, certainly with their latest output “Stop At Nothing”

If you compare “Overthrow” with “Retaliate” the most significant change is the production. On “Overthrow” the production wasn’t bad to begin with but on “Retaliate” the sound is a brutal punch to the face, especially the drums keep on pounding its way to your inner ear.
The compositions are of the highest quality but my absolute favourite is track number four “Angst Issst Die Seele””.

This track has a super interesting middle part where the guitars play a fairly melodic metal riff while drummer Matt Byers (a student of the former drummer Kevin Talley) plays like he’s being chased by an angry mob. Matt’s skin beating is of course tight but also very diverse. Even during the fastest parts he still manages to put out varied patterns. The combination of the two makes this one of the best metal tracks I’ve heard this year.

More studio time and a bigger budget have absolutely not been wasted on this record. With their signing to Nuclear Blast and “Retaliate” under their belt, Misery Index sure have a bright future ahead of them. Funny thing is Jason Netherton quit Dying Fetus because of their success and now with Misery Index the same is happening. Let’s hope he will not quit a second time. No matter how strong they are on “Retaliate” I’m looking forward to seeing them play live because I think that in front of a frantic audience Misery Index will be even more impressive. Misery Index website