The history of Misery Index is, I think, quite an impressive one for such a relatively young band as they are. Misery Index was conceived in the spring of 2001 as a studio project and originally had ex-Dying Fetus member Kevin Talley behind the drums. After a conversion to a fulltime project and 1 CD, 3 EP’s (2 splits), some record labels, a couple of line-up changes and some really extensive touring later, they unleashed their third album “Discordia” upon the world.
The accompanying leaflet of this CD speaks of:”…pushing the limits of metal with an insane mix of regressive thrashing rhythms, corrupting breakdowns and energetic ferocity”. I only know Misery Index from name and word of mouth, so when I put the CD in my CD-player I was very curious and also had some expectations. I thought:” Let’s see if these guys can blow my brains out.” and I pushed the play-button…

The first track of “Discordia” starts off with a small sample which exhales the look and feel of the whole album (music and artwork). The words ‘cold’ and ‘brutal’ immediately spring to mind. And with ‘cold’ I mean cold war, because war it is when you listen to this CD.
With a lot of relentless machine gun drumming and blasting coupled together with some very mean trashy guitar riffing and brutal grinding vocals, Misery Index sounds like a pack of insane soldiers from some nameless East-European country who are out on a killing spree.
The music is well written.

And although it’s the paddle to the metal on most of the album, there’s still room for some menacing slow parts and interesting breaks. Bands that come to mind when I listen to this CD are Dying Fetus, Terrorizer and Brutal Truth.
Misery Index also have made some work of their lyrics, which are interesting to read and partially handle about today’s hotbeds in the world.

I also have a couple of complaints, and although these aren’t that major, they’re worthy enough to mention. The production of this CD is crystal clear and you can certainly hear every instrument, but it’s just not punchy enough. If I turn the volume of my stereo way up, I want to see my windows vibrating in their frames and breakable stuff that comes crashing down out of the various cupboards. That just doesn’t happen with “Discordia” when you leave the EQ of your stereo alone.
I bet that Dying Fetus still is a major influence for Misery Index today, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the tracks on “Discordia” are somewhat alike to each other.
There’s enough difference to set them apart as individual tracks, but not enough to let you remember how they went when the CD is over.

Conclusion: Discordia is an ok CD filled with modern U.S. style death metal with some grindy touches added to it all. Especially suitable for fans of Dying Fetus, Napalm Death, Brutal Truth and Terrorizer.