Napalm Death
Vinyl Reissues
CENTURY MEDIA Birmingham’s chief brutes revive some old victories.
Everyone’s favourite grindcore overlords have been enjoying a rich streak of top form for the best part of two decades. If you want proof, then these two welcome vinyl reissues will do fine.
Time Waits For No Slave (2009,
was a vicious assault from start to finish. But eclectic influences and lust for experimentation that reached a peak with last year’s Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism were already audibly in effect on the mid-paced churn of the title track and the post-punk brutality of Procrastination On The Empty Vessel.
Utilitarian (2012, was even more devastating. With a startling cameo from avantgarde king John Zorn on the explosive Everyday Pox and, surprisingly, razor-sharp melodic vocal hooks from frontman Barney Greenway on the sinewy thump of The Wolf I Feed. Any fears that Napalm Death were mellowing out in their old age were allayed by, well, just about everything, but the short, sharp onslaught of Nom de Guerre and the unhinged, crusty blast of Opposites Repellent were more intense than anything the band had done before.
Back on shiny plastic, these ferocious, fearlessly creative records sound more thrillingly ferocious than ever. No one else comes close.