Review Summary: Misery Index produce a top-notch deathgrind album that rivals established acts such as Napalm Death and establishes them as the act to beat in their respective genre.
Misery Index is an American deathgrind band that was formed in 2001. They have released a solid catalogue of albums since their formation, but the standout for me has to be Heirs to Thievery. Before I stumbled upon this album, grindcore, or death grind, whatever you want to call it, had never really had a impact on me. It was mostly the production of the albums that put me off, and also the very low guttural vocals that many bands associated with the genre use e.g. Dying Fetus (a band that has grown on me). I just couldn't sink my teeth into the genre. Until I heard Heirs to Thievery.
The album opens with a bang with Embracing Extinction, as the listener is immediately assaulted with a brutal riff followed by a nice introductory solo that sets the tone for the soloing for the rest of the album, literally, the tone used when soloing is fairly distinguishable. The song manages to be brutal yet catchy simultaneously during the chorus, with Jason Netherton chanting:
'Embracing extinction, what higher form of life, destroys his creations? How far we've come to fall'. These lyrics establish the anti-political and social class themes that are revisited throughout the album.
The lyrics are not entirely original when compared to their peers. They are mostly about the self destructive nature of man and how power can cause the downfall of humanity. However, Misery Index have a good vocalist to deliver the lyrics in Jason Netherton, who is also the bassist. His powerful and brutal guttaral delivery adds force to the words he is saying and makes you want to chant along, especially during songs such as the aforementioned Embracing Extinction and The Spectator. In terms of musical performance, the whole band deliver in spades throughout the album. The two guitarists, Mark Klöppel and Sparky Voyles deliver pummeling riffs one after another. The riffs are fairly similar in nature, but there is some changes in tempo. For example, the Spectator offers a simple main riff that could easily fit in a Metallica song. The soloing is brief when featured, but usually very good. Fed To The Wolves, my personal favourite off of the album, features a great solo toward the end of the song, as does the title track, Heirs to Thievery, around the 1:00 mark. The drumming is your standard deathgrind affair from Adam Jarvis, nothing entirely special or origjnal, but still very solid. There is some songs such as The Carrion Call, one of the standout tracks, that have a lot of tempo changes that show case Jarvis' ability, but the problem is the drums are sometimes far too loud in the songs and overshadow the rest of the production.
That brings me to my main problem with the album. The drums are mixed far too loud in some tracks such as Heirs to Thievery and Plague of Objects, and as a result they begin to overwhelm. Another problem I have with the album is that it begins to lose steam after track seven, The Seventh Calvary. Whilst the rest of the songs are still solid, they are not as impactful as the opening seven tracks, and that is when my attention begins to wander.
To summarise, Heirs to Thievery is and always will be one of my favourite deathgrind albums. That may be because it is the album that introduced me to the wonders of the genre, if so, that does not take away the fact that there is some excellent musicianship on display here and some classic deathgrind songs. The vocals are perfect for me personally, as I am not a fan of extremely low vocals that can sometimes be found in the grindcore/deathgrind genre. The main attraction though, is the riffage sustained throughout the album. The two guitarists constantly deliver outstanding, albeit fairly similiar riffs, from the opening track 'Embracing Extinction'.
Recommended tracks:
- Fed to the Wolves
- The Carrion Call
- The Spectator
- The Illiminaught
