When it comes to political Metal bands, Grindcore and Death Metal in particular hold the benchmark for the genre at its most politically active. Bands like NAPALM DEATH and CATTLE DECAPITATION have introduced many Metal fans to political spheres such as Animal Rights and Geopolitics. The extremity and harshness of the music perfectly compliments the subjects being discussed lyrically. Baltimore's MISERY INDEX fall into this category of Metal bands: They couple crushing Deathgrind with lyrics discussing Class warfare, among other subjects. Their fifth full length album, The Killing Gods, is no different from any of their previous works, although it evidently draws on many influences outside of the Death and Grindcore genres.

This record has begun to slowly step away to some extent from the bands Deathgrind roots. For example, songs such as the opener "Urfaust" and "The Oath" in particular are far more melodic, and act as interludes between their more traditional Deathgrind tunes for which the band has become renowned. Rather than making the album appear softer, these tracks actually complement the Heaviness of the others, and give the record a whole other dimension. The albums title track has a quasi-religious tone to it, opening with a choir chanting before falling to a smooth guitar lick which seems to be strongly influenced by Goth music, eventually turning into a monstrously fast and brutal sounding track. It is by far and away one of the heaviest songs on the whole record, which is a feat in itself, because the vast majority of the tracks on this album are quite liberal in terms of heaviness. Many Grindcore bands are driven by a powerful drum sounds. Adam Jarvis' drumming on this record is just that, unrelenting and fierce in its intensity. The guitar and bass lines on this record are also extremely good, staying true to the Deathgrind roots of the band while incorporating some more "mainstream" elements into their music. The closing track "Heretics" is the best way to finish this album: with a fast and razor sharp song which will leave many listeners wanting more.

If this album has any weaknesses, it's that there is far more that could be done with the guitars and the bass. We never hear a stand alone bass "solo" section, a staple for many Extreme Metal greats, until the final song, and even then the bass is far too low in the mix to fully appreciate the its intricacy. It feels like certain parts of the guitar/ bass on this record could have been emphasised a bit more in order to display how talented these guys are.

If you are a fan of the band, or of Death/ Grindcore in general, then you should definitely check this album out. This band are, unlike many other bands, not slowing down this far into their musical career, and I'm pretty sure that it will please the old fans as well as drawing in some new ones.