Misery Index is an American

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, fe ...

band formed in 2001 in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

, United States, by Jason Netherton (bass, vocals), Mike Harrison (guitar, vocals), and

Kevin Talley Kevin Talley (born May 21, 1979) is an American heavy metal drummer for Sylencer and Feared. He was part of Dying Fetus, Misery Index, Six Feet Under, Nothnegal, Chimaira, Suffocation and Dååth, and toured with Battlecross in 2013. Histor ...

(drums). In 2003, the band opened for Dying Fetus and Skinless on their North American tour. From 2006–2010, its line-up consisted of Jason Netherton on bass and vocals, John Voyles on lead guitar, Mark Kloeppel on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Adam Jarvis on drums. In 2010, Voyles left the band and was replaced by Darin Morris.

Background

Misery Index's music is best described as

with strong

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

and

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. ...

influences. Its lyrics tend to be highly critical of prevailing power structures in modern culture, everyday life and the ills of modern society. Their band name is derived from the economic indicator of the same name, which was also the namesake of the last album by Assück, from whom Misery Index also draw inspiration. Through the years, the band toured extensively, notably performing over 1000 concerts in 44 different countries from 2002 until 2013. The band runs its own

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

, Anarchos Records, through which it has released a handful of titles, including its debut EP ''Overthrow'' in 2001, the ''

Dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to ...

'' EP in 2004, and the 2010 compilation ''Pulling Out the Nails''. Misery Index's debut album, ''Retaliate'', was released on Nuclear Blast Records in 2003. The band signed to

Relapse Records Relapse Records is an American independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990. The label features many grindcore, death metal, metalcore and sludge metal artists. History The label w ...

in January, 2006, and released its second album, ''Discordia'', in May 2006. ''Traitors'', the band's third album, was released in September 2008 and its fourth album, ''Heirs to Thievery'', was released May 11, 2010. In June 2011, the band signed to Season of Mist Records, and released its fifth full-length, ''The Killing Gods'', in May 2014. On March 8, 2019, the band released their sixth album ''Rituals of Power.' In 2020, the band signed with Century Media Records and released their seventh album 'Complete Control' in May 2022.

Members

Current

*Jason Netherton – bass, lead vocals (2001–present) *Adam Jarvis – drums (2004–present) *Mark Kloeppel – rhythm guitar, vocals (2005–present) *Darrin Morris – lead guitar (2010–present)

Former

*John "Sparky" Voyles – lead guitar (2001–2010) *

– drums (2001–2002, 2004) *Mike Harrison – rhythm guitar, vocals (2001–2002) *Matt Byers – drums (2002–2004) *Bruce Greig – rhythm guitar (2003–2004) (died 2022)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Retaliate'' (2003) *'' Discordia'' (2006) *''

Traitors Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'' (2008) *'' Heirs to Thievery'' (2010) *'' The Killing Gods'' (2014) *'' Rituals of Power'' (2019) *''Complete Control'' (2022)

EPs

*''Overthrow'' CD/12" (2001) *Misery Index / Commit Suicide split CD (2002) * Misery Index / Structure of Lies split CD (2003) *''

'' CD/12" (2004) *Misery Index / Bathtub Shitter split 7-inch (2006) *'' Hang Em High'' 7-inch (2007) *Misery Index / Mumakil split CD/7" (2007) *Misery Index / Lock Up split 7-inch (2011) *Misery Index / I Disavow 7-inch (2018)

Other releases

*''Dead Sam Walking'' compilation Digital only (2008) *''Pulling Out the Nails'' compilation CD/LP (2010) *''Live in Munich'' LP (2013)

Music videos

*''The Great Depression'' (2004) *''Conquistadores'' (2006) *''Traitors'' (2008) *''The Calling'' (2014) *''The Harrowing'' (2015) *''New Salem'' (2018) *''Naysayer'' (2019) *''Hammering the Nails'' (2019) *''Decline and Fall'' (2019) *''The Eaters and the Eaten'' (2022)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Misery Index American death metal musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Maryland American grindcore musical groups Deathgrind musical groups Political music groups Musical groups from Baltimore Musical quartets Relapse Records artists Musical groups established in 2001 Earache Records artists Nuclear Blast artists Season of Mist artists