Are you into the "harder stuff" these days? Do you like The
Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch,
Isis, or early Cave In?
Have your parents exchanged puzzled looks as they've passed your bedroom?
Maybe you prefer less metallic stuff like Anti
Flag, The Dropkick
Murphys, Thrice,
or Agnostic Front?
After all, you like to think of yourself as a "punk rocker", even
though you were probably still sperm when the genre ground to a halt. So,
if you answered "Yes" to any of the above, then have a seat. Class
is in session.
It was quite by accident that I discovered Napalm Death. I was reaching the
end of a phase where I was trying to find something that was so outside the
norm and so intense that it would almost physically move me. Well, Napalm
Death still have the ability to surprise me, after nearly fourteen
years as a fan. And the group that gave breach-birth to an entire apocalyptic
genre just brought out their tenth album.
Two decades ago, this was a punk trio that sounded much more like Flux
of Pink Indians or Rudimentary
Peni. It actually wasn't until one Mick Harris joined on drums that they
became synonymous with chaos, noise, and fury. Aggressive music was developing
by leaps and bounds, emphasized by Slayer. Reign In Blood (1986) was
the most belligerent album collection released by that time and brought metal
tinged with punk elements to the forefront of rock. Possessed, Dark Angel,
D.R.I., and Voivod, were already making Metallica (once considered an extreme
ensemble) sound like the
boring turds they would eventually become.
An album called Scum would close the book on the idea. This 1987 debut
initially had punk fans thinking Napalm Death
were little more than a joke band. When they dropped From Enslavement to
Obliteration the following year it was clear that they weren't a "one-off"
like Sore Throat. Harris, who was an avowed fan of little-known bands Repulsion
and Siege single-handedly brought the "blast beat" to worldwide
consideration. (Blast beats are essentially the quick drums of Dave Lombardo
(Slayer) or Chuck Biscuits (Circle Jerks), sped up to the velocity of a machine
gun.)
The"songs" were likewise time-conscious, with "You Suffer (But
Why?)" clocking in at almost half a second. Napalm's bass tones were
more akin to radio static than the deep, sonorous sounds of Geddy Lee (Rush).
The rhythm guitars struggled to keep up with the drums, while the singing
was adjacent to the sounds of an extremely large mammal vomiting. Grindcore
was born! The band were immediately fawned over and championed by quote/unquote
"real musicians" (mainly jazz composers), and their skewed take
on hardcore punk was rightly considered ahead of its time.
Along with producing challenging music, their lyrics are quite a bit more
intellectual than the self-consciously goofy fare of some of their ex-contemporaries.
If you're figuring that the average Napalm Death song is about inverted crucifixes,
and the molestation of nuns, read this morsel from a track on the new album:
"Reproduce to repent. Move those pious hands off that which isn't
yours. Hers are hallowed parts, governed by her right to choose. And if, as
you say, life is so sacred, why is quality of life an afterthought? Controlling
a womb does not make her a vehicle. She dictates the terms. 'Murder on the
unborn.' Yet some newborn die a thousand times."
Their newest offering Order of The Leech is somehow even faster. It's
more confusing and angrier than 2001's Enemy of The Music Business
which saw them end an experimental period that lasted for three albums. They
had been mixing clean "singing" with their rougher vocal style,
adding strange guitar bits, and having less of an emphasis on speed, writing
almost moody songs. Order of the Leech finds them moving the bass drums
up in the mix, which gives the blast parts an almost 'rolling' quality. These
are no longer beats. With the pace, they sound very nearly like sustained
fills on the snare.
The album actually has the ability to put me in an aggressive mood. I was
listening to Order very LOUDLY on headphones a few days ago and noticed
my occasionally short temper had been compromised by an insistent salesman
knocking at my door. I had to shut it off and instead listened to Sketches
of Spain (Miles Davis) for the remainder of the afternoon. The two albums
do have very distinct atmospheres, but aren't that dissimilar overall. On
the other hand, most of today's "aggressive rock" makes me wanna
lift weights, refer to girls as "hotties", and call my friends "brah".
That's not remotely punk.
Through years of touring and adherence to the ideals and beliefs the band
was founded on, Napalm Death have made an historic contribution to modern
music.
