I’ve reviewed the last several releases from Misery Index and knowing singer/bassist Jason Netherton all these years from my Internal Bleeding time and his stint in Dying Fetus- well those were some legendary shows folks. Time flies and Complete Control is the bands seventh full length album. If you were expecting anything less than their brutal display of death/grindcore then look elsewhere.

Some months back I saw them play with Pig Destroyer and Misery Index played the song “Infiltrators” and parts of that show were shot for a video. The video shows parts of DC and Baltimore as well as The Ottobar- where the show and video was shot. Rather than start from the opening track let’s dive into “Infiltrators”, the seventh song on their seventh opus. This is the shortest song and is a tad over two minutes. Vocals of Jason and guitarist Mark are relentless. The song starts with massive groove and the opening vocal lines make you want to punch holes in walls all damn day. The crowd responded viciously to this song. No grinding blast beats. Strictly a groove number with such heaviness during the mid-paced passages no wonder why the pit during this song was monstrous. This is a great song perfectly placed towards the albums end.

“Administer the Dagger” opens the album in an atmospheric fashion with Mark berating us as if we told the teacher our dog ate our homework. Anyway; the buildup until the 1.48 part is a slow burn where drummer Adam Jarvis does some exceptional drum rolls leading us into the Holy Shit moment. Brutal grind blast at the 1.48 moment right when there’s a slight pause then SONIC BOOM!!!!!! Crushing blasts as Mark and Dennis’ guitar work are impeccable. Best on any of their releases.

Let me see a squirrel and go into a tangent about Adam Jarvis. I’ve been in the business for close to 30 years with being in IB, doing reviews, blogs, etc… Adam Jarvis is the best drummer in death/ grind. Period! Some may not know he’s also the drummer in other bands but most notably Pig Destroyer. PD are complicated grind and on this night of the show at The Ottobar Adam did double duty. First with Misery Index then with Pig Destroyer. Did he miss a beat? No. Did he slow or change his grind blasts? No. He is a fucking machine. If you love his recording work go see him live and be floored at this dude’s ability.

Anyway; the opener has intense blasts and you can’t even catch your breath because “The Eaters and the Eaten” is more intense. Starting with isolated guitar riffing until the blast removes your head and plays tether ball with it over and over again while your body attempts to eat a pizza but finding it impossible to do so without a jawbone. The start and stop grind parts and older school pacing merge to perfection with the groove and mid-paced moments. The song is catchy as all hell too. The guitar solo at the end is excellent and really fast. Nice work.

The title track is a great mid-paced groove type song which will have you picking up change and windmilling all day. Some excellent distorted bass guitar moments and a more traditional guitar solo towards the end are highlights.

“Rites of Cruelty” starts deliberate and swift with the grind. The second tracked guitar with melodies is exceptional. The song slows down a bit, picks up speed, mid paced moments and those vicious grind parts are superb. The epic chorus parts are excellent and I’d like Misery Index to continue to expand on those moments in future releases.

The rest of Complete Control owns as well. The band has never put out a sub-par album and have never phoned it in. The production and mix are incredible on the album and everything will hit you like a ton of bricks. This is death / grindcore played with precision, skill and a ferocity that is still mind blowing on the seventh album from Misery Index. Crushing. Buy or Die!

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