Photo by Heidi Strengell
“…Ugly times call for stark and uncomfortable statements, and ‘New Salem’ castigates the faults and ineptitudes of our broken media system and the Crucible-esque, witch-hunt culture it fuels.” — MISERY INDEX on “New Salem”
American death metal legion MISERY INDEX will unleash their incendiary new full-length Rituals Of Power this March via Season Of Mist.
The album sees the powerhouse quartet unleash a barrage of ferocious death metal as violent as it is savvy. Their vicious vocals spit venom, laying bare the ills of a dystopian society gone mad. As rampaging new tracks like “New Salem,” the title track, and “I Disavow” so brashly prove, Rituals Of Power is world-class modern extremity and MISERY INDEX only grows more powerful with time.
“Rituals Of Power is a disavowal and warning against the consequences of our so-called ‘post-truth’ age,” issues the band. “Each of the nine songs revolves loosely around this theme, yet each track also stands very much on its own. As an album however, they are all brought to life as one ‘reanimated’ monster; it’s roughly thirty-five minutes of unhinged, yet cohesive, riff-driven aural ballistics. We were pissed off and on fire during both the writing and recording, and we think it shows in spades. We set out to write the best album we could, based on what we would want to hear first as fans of this music, and we could not be happier.”
In advance of its release, the band is pleased to unveil first single and official video for “New Salem” noting of the punishing track, “‘New Salem’ sums up perfectly the lyrical vitriol and musical dynamics featured across Rituals Of Power. We wanted to introduce the album, not just with a straight-ahead ripping tune, but with a smack to the face; it’s a wakeup call for any concerned citizen and a code red for civilization. Ugly times call for stark and uncomfortable statements, and ‘New Salem’ castigates the faults and ineptitudes of our broken media system and the Crucible-esque, witch-hunt culture it fuels.”
View “New Salem” below.
MISERY INDEX‘s Rituals Of Power will be released on March 8th in several formats including jewel case CD, limited LP, limited cassette, limited deluxe digibox which includes bonus cover tracks — Nailbomb’s “Wasting Away” and M.O.D.’s “Man Of Your Dreams” — as well as a carabiner with key strap and bottle opener, a patch, and three vinyl stickers, and digitally.
For preorder options go to: shopusa.season-of-mist.com/list/rituals-of-power.
Rituals Of Power Track Listing:
1. Universal Untruths
2. Decline And Fall
3. The Choir Invisible
4. New Salem
5. Hammering The Nails
6. Rituals Of Power
7. They Always Come Back
8. I Disavow
9. Naysayer
In conjunction with the release of Rituals Of Power, MISERY INDEX will rumble stages through Europe with Wormrot, The Lion’s Daughter, and Truth Corroded. The Rituals Of Power: Phase 1 tour sees the band traveling through eight countries with a final curtain at the Turock in Essen, Germany. See all confirmed dates below.
MISERY INDEX w/ Wormrot, The Lion’s Daughter, Truth Corroded:
3/23/2019 Heidelberg Deathfest – Heidelberg, DE
3/24/2019 Z-Bau – Nürnberg, DE
3/25/2019 Escape Metalcorner – Wien, AT
3/26/2019 Melodka – Brno, CZ
3/27/2019 Chemiefabrik – Dresden, DE
3/28/2019 Goldgrube – Kassel, DE
3/29/2019 Cassiopeia – Berlin, DE
3/30/2019 Grindhoven – Eindhoven, NL
3/31/2019 Backstage – München, DE
4/01/2019 Werk21 – Zürich, CH
4/02/2019 Circolo Magnolia – Segrate MI, IT
4/03/2019 Usine – Genf, CH
4/04/2019 Glazart – Paris, FR
4/05/2019 De Casino – Sint Niklaas, BE
4/06/2019 Turock – Essen, DE
With their sixth full-length, Rituals Of Power, MISERY INDEX brutality displays the strength of maturity grown out of the experience gained as a relentless touring machine. The general trend of their continuous evolution to incorporate less core elements and move towards classic death metal finds a new high-water mark.
When their debut EP Overthrow was recorded in 2001 by vocalist and bassist Jason Netherton (ex-Dying Fetus), MISERY INDEX immediately charted a course to explore and push the limits of death metal and grindcore, drawing influence from bands like Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Bolt Thrower, and Entombed. By 2003, MISERY INDEX released their debut full-length Retaliate to exceptional reviews followed by numerous support tours and festivals through North America and Europe. After several lineup changes, second album Discordia was released in 2006 with even more touring in its wake. Their third full-length Traitors (2008) reaped raving reactions from both critics and fans and saw the band on the road again until 2009. MISERY INDEX dropped 2010’s Heirs To Thievery like a bomb on the death metal masses, shattering all expectations. The album was both a commercial and critical success, elevating the band to headlining slots. During that year, guitarist Darin Morris joined the fold. A string of shows and festivals around the globe followed and on the Munich date of the Full Of Hate Tour alongside Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth, the band recorded their first live album. Released early 2013, Live In Munich perfectly epitomized the rawness and ferocity that MISERY INDEX elevated onto a whole new level with their fifth full-length The Killing Gods in 2014.
Nowm with Rituals Of Power, revolving around the concept of “truth,” MISERY INDEX are back with nine crushing tracks which tackle how “truth” has been constructed and molded throughout history as a means to uphold power, regimes, and ideologies. Brace yourself, hold tight and run for cover, the wrath of MISERY INDEX is upon us and they are more furious than ever before.
MISERY INDEX Recording Lineup:
Jason Netherton – bass, vocals
Mark Kloeppel – guitar, vocals
Adam Jarvis – drums
Darin Morris – lead guitar
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