Misery Index

Ever since splintering off from Dying Fetus a few years back, Kevin Talley and company have had a tough time living up to the legacy, although 2004’s Dissent EP came pretty damn close. Traitors inches them a little bit further towards establishing their sound and stands as their strongest full-length release yet. With punchy, visceral production and even more of an emphasis on rhythmic punctuation and groove, Traitors avoids the monotony that plagued their last effort by keeping the mosh-y, slower sections front and centre. Barely a minute goes by on this record at any point without thunderous breakdowns muscling their way into the track. Don’t assume the group are trudging the well-worn metalcore path, however. Misery Index’s approach is still firmly rooted in thrashy death/grind, with gruff, shouted vocals communicating the group’s apocalyptic, quasi-political message succinctly and directly. What sets them apart is their sense of timing and knowing when to allow a song some breathing room. Instead of a full-on barrage of endless blast beats, they vary their technique quite a bit, tempo-wise, in order to strengthen the catchiness of their material. This is a potent effort from a band of veterans that should be past the level of "opening act” at this point.