Band : Misery Index
Album title : Traitors
Label : Relapse
Distributor : Rough Trade
Release date : 06/10/2008
Release : CD

Based out of Baltimore (Maryland) and Washington (DC), this Technical Death/ Grind act was born in 2001 as a studio project of former Dying Fetus collegues James Netherton (vocals, bass) & Kevin Talley (drums), plus guitarist/ singer Mike Harrison. The Overthrow mini-album, originally released in September of the formative year on the band's own Anarcho label, was given a "official" release through Japanese specialist label Howlin Bull/ Ritual Records, Europe's Fadeless label, and a limited edition vinyl release in the States on Goodlife.

The project then shifted to a full-blown band with former Dying Fetus guitarist Sparky Voyles joining the band. His first recorded contribution to the band came with the 2002 split EP with Commit Suicide (released on the Willowtip imprint). Right after the recordings of that EP however, both Harrison and Talley left, MI recruiting drummer Matt Byers to perform their first US tour. 2003 saw the release of a split EP with Structure Of Lies, and the recording of full-length debut album Retaliate, issued through Nuclear Blast in August (the limited edition containing a bonus track "Birth Of Ignorance"). With the addition of second guitarist Bruce Greig, the band would tour heavily in support of the album, record a video clip, and release a DVD on their own label, containing a complete show filmed in Greece. The drum position was vacated and eventually (Talley returned for a while) filled in by new man Adam Jarvis prior to the recording of the Dissent mini-CD (also released on 10-inch vinyl with bonus Minor Threat cover on the band's own label) and band's tour of the Summer festivals (Wacken Open Air, Brutal Assault, Party San) and a run of tours throughout the rest of the year and early 2005. Final line-up changes (Greig had left the year before in August, the band re-enlisting Harrison as temporary replacement to fulfill their touring obligations) came when guitarist Mark Kloeppal joined in February 2005. For the band that year was again very intense on the live front, tours with Suffocation & Behemoth starting in February, a run of headliner shows with Magrudergrind and Rotten Sound in April (originally they were also to tour with Deicide, Immolation Skinless, and With Passion in May; but were then "booted" from the tour).

March 2006 Japanese gigs saw the band allied with Neuraxis, and in May the band released their sophomore album Discordia (review by collegue Trik posted 17/07/2006 and still available for your scrutiny), which had the nice touch of adding Nasum's "Digging In" as a bonus on both the vinyl and Japanese versions. It was also the band's debut for the Relapse label, by the way. Throughout April and May, MI supported Fear Factory on their extensive tour of Europe and the UK, then set out on an extensive tour schedule of the US (in mid May they started a tour with Disfear, Phobia nd Strong Intention, joining From A Second Storey Window Cattle Decapitation, Animosity and Job For A Cowboy on June 10th for a run of gigs into mid July...returning to the road in November for a headlining tour supported by Burn In Silence, Intronaut, Swarm Of The Lotus and Yakuza. As far as recordings are concerned, the band had released  a split 7-inch with Japan's Bathtub Shitter in 2006, and would issue the 4-track 7-inch EP Hang 'Em High and 7-inch split with Mumakil in 2007. In 2007 the band kinda concentrated on Europe, first touring with Origin and Burning Skies throughout February, adding Diskreet for a second leg in March. Returning home, the band put in an appearance at the Maryland Death Fest in late May, and crossed the Atlantic again for their Summer 2007 European tour with Dew-Scented and Coldworker during June, continuing throughout July on their own. The rest of the year was calmer, the band only doin' the occasional gig. At the end of January this year however, Misery Index was back in Europe, allied to Despised Icon, Beneath The Massacre, and Man Must Die (Annotations Of An Autopsy joining the tour for most of the dates in the UK). The tour was rounded off on February 18 and 20, when the band put in shows with Despised Icon in Russia. Between mid March and mid July, the band played only the occasional gig, but on July 21 they joined Origin, Misery Index and Abysmal Dawn on the Relapse organised Contamination Tour, which ran till August 9. In all, since starting back in 2002 (and taking the count on Sept. 19 of late), the band has performed a total of 633 shows in more than 33 countries. And all the guys ask for, is to give 'em the chance to add a lot more to that!!!

Already having honed their skills in their previous band experiences, and having found the correct blend of Grind and Death Metal that suits the band members best, it's not surprising that there's not so much evolution in the band's music overall. Yet, the careful listener will hear the small differences from album to album. With each writing session, the guys only get a better ear for what works and what doesn't, and they also succeed in putting in quite technical parts right at the beginning of their writing sessions. Where on the band's first outings one might occasionally have felt there was still something missing, the band now comes with material that is finished from the get-go till the end of the album. A pounding backbone of pummeling drums and bass serves as a perfect layer for the guitarists to live out their fantasies on, combining ultra-aggressive runs with great technicality...and still a sense for underlaying melody! On top come the grunted vocals, which are surprisingly understandable for the genre (ach well, that's what a decent recording budget and producing will do for you, you know!). To listen to 3 tracks off the new album (plus one off the Mumakil split and one off the debut full-length), check out myspace.com/miseryindex, but if you're into discovering as much as possible of this latest outing by the band (as if you need re-assuring about whether to buy the album or not?), you're better off surfing to last.fm/music/Misery+Index...because there you'll find the complete album barring the track "Ruling Class Cancelled"...and a total of 21 videos (yummie!!!).

In November the band will be out on a short run of gigs with Arsis and The Abcense on the Southern East Coast of the US, and in November they start off on a tour with Black Dahlia Murder and Soilent Green which will first take 'em through Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Idaho and Washington to Canada, travelling from Vancouver in the West through the Canadian states of Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario to Quebec, from whence they'll track back to Montréal, Toronto and London (Ontario)...probably to re-enter the US via Detroit. No idea yet what the boys may have in the planning to do next. They might come over to Europe first, but I much suspect they'll continue touring the US in the first months of 2009! Ah...about the album, did everyone understand that this is an essential buy to me? If not, I'mnotifying you herewith that Traitors was entered into my "Best Albums Of 2008"-lists!

98/100

Tony.