Misery Index
Wywiad przeprowadził Bart Donarski
I’m a flatterer. Especially when such bands as Misery Index deliver that splendid music. This great release is also a comeback output of Dutch Fadeless Records and I it’d be really hard to imagine a better one. Ex-Dying Fetus madmen: Jason Netherton, Sparky Voyles, Kevin Talley (also known of Suffocation and M.O.D. fame) along with former Pessimist, Cadaver Symposium and Sadistic Torment guitar tormentor Mike Harrison, convey contemporary US-style death metal on a higher level of madness and proficiency. “Overthrow” is first exclusively theirs CD which is fraught with 4 original songs, Terrorizer’s cover (“Dead Shall Rise”) some live tracks and two videos inclusively. The band has already signed to Nuclear Blast! I’m not surprised, so to speak. As it appears, it’s just a beginning for them. Misery Index can definitely become a famous band. So, there’s nothing more then staying tuned for more miseries! 
First and foremost, "Overthrow" kills! No bullshit or making spuriously pleasant atmosphere for a kick-off!
Sparky Voyles: Hey, thanks very much for the compliments. We are happy to see that a lot of people like the album, and we hope people who like "Overthrow" will continue to check out stuff we release in the future.
Is "Overthrow" your very first material exclusively? Am I right? I mean not shared with others or something like that.
Yeah, it is the first recording done by Misery Index. We also are on a split CD with Commit Suicide that was just released by Willowtip Records in July.
To the best of my knowledge MISERY INDEX is recently bone-breaking on the Death Across America tour alongside KATAKLYSM and DIVINE EMPIRE? Then, how has the tour been going on so far?
We actually just got done with the tour a few days ago. It went really well for us, and we had a great time. We got to play a few places that we had never been to, and saw many old friends from our days in Dying Fetus. The guys in the other bands were really cool. The third band that toured with us, Beyond the Embrace, are on Metal Blade and their debut album just recently came out. Anyone into In Flames and Iron Maiden style guitar work should definitely check these guys out.
Do you think MISERY INDEX can be of interest to followers of your previous bands, especially Dying Fetus? I guess it may be very likely.
A lot of DF fans have contacted us or seen us at shows and are really into what we are doing now in Misery Index. We hope that anyone who is into brutal grinding death metal will take the time to check us out.
Is MISERY INDEX a top priority for all contributing to the band musicians? Is this actually a full-time band?
Yes, the band is now a full-time venture. All the members spend time on writing songs, practicing, and doing band business. We still have regular jobs, but once out full-length album comes out next year, we will start touring as much as possible.
Your material has been released/licensed via few labels worldwide. In Europe things seem to be pretty stabilized with Dutch Fadeless, but who is actually responsible for your stuff in the US? Have you signed to any native label? Present-day you sort of run the band by yourselves as far as publicity is concerned.
"Overthrow" was licensed to Ritual/Howling Bull in Japan, and came out there in June. Fadeless will release the album in September, and there will also be a 12" vinyl version out soon on Goodlife. In the US, we released the CD on our own label, Anarchos Records. We do all the distro ourselves, through a variety of mailorder operations like Relapse and Lumberjack, and also smaller independent record shops. We also sell stuff directly from our website. We do all the promo ourselves here at home at the present, but we have a lot of friends who also lend a helping hand. We will be signing to Nuclear Blast very shortly, so that will really be a big boost to our promotion worldwide.
This what makes "Overthrow" that interesting and superb in my viewpoint is that you
try to expand death metal into a new level of proficiency, yet still being deeply influenced by this what brutal death metal is all about. Can you agree if I state it's a modern way of American death? To be frank, I love it! And what is odd I still listen to a lot of Carcass!
We try to write memorable songs that stand on their own. We really like to take the time to make sure each song has it's own individual personality. I am a fan of many American death metal bands, but I don't know if the newer bands view songwriting in the same way as we do. We take all the great influences we've had through the years, from the 80's bands we grew up with like Iron Maiden and Slayer, to the death and grind of the 90's, and mix it all up. We write the kind of stuff that we would really like to hear if we were listening to a CD or going to a show.
I read at your website that you're putting final touches for the forthcoming full length album. Is "Overthrow" an appropriate taster of what we can expect on the upcoming output?
We have a few songs written, and plan on going to the studio in January or February to record. The songs on "Overthrow" as well as the new songs on the split CD kind of lay the groundwork for where we will take the band in the future. I will also be contributing to the songwriting for the new album, so between all of us, there should be a lot of material to choose from.
I don't know, maybe I'm mistaken, but I think the production of "Overthrow" isn't perfect. To me productions of, for instance, Dying Fetus were way better. How do you look upon it?
"Overthrow" was recorded in a couple of days on a limited budget, so the production values weren't as good as the DF stuff, especially "Destroy the Opposition", which took a long time to finish. The production quality of the songs on the split is a lot better, as we went to a different studio. The guy we worked on the split with has done bands like Clutch and Sixty Watt Shaman. It was still cool to work with someone who had a different perspective on the recording process. We're currently considering a lot of different studios to record the next album, as we want the recording to be as good as the music we create.
I saw the video tracks on "Overthrow" and I have to say as if you fucking rule onstage as well! I guess live performance is also what MISERY INDEX is all about. Am I right? Do you record your music with one aim - to hit the road?
Playing live is the payoff for all the hard work that we do while writing, practicing and recording. It's also our way of giving back to the people for all their support. It would be amazing to just keep touring all the time. We all love to play shows as it is the ultimate musical release.
As I read in the booklet Mike Harris is responsible for the whole package like artwork, layout and general design. It looks damn professional! Does he earn a living like that? If not, he definitely ought to! Besides, does he also put his fingers on your splendidly done website?
Mike is a great graphic artist who has also done work for bands such as Dying Fetus, Pessimist, and the upcoming CD from Neuraxis. Anyone who would like to check out his work can go to www.unkindesign.com/ .
And before we put the interview to an end. Any chances for you to come to Europe in near or further future?
We have been contacted about playing some shows in France later this year, and are trying to work that out now. If we can get the album done in time for a spring release, there is a chance we may get to take part in a festival tour in Europe. We have a lot of work to do before that will happen, though. Thanks to you Bart for the great questions, and thanks to everyone who has supported our bands through the years. For info on Misery Index, please check out our website at www.misery-index.com.
Bart Donarski
