Speed and aggression - these are the terms that the music of the grindcore band Napalm Death is associated with. Their work is not for the faint of heart. Even the most avid connoisseurs of metal music are not always able to adequately perceive that wall of noise, consisting of lightning-fast guitar riffs, brutal growling and blast beats.
For more than thirty years of existence, the group has repeatedly proved to the public that in these components they have no equal to this day. Veterans of heavy music gave listeners dozens of albums, many of which have become real classics of the genre. Let's find out how the creative path of this outstanding musical group developed.
Carier start
Despite the fact that world fame came to Napalm Death only at the end of the 80s, the history of the group began at the beginning of the decade. The team was formed in 1981 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Rutledge. At the time the group was founded, its members were only 13 and 14 years old, respectively.
This did not prevent teenagers from getting carried away with heavy music, which became a way of self-expression for them. The title refers to the famous line from the anti-war film Apocalypse Now. Later, the phrase “napalm of death” will be inextricably linked with the condemnation of any military action and will become the slogan of pacifist views.
Not surprisingly, the anarcho-punk popular in the British underground had the greatest influence on the early stage of Napalm Death's work. The rebellious lyrics, provocative look, and raw sound sympathized with the member, who shunned any association with commercial music. However, the first years of creative activity led to only a few concerts and the release of a number of "raw" demos that did not find fame even among fans of anarcho-punk.
Full debut of Napalm Death
Up until 1985, the group remained in limbo. Only then did Bullen, Rutledge, Roberts, and guitarist Damien Errington, who joined them, begin serious creative searches. The group quickly turns into a trio, after which they begin to try their hand at extreme genres of metal and hardcore punk music, crossing the most unexpected musical trends.
In 1986, the first major Napalm Death concert took place, which took place in their native Birmingham. For the group, this becomes a “window to the world”, thanks to which they started talking about the team seriously and for a long time.
In 1985, Mick Harris joined the group, who would become an icon of grindcore and the band's unchanging leader for decades to come. It is this person who will invent a technique called the blast beat. It will become widely used by most drummers performing metal music.
It was also Harris who came up with the term “garindcore”, which became a characteristic of the music that Napalm Death began to perform in the updated line-up. In 1987, the group's debut release took place, called Scum. The disc contained more than 20 tracks, the duration of which did not exceed 1-1,5 minutes of time. These were impetuous compositions created under the influence of hardcore.
At the same time, the sound of guitars, aggressive delivery and vocals surpassed classic hardcore many times over. It was a new word in heavy music, the influence of which cannot be overestimated. Just a year later, From Enslavement To Obliteration comes out, in the same vein. But already in 1990, the first serious changes took place.
The arrival of Barney Greenway
After the first two albums, the band's line-up changes. Iconic figures such as guitarist Mitch Harris and vocalist Barney Greenaway are coming. The latter had a solid experience in the death metal band Benediction, which played an important role in changing the sound of Napalm Death.
Already on the next album, Harmony Corruption, the band abandoned the invented grindcore in favor of death metal, as a result of which the musical component became much more traditional. The songs have found their usual length, while the tempo has become measured.
Further work of the Napalm Death team
Over the next ten years, the group actively experimented with genres, at a certain point completely moving towards industrial. Fans clearly did not appreciate such inconstancy, as a result of which the group disappeared from the radar.
Internal conflicts also did not go in favor. At some point, Napalm Death left Barney Greenaway. That's just his departure was short-lived, so that soon the group reunited again in the usual composition.
Return of Napalm Death to the roots
The real return of Napalm Death to the bosom of grindcore happened only in 2000. The release Enemy Of The Music Business is released, on which the band returned their high-speed sound, which glorified them back in the 80s.
Coupled with Barney's vocals, which had a unique guttural sound that gave the music a particularly brutal sound. Taking a new course, Napalm Death released an equally aggressive album of covers, Leaders Not Followers, Part 2, which includes covers of well-known punk, thrash metal and crossover hits from yesteryear.
In 2006, the musicians released one of the best releases in the history of the Smear Campaign, in which the musicians spoke out about dissatisfaction with the excessive religiosity of the government.
The album caused an international outcry and attracted the attention of millions of listeners. In 2009, another commercially successful album was released. Its name is Time Waits For No Slave. The album is sustained in the same style as its predecessor. Since then, the group has released several more records. They already avoided past experiments, delighting fans with stability.
Napalm Death today
Despite the difficulties, the group continues active creative activity, releasing one album after another. And over the years of their career, the musicians have never lost their grip. The guys continue to amaze with an endless charge of energy. Age did not become an obstacle for musicians. They have not betrayed themselves even after more than thirty years of the history of the group.
Very soon Napalm Death are back in the studio to give us another amazing release.
In 2020, the LP Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism premiered. Recall that this is the sixteenth studio compilation of the British grindcore band. The album was mixed by Century Media Records. This is the first studio album in five years since the release of Apex Predator - Easy Meat in 2015.
In early February 2022, the mini-LP Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes was released. The EP is a kind of sequel to the latest full-length LP by the British grindcore band Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism.
“For a long time we have dreamed of releasing something like this. I am sure that the compositions will be accepted by our fans, because they are recorded in the spirit of those times when we were just starting to create…”, the artists write.
