1. Retaliate
2. The Lies That Bind
3. The Great Depression
4. Angst Isst Die Seele
5. Demand The Impossible
6. Order Upheld / Dissent Dissolved
7. Servants Of Progress
8. The Unbridgeable Chasm
9. Bottom Feeders
10. History Is Rotten

Debut full-length album,  recorded in March/April 2003 at Wild Studios in St-Zenon, Quebec ( Canada) produced by  J-F Dagenais (Kataklysm, Malevolent Creation)

Review  by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo____     

This Death is fast, a bit brutal , a bit raw, very ferocious.  Some chords  seem to be shot with  the force of a machinegun, while others  act  like a leaden weight   on your body . But not only. It is  pounding  and solid, mixed with deep and extreme Thrash and Heavy elements. Moreover this album has indeed a characteristic i always appreciate in Death: a kind of sad hidden melodic line with   hunting riffs and loops. Merciless galloping bass oriented passages hit  with maximum power like a fall of stones  , lettin understand that this Death is articulated  starting from a kind of potent heavy metal platform trasmuted by the fast paced rhythms .  All in all it sound raw but not rough,  straight forward with drums who show their bass oriented attitude, but also their dry face. And with a lot of double -bass attacks. Really interesting this drummer: Matt Byers.  And vocals?  Low , aggressive without compromises, very grindcore oriented, always round, never disagreeable. High tuned  guitar distorsions bite from time to time very sharply and deeply. There are also slower paced moments which launch again even harder the speed machine. 

Retaliate delivers more than a simple killer instinct : this album delivers technique and intensity  in its muscular essentiality. But their are lots of mind- driven peculiarities too, cause retaliate is not only crude material , but  music. Yes, cause a well done Death is imo one of the most difficult but also elitist expressions of Metal music. Let's speak honestly, it isn't that hard to find some kind of catchy miserable catchy melody (unless it is Beethoven's "Sonata n 14 in do  diesis minore- c-sharp minor- op 27 "Moonlight"), but much more difficult is to express an anger, or an injured or sad  feeling, finding a melody too, but  following the laws  of the Death genre. And even more difficult is to propose a violent but fully listenable one, accompanied by an artistic weight with good instrumental technique.  Death metallers (and not only ) will live this album like an overwhelming (and headbanging) experience. Starting from the opener, the title track Retaliate, with thrash influences which shows attractive moments, we jump in a pulsing journey passing through really exciting songs like  the wonderful The great Depression which is able to provide extreme fast Death galopping with short moments of slow suspenced hammering breakdowns which are simply  impressive. Characteristics shared with another fantastic treck, which is Demand the Impossible, a truly excellent work   with a good dose of catchiness . Again spinal loops in Bottom Feeders, which provide heaviness , speed and tempo changings and all what your blood asks. Unfortunately Angst isst die Seele and History is rotten are  in m yopinion not that top  like other songs of this album are 

In its genre it is well done  work , that is prooving 3 basic things: 1) USA is the land of first class  Death, meine Damen und Herren! 2)  Death IS great music , obviously in the hands who are able to deal with  it, 3) J. F.  Dajenais is a   brilliant producer. 

Retaliate is a must to have if you are "Metal".

rating: 9/10

In december MISERY INDEX will  tour (taking  part in the X-Mass Festival ) along with  DEICIDE, NILE, DESTRUCTION, AMON AMARTH, DEW-SCENTED and  GRAVEWORM 

dalia di giacomo 

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