Their music is best described as death metal with strong hardcore and grindcore influences. Their vein of music is often said to resemble their fellow Maryland death metal outfit Dying Fetus, as Netherton and (former guitarist) Voyles are former members of the band. Misery Index's lyrical subjects focus mostly on the ills of modern society.
Current members:
Jason Netherton - Bass, vocals
Darin Morris - Guitar
Mark Kloeppel - Guitar, vocals
Adam Jarvis - Drums
Former members:
Kevin Talley - Drums
Mike Harrison - Guitar
Matt Byers - Drums
Bruce Greig - Guitar
Sparky Voyles - Guitar
Panopticon
Misery Index Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics to Misery Index's song "Panopticon" are a fierce commentary on the dehumanizing effects of modern capitalism and the relentless drive for profit and progress. The phrase "decades inside the machine" suggests that the singer has been living and working within this system for a long time, and has witnessed firsthand how it works to erode and destroy human lives. The "fabricated reality" that the machine produces is one in which creativity, imagination, and spirit are crushed under the weight of progress. This is a world where "material acquisition and financial pride" are all that matter, and where human interests are bulldozed in the pursuit of profit.
The image of "one million eyes" staring back through the bars of a "prison without walls" speaks to the omnipresent, panoptic nature of modern society. We are all constantly under surveillance, whether by the state, the market, or our own peers, and this surveillance functions to discipline us and keep us in line. The "Iron Heel" that "flattens the existence of man" symbolizes the force of progress, which can be both liberating and destructive. The singer suggests that progress has gone too far, that it has become a "cockroach crushing" force that leaves nothing in its wake.
Ultimately, the theme of the song is the eradication of hope and its devastating effects on humanity. The singer argues that a "passive population" is complicit in its own destruction, because it allows the forces of progress and profit to run unchecked. In this context, "hope" is not a vague or sentimental concept, but a concrete force that allows people to imagine and create a better world. When hope is lost, all that remains is nihilism and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
The culmination of decades inside the machine, where production processes continually reinvent a fabricated reality.
The result of years spent in the system, where manufacturing constantly creates a false world.
Inviting creative destruction for monetary gain.
Encouraging destruction for the sake of profit.
The need for material acquisition and financial pride superceding, reconstructing, bulldozing human interests, no more love, its life on their terms.
The desire for material things and money taking precedence over human well-being, destroying everything in its path without regard for love or empathy.
Their gears will grind our aspirations to dust, this prophecy shall be decreed...
Their systems and methods will crush our hopes and dreams, as predicted.
One million eyes , Stare back empty through the bars of this Prison ....without walls.
Countless people are trapped and hopeless, even though there are no physical barriers.
The Iron Heel will flatten the existence of man as he is trampled under the foot of modernity, the push-the pull, the cockroach crushed.
The relentless march of progress will obliterate humanity, with people being crushed as if they were insignificant insects.
Brick by brick, progress engulfs imagination, creativity, spirit, these are DEAD things.
Step by step, progress dominates and destroys creativity, imagination, and passion. These essential elements of humanity are rendered useless.
The consequence of a passive population is the eradication of hope- And the eradication of hope is the greatest crime against humanity.
When people are meek and do not resist, they lose all hope, which is the worst thing that can happen. This is a terrible crime against humanity.
Contributed by Lauren J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.