Misery Index – Jason Netherton

Misery Index hail from Baltimore in the United States. They’re best described as a fusion of death metal and hardcore. The band will soon be touring Australia for the first time with Decapitated and local heroes, Psycroptic in April. Metal Obsession recently had the pleasure to chat with bassist Jason Netherton, about the band’s upcoming Australian tour and their upcoming new album ‘Heirs to Thievery’.

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Metal Obsession: Recently the title of your upcoming album was released. Are there any newdetails about Heirs To Thievery that you can reveal?

Jason Netherton: Yes! It is an 11 track record, recorded in our hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and it has a May 11 release date through Relapse Records. We are mega-stoked about it as it represents the best production and songwriting we have yet to achieve, and represents a huge leap forward for us, we can not wait to play these songs live!

MO: With each album the band has continued to build on its brutal, intensesound. What direction will the new album be taking? Will there be any experimentation with new musical elements?

JN: Its like the previous album “Traitors” in the sense that the diversity among the songs on the record is even more refined, giving each song its own identity, and mood, that together give the record a great “album” feel.” I can not stress enough the songwriting leaps, its been fun and inspiring for us at the same time.

MO: What type of approach does the band take when writing music? Are the duties divided among the band members or does the band work together as a whole more?

JN: Myself, and our guitarists Mark and Sparky, each write riffs on our own, we brainstorm them into song structures, and refine them down to a presentable format for our drummer Adam. Then, Adam and the individual songwriter work through the riffs one on one, and create a stable entity out of the mess, and then present the song to the other two members of the band, who offer constructive criticism for further refinement and reflection, until the song is felt to be done.

MO: The upcoming shows with Decapitated, Origin and Psycroptic are your first shows Down Under, what are you expecting from the Australian audiences?

JN: I do not know what to expect, our friends who have been there have had nothing but positive and good things to say about the people and the scene, so we are looking forward for sure to find out for ourselves, we have high hopes and expectations and I am sure they will be met!

MO: Are there any Australian bands you are currently a fan of?

JN: The best one I know is Psycroptic, as we did a European tour with them last summer, and got to know them and their music quite well, and are super excited to hang with them again in their own land for a week over there!

MO: Whats on the cards for Misery Index after you have finished touring Australia?

JN: We will then be drawing close to the release date of the new album, so we will hit the road here with Dying Fetus and Arsis on a tour that will circle the United States and Canada over May and June. We will then set sights on Europe for a few festivals, and a headlining tour over there in autumn. Good times ahead indeed…

MO: Political and social issues clearly play a pivotal role in the band’s music and lyrics. What ideas, events and people do you draw inspiration from when writing?

JN: Every day life is the number one inspiration, we soak up the global events, confrontations, and power struggles as they drip out from the news and culture of the day, take a step back, digest the filth, and then vomit it all back up in the form of biting, critical, and polemical lyrics, that give some meat to the music beneath. We feel there is enough injustice and misery in the world around us to scream about, so we look to our surroundings and find the fuel for the musical fire all about.

MO: What made you feel the need to express these issues within your music?

JN: It gives a sense of purpose and urgency to the music, its far more important to me to be screaming every night about something real, than to be screaming about fantasy. The world is full of abuses and injustices that should not be swept under the pop music or any other radar, and death metal/grind gives the perfect musical base for unleashing anger and frustration. ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!

MO: Any last words for Metal Obsession readers and the Australian fans in general?

JN: Thanks for the interest and the interview, hope to see you all at the shows, and check out the new record in May.

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Q’s: Elliot Coombe
A’s: Jason Netherton
Date: 23/03/2010
Origin: United States of America
http://www.myspace.com/miseryindex

Make sure to check out Misery Index this April in Australia and New Zealand with Decapitated, Origin and Psycroptic.

April 1, 2010 – The Transmission Room – Auckland, NZ
April 2, 2010 – The Esplanade Hotel – Melbourne, AUS
April 3, 2010 – The Gaelic Club – Sydney, AUS
April 4, 2010 – The Hi Fi Bar – Brisbane, AUS
April 5, 2010 – Fowlers Live – Adelaide, AUS
April 6, 2010 – Black Betty’s – Perth, AUS

For more information, go to: www.ticketek.com.au – myspace.com/soundworks_touring