Well what a year 2014 has been, initially being slow and sluggish with nothing to really shout about. We’ve had releases that have stunned all of us from the old school classic bands to the new breed of innovation reinventing the wheel. Not to mention it being a fantastic year for metal itself, getting closer and closer to the mainstream, not that we want everyone in the world to love metal but to actually see it be accepted as more than just “loud noise, with growling” would be a start.
As year end list’s can often be boring we’ve decided to split our lists up. These are the albums that have been shattering my skull personally all throughout the year. Some were released more recently others all the way back in January but all of them are phenomenal. Whilst we move through December each day I will be detailing one out of the twenty albums of the year. Different genres, different line ups and most importantly different sounds. So without further ado lets get started!
Misery Index – The Killing Gods
One of the finest releases of the year was Misery Index‘s fifth offering,The Killing Gods. Following on from the vicious 2010 effort Heirs To Thievery the new record showcases sides of Misery Index that ,it would be fair to say, none of us knew was there. Nonetheless the deathgrind king pins haven’t relented in their attack. With the album being a fast, ferocious blast of aggression, traditional Misery Index sounds are ever present. Where the band truly excel is the five track suite that opens the album. Building on a musical theme in the five songs the writing is all the while as hostile as ever the band experiment with more inclusion of melody to fantastic effect.
Including more technical guitar solo’s amidst the maelstrom of riffing really helps give the album melodic clarity. Creating a perfect contrast between the grit fed vocals of Jason Netherton. An element which the band was in dire need of, for fear of becoming another reliable but essentially very stagnant band. Introducing haunting choir pieces and the novel idea of slowing the pace down gives the album room to breathe, where too often the songs can blur into one due to the sheer malice that tends to suffocate the listener. Musically the album is a testament to the sheer technical ability the band possess. Much like a pack mentality the individual members lead off tenaciously chipping away until they are reunited for the killing blow. The Killing Gods is simultaneously a step in a more experimental direction as well as being staunch reminder of Misery Index‘s absolute immovable presence in the metal scene.
You can pick up the brilliant record here, sure to make anyone’s Christmas the heaviest yet!