BIRMINGHAM'S BEST RETAILER FOR METAL AND HARDCORE
NAPALM DEATH
The fathers of
grindcore, Napalm Death pushed the envelope of metal to new
extremes of ear-splitting intensity, rejecting all notions of
melody, subtlety and good taste to forge a brand of sonic assault
almost frightening in its merciless brutality. Formed in Ipswich,
England in 1982, the group trafficked in the usual heavy metal
fare for the first few years of its existence, but by the middle
of the decade they began to expand their horizons by
incorporating elements of hardcore and thrash into the mix;
ultimately, Napalm Death's sonic experiments evolved into a
blistering mutation of metal which they dubbed grindcore, a kind
of extremist noise attack characterized by incredibly brief song
lengths, demonic vocals and eye-opening socio-political lyrical
commentary.
Building their reputation on a series of incendiary radio
sessions and live dates, Napalm Death set about recording their
debut LP Scum, issued in 1987 on their own Earache label. A
series of line-up changes during production resulted in the
record's two sides each containing almost completely different
rosters: while the first half featured guitaristJustin Broadrick
and vocalist/bassist Nick Bullen, the flip side presented new
vocalist Lee Dorrian, guitarist Bill Steer and bassist Jim
Whitely -- only drummer Mick Harris played on every track. While
largely ignored by the mainstream media, Scum proved hugely
influential throughout the global metal community; among Napalm
Death's most public supporters was BBC Radio One DJ John Peel,
who repeatedly played the track "You Suffer" before
inviting the group to record a legendary September 1987 Peel
Session introducing new bassist Shane Embury.
With 1988's From Enslavement to Obliteration, the band grew even
more extreme, issuing some 54 total tracks, many of them clocking
in at just a few seconds in length. (The compilation Grind
Crusher offered perhaps the ultimate distillation of the
aesthetic by including a bonus split single from Napalm Death and
the Electro Hippies with each side lasting just one second -- the
shortest single ever.) More roster shifts followed as Dorrian
exited to form Cathedral and Steer jumped ship to found Carcass;
with vocalist Barney Greenway and guitarists Jesse Pintado and
Mitch Harris, Napalm Death resurfaced in 1990's Harmony
Corruption, a nod towards more conventional song structures and a
less punishing sound. Apparently unhappy with the results, the
group followed later that year with the Mass Appeal Madness EP, a
return to all-out grindcore fury.
Mick Harris, the only remaining member from the unit's earliest
line-ups, exited Napalm Death in 1992 to mount an acclaimed
ambient dub project named Scorn; he was replaced by drummer Danny
Herrara for Utopia Banished, followed by a single covering the
Dead Kennedys' "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." With 1994's Fear,
Emptiness, Despair, Napalm Death earned some of the best critical
notices of their career, and to the shock of many even found
themselves in the Top Ten of the U.S. pop albums chart by virtue
of their appearance on the soundtrack to the motion picture
Mortal Kombat. The Greed Killing mini-album appeared in 1995,
followed a year later by the full-length Diatribes; next was 1998's
Bootlegged in Japan, trailed early the next year by Words from
the Exit Wound. The new millennium saw the release of Leaders Not
Followers in mid-summer.
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©2001 Digbeth Promotions (a subholder of Badger Promotions).
