So, it's that time again. (One of) Birmingham's finest return with their 14th album, and it's business as usual. A lot of bands, if they reach the landmark 30 years at all, tend to have slowed down, mellowed or even changed musical style completely. Not so with the ever-reliable Napalm Death.
What the band delivers here is another potent dose of its now trademark punk-infused, grind/death metal. The message is as clear as it always has been - We need to wake up, take a look at the world around us and try to change how we live our lives and not to be complacent and compliant to the powers that (may)be.
This album is unflichingly relentless in its brutal aural assault - although it now comes with added saxo(mo)phone (on "Everyday Pox") and some interesting backing vocals - such as the clean passage in "The Wolf I Feed" which comes across like Demanfacture-era Fear Factory. As I can find no information suggested that Burton is a guest vocalist here, I can only draw the conclusion that it is Barney singing this part, which would not only suggest that he can actually sing, but also indicates yet another step in the evolution of ND.
But, dear ND fans, don't let any of this concern you. This is nothing less than a 16 track barrage. The riffs are spine-shattering fast, the vocals as ferocious and as feral as ever, and the songs are short, sharp shocks. This is classic Napalm Death, but better?
Just listen to that riff...if it doesn't make you want to mosh, then you may actually be a poser!
No comments:
Post a Comment