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Full Review | User Ratings (17) |
| Summary: Can I help you sir? I will take a fresh helping of death metal, served with a side dish of hardcore along with a sprinkling of familiarity that warms the insides and makes for one happy customer. |
7 of 7 thought this review was well written
As far as death metal purists are concerned, albums such as Traitors may be enough to calm the legions of fans in a time where death metal has been ripped apart, rebuilt, and mixed with as many annoying sub-genre traits as one can handle. Deathcore, metalcore, mallcore, and whatever ridiculous tags have been given to such genre mashing bands, Misery Index are no [T]raitors to the death metal throne on this album despite their potent mix of hardcore and bits of grind. Leaving off from the rather bland affair of Discordia, which found the band muddling around with an all too familiar death-grindy-core kind of sound, Traitors is an album packed full of tightly wound death metal blasting, hardcore chugs, and an equally impressive display of musical virtuosity.
What is most impressive about this album is the fact that Misery Index have come along way since Discordia. Everything that was bland about their older sound has been completely left out to dry. Instead, the band have made their potential moments off their last offering come out singing (or growling). The death metal elements provide even more meatier hooks, an added abundance of complicated intricate riffs, and even a few moments of lead guitar melodies and solos. For a great example of this type death metal done right, check out the song ‘Theocracy’ for a taste of all the above-mentioned pros. As far the hardcore elements are concerned, they’ve been integrated in a fashion that joins these sub-genre traits effortlessly, providing for some improved chugging moments, barked and growled vocals, and slow tempo changeups that could cause cerebral haemorrhaging. The grind characteristics come fast (like a good grind song should be) and are once again seamlessly incorporated into their barrage of brutality. All of these fine characteristics are topped off with a great sense of social commentary on anything and everything surrounding the problems that face the United States today such as capitalist pigs, politicians, and religion (even the amazingly artistic cover art provides a glimpse into the mayhem contained on this beast as well). This meal is served to fill you up with a hearty sense that all is well in the death metal community.
Unfortunately, familiarity comes with the price of monotony and there are moments on this that cause the album to have some filler. Despite a step up from Discordia, Misery Index fall into some of there comfort zones a little too much with bland riffs scattered about and a somewhat same-y feel by the time the album is finished. Songs such as ‘Ruling Class Cancelled’ and ‘The Arbiter’ make no claims of progression from Discordia and could be considered filler, depending on how ambitious the listener is. Since this is death metal first and foremost, this could be a chore for some metal enthusiasts, but there should be enough here to sustain one’s metal listening interests for a solid forty minute death metal experience. These are all minor quibbles about an album that has more sustenance then trans-fat that listeners should be able to see through and take for a healthy diet of death metal served with a bit of fat to trim.
As far as Misery Index have come since 2006, they have succeeded on all fronts of improving and integrating their elements together into a real treat for death metal enthusiasts in 2008. Familiarity has its prices to pay, but what the listener has here is some top-notch musicianship that could satisfy even the most ignorant minded death metal heads. Traitors might not go down as the most original death metal release of 2008 (that honour, hands down, goes to Arghoslent’s Hornets of the Pogrom), but they sure created an album that will bide our time until their next release. “Will there be dessert on tonight’s menu”? “No, just a main course meal”.
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to be honest, where the hell are you going with the summary? that confused me.
Digging: Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
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you write really well.
Digging: Animal Collective - Feels
| | | Album Rating: 4
Thanks goes out to masscows for his 'Deathgrind' descritpion (in his Discordia review) that I thought fit this band perfectly (and that I kind of touched on in the review too).
Enjoy the review. I've listened to this about 6-7 times in the last few days. Confident about the rating.
Why is this under Punk? Metal!
This Message Edited On 10.25.08
Digging: Anathema - Hindsight | | | Album Rating: 4
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to be honest, where the hell are you going with the summary? that confused me.
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Read the rest of the review and see how I tied the theme of 'food' in. Shitty metaphor, I know.
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Oh come on.................*blushing*.
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I've been waiting to hear this for some time. nice review, Misery Index ****ign slay.
Digging: Sarah Fimm - White Birds
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good review wizard, not really a fan of deathcore, but this sounds good.
Digging: Radiohead - Kid A
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Well this isn't really deathcore but you should really check out this band because they are really good.
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summary owns
Digging: Suffocation - Souls to Deny
| | | Album Rating: 4
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not really a fan of deathcore
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THIS IS NOT DEATHCORE. AT ALL. It just tastefully uses hardcore.
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I was debating if I should go down that route but I'm glad someone liked it. Thank you muchly.
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THIS IS NOT DEATHCORE. AT ALL. It just tastefully uses hardcore.
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ok good, then I will check this out...
| | | Album Rating: 4
Hahahaha I will never review deathcore. I could not think of anything to write that hasn't already been written before about the genre.
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that is an awesome album cover.
Digging: Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Pt.1
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Wizard. Get the new album from Book Of Black Earth. it's ****ing immense and i'm trying to write one up for it.
| | | Album Rating: 4
nice review, the album rips
Digging: Misery Signals - Controller | | |
I think its about time that I give Misery Index a chance. I've heard quite a bit about them but I've never picked anything up. Good job wizzzzz.
Digging: Bad Brains - Bad Brains
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review was most epic.
I liked about half of Discordia so I'll give this a try.
Digging: Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
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i like how people only call something deathcore if they don't like it
Digging: The National - Boxer
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I heard a few songs off of this and they were pretty boring
Ghosts of Catalonia is ****ing AWESOME though
Digging: Summoning - Stronghold
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Chan are you trying to get into another genre argument?
This Message Edited On 10.25.08
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nope just an observation
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