ALBUM REVIEW: Complete Control – Misery Index
Baltimore behemoths MISERY INDEX are like a fine whiskey, they continue to improve with age. 2019’s Rituals Of Power was gleaming evidence to corroborate that statement. The much anticipated follow-up Complete Control is due for release on May 13th via Century Media Records, and if you thought they had any inclination to take the foot off the pedal at this stage of their career you’d be sorely misinformed.
Administer The Dagger gets the ball rolling with some haunting, discordant notes that usher in powerful bellowing vocals. It isn’t long before the tempo shifts significantly, rifling through pummelling blast beats and rapid riffing. This well-oiled machine is still firing at optimum efficiency. The Eaters And The Eaten charges onwards with additional bursts of ferocious intensity. Alluring hooks and destructive shredding become dominant allies, mowing down all opposition. Complete Control follows suit, fusing punk/hardcore style melodies with the commanding force of death metal. The ebbs and flows in pacing keep you ducking and diving between methodical, headbang-inducing guitar work and sheer brutality.
Necessary Suffering throws some infectious instrumentation into the mix that much like its predecessor continues to dish out curveballs to keep you guessing. Barbaric drum beats violently smash away at your ear drums. Rites Of Cruelty stands firmly in the more extreme side of their repertoire. Relentless volleys are delivered thick and fast. Grizzled vocal work runs rampant. Conspiracy Of None also chooses to lurk in the depths of the underworld. Sinister melodies swarm around this soundscape, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Infiltrators hasn’t got a single second to spare, cramming in as much crushing energy into its runtime as possible. Reciprocal Repulsion opens up with some hefty bass lines that kick the door off its hinges and invite a savage round of blast beats to dive down your throat. The demonic tones that spurn forth within this track are enough to curdle your blood and petrify you where you stand. Now Defied! isn’t about to sit there and be outdone, hitting lightspeed with a turbo-charged tempo and razor sharp precision. That’s one hell of a note to depart on.
Just when you think you’ve heard everything MISERY INDEX has to offer they continue to leave you in a state of shock and awe with their emphatic levels of aggression. Complete Control had big shoes to fill coming off of the back of Rituals Of Power but it more than holds its own, ready to lock horns with the most monstrous of tracks in their storied catalogue. This is the work of a band who has no time for complacency or casually resting on their accomplishments and long may it continue.
Rating: 9/10
Complete Control is set for release on May 13th via Century Media Records.
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