Ok up next I figured I’d go for something really extreme and what better choice than The Godfather’s of grindcore. The difference between death metal and grindcore is that grindcore has death metal growls and grindcore has that and squealing mixed in. That being said, the band up for review is Napalm Death. Now this is a band where you probably need to be in the mood to listen or even a huge fan of death metal. However, they are an important band and helped cement grindcore as a genre. It’s a little coincidental because they are considered political and it seems appropriate to listen to their music given the current state of America. Here we go…..
Scum- for starters, this album has 28 songs on it and on the cassette, side A has one lineup and side B has another. Side B actually features Bill Steer on guitar who would eventually form the band Carcass (another review for another day). This is a very influential album for the grindcore genre and first timers listening to it will think that vocally, it’s just noise. The flipside to this album having 28 songs is that it clocks in at about 30 minutes. Overall, if you can get past the vocals, then you can appreciate this album. I give it 8/10
Standouts: You Suffer, The Kill, M.A.D.
From Enslavement to Obliteration- for this one we finally have one solid lineup however, this would be the last to feature singer Lee Dorian who would form the band Cathedral and the last with Bill Steer however, this would be the first to feature current bassist Shane Embury. This also has about 22 songs but they’re really short with some clocking in at 50 seconds. Again the vocals are what some would call noise but I feel like this one is a bit more focused than Scum. For that one it seemed like they were going through people and there were problems. This is another classic Napalm Death album and I can see why. Again get past the way the vocals sound and really listen to it and you will appreciate it more. I give this 8.5/10
Standouts: Cock-Rock Alienation, Private Death, Mentally Murdered
Harmony Corruption- this is the first album to feature current vocalist Barney Greenway. This is less of a grindcore album and more of a straightforward death metal album due to the album having slower crushing songs and deeper vocals. It also has only 11 songs and they’re not 50 second songs. John Tardy from Obituary and Glenn Benton from Deicide are guest vocalists on the song Unfit Earth. I actually think that this album would be more accessible to first time listeners to this band. Like if this was 1990 and I was just getting into Napalm Death, then this is the album I’d start with. I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Unfit Earth, Vision Quest, Suffer the Children
Utopia Banished- this one they seem to go back to the grindcore sound just a little bit. The songs on here are a bit faster than the album before and there are even some that are catchy. This one seems more focused than Harmony with things being sped up. One thing to note on this is that this is the first album to feature drummer Danny Herrera after original drummer Mick Harris left the band so maybe that had something to do with it. Anyway, another great album I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Judicial Slime, Got Time To Kill, Dementia Access
Fear, Emptiness, Despair- I guess this is the one that made them reach more people. I know that the song Twist the Knife (Slowly) is on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack and their label Earache partnered with Columbia which is why they got bigger. It’s also the first to feature new and second guitarist Mitch Harris. I did read that there was a divide between singer Barney Greenway and the rest of the band and it kind of shows here. There just seems to be something off about this record. Not to say the record isn’t very good, but it’s not as strong as the last couple. For me personally, the band sounds really tight but Barney’s vocal delivery is slower. I give it 7/10
Standouts: More than Meets the Eye, Twist the Knife (Slowly), State of Mind
Diatribes- this one they seem to be back on top of their game and who,knew that a band like this could write catchy riffs. There is something about the chemistry on this record that really shows. Of all the records thus far, this one seems to be the most polished. I give this one a very strong 8.5/10
Standouts: Placate Sedate Eradicate, Ripe For The Breaking, Dogma
Inside The Torn Apart- so like the last album this one seems to be a death metal record however with this one, it seems like it’s their most experimental record so far. Now if you think that this is a slow record I will say that it does start off slow but around the fourth song, things start to pick up and it pretty much continues throughout the rest of the album. I feel like this one tends to get overlooked which is a little too bad but definitely check it out. I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Prelude, Reflect on Conflict, Bled Dry
Words From the Exit Wound- I would consider this album and their last album to be their experimental period. And by that I mean they would kind of be a groove death metal band. This one however I can tell has more of a death metal and even teases them going back to their grindcore direction a little bit. Unlike the last album, this one stays pretty consistent throughout. I actually really hadn’t heard much of this one and I’m kinda sorry I didn’t because it’s a really good record. I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: The Infiltrator, Cleanse Impure, Thrown Down a Rope
Enemy of the Music Business- I had heard so much about this album and this was my introduction to Napalm Death. It goes back to their grindcore sound and abandons the regular death metal sound. I actually didn’t realize that this came out in the year 2000. I had actually thought that this album was older the way I had heard people bring this album up. One thing to note is that this is the last album to have longtime guitarist Jesse Pintado on it. Anyway, the album itself is the band going back to being a grindcore band but taking element of the last couple albums and mixing the two. I give this one 8/10
Standouts: Vermin, Volume of Neglect, Can’t Play Won’t Play
Order of the Leech- so now we’ve come into 2000’s Napalm and this is album is the first with the current lineup. Although second guitarist Jesse Pintado is credited it’s actually Mitch Harris who plays both rhythm and lead guitars. I feel like with this band you can hear them evolve with each decade. Since we are now in the 2000’s, they have gone back to their grindcore roots only with a more emphasis on death metal. Fortunately this is a preview of things to come. I give this one a solid 8/10
Standouts: Forewarned is Disarmed, Forced to Fear, The Icing on the Hate
The Code Is Red…Long Live the Code- so here we continue in that same grinding/pummeling sound that Napalm Death have carved out for themselves. This one I will say that when compared to albums like Leech and Enemy, is more varied than those albums. It seems to take elements from their entire catalog. Barney and guitarist Mitch Harris (who provides backing vocals) make a great vocal team. This album also has guest vocalists Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed on two songs and Jeff Walker from Carcass on another song. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Instruments of Persuasion, All Hail the Grey Dawn, Sold Short
Smear Campaign- now this was my first Napalm Death album that I got. I wasn’t sure where to,start album wise and I decided with this one because well it was the only one I could get my hands on at the time. Listening to it now, I don’t think it’s as strong as Code but still a great album. I also remember seeing them in LA when they were on tour for this album and thought that they really put on a great show. The songs they played off this album were awesome live but then again all their songs are great live. The album itself seems to have more filler than usual and I think that maybe I just listened to it too much when I first got it. Like I said, not a bad album just not quite as good as others. I give it 7/10
Standouts: Identity Crisis, Sink Fast Let Go, When All Is Said And Done
Time Waits For No Slave- the funny thing is that when I first found out about this album it was on MySpace (yes I’m old I know). I heard the song Strong-Arm and was blown away. It was so fast and heavy and the vocals from Mitch and Barney were amazing. On this album , they seem to be more focused and it seems like a tighter album musically. I don’t know, it seems like Smear was at like speed 7 and this one they cranked it up to 10. I mean the first 4 songs alone are a straight aural assault. It’s fantastic and its really fun to blast this album as loud as you can. I give this 10/10
Standouts: On the Brink of Extinction, Diktat, Work To Rule
Utilitarian- I remember buying this at Salzers Records in Ventura while on break at jury duty. I think when I popped in the CD player I was kind of let down but I feel like I didn’t give it a good enough chance. Listening to it now, this is another home run by Napalm I just think that this one starts off kind of slow and gets better once you get to the later songs. It’s not Time Waits part 2 but then again these guys have never made the same album twice. Overall a pretty solid album just not quite as strong as the last one. I give it 8/10
Standouts: The Wolf I Feed, Quarantined, Blank Look About Face
Apex Predator Easy Meat- ok here we are. My favorite Napalm Death Album. It’s just so good. Here the band is at the top of their game. I think Rolling Stone Magazine even gave this album a good review which is strange for a magazine like that to give a band like this such a high review. Everything about this album is great from the artwork to the music. The songs are more focused than ever and the band is tighter than ever. I can’t say enough as to how good this one is. I would even put it in my top 10 favorite albums it’s that good. This is another one that is just so much fun to blast at full volume in your car with the windows rolled down pissing other people off especially families with small children. I definitely give this one a perfect 10/10. Seriously if you haven’t checked this one out, stop what you’re doing and listen to it.
Standouts: Stubborn Stains, Timeless Flogging, Metaphorically Screw You
It’s hard to imagine a band like this still going after 30 plus years. There are few bands that have been around for that long and are still gaining momentum. After Apex, I’m really excited for their next album which should be coming out at the end of this year (2020) so when that drops, I will definitely be updating this review. Now they did release a two song EP called Logic Ravaged By Brute Force and those songs are both really good. Again they are a band where you can appreciate extreme metal but once you do, I promise you’ll like what you hear and if you haven’t seen them live you are really missing out on some great live music.
Album Rankings:
- Apex Predator Easy Meat
- Time Waits For No Slave
- The Code is Red…..Long Live the Code
- Utopia Banished
- Harmony Corruption
- Diatribes
- Order of the Leech
- Enemy of the Music Business
- Utilitarian
- Words From the Exit Wound
- From Enslavement to Obliteration
- Inside the Torn Apart
- Fear, Emptiness, Despair
- Smear Campaign
- Scum
Sinister Reviews 