If you ever needed evidence that Napalm Death’s popularity remains high, then the reaction to 2020’s Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (is it 16 months since we reviewed it?!) alongside their triumphant headline set at Bloodstock Open Air last summer was all that was needed. Do you really need a history of this iconic band? Let us just say that 1987’s Scum was enough to secure their place in extreme music’s hall of fame. The following 35 years has seen a plethora of releases, line-up changes and a consistent approach to challenging contemporary music and thousands of visceral, electric live performances. The current line-up comprises Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway, Shane Embury and Danny Herrera which is about all you need to know.
Resentment is Always Seismic – a final throw of Throes is a 30-minute mini-album which draws on material written and recorded at the same time as the last album. Why a mini-album? Well, it is easiest to let Barney explain. “It was all recorded during the sessions for the last album, but as you know, we always record a shitload of stuff! We purposely said, right, we are going to put a mini album out for a change! Being from the school of hoary old punk rockers, we like to do these stripped-down releases. We recorded enough that we still had a lot of bonus tracks for the original album release, and we had all this extra stuff left over!”
It may be obvious to say, but this 30-minutes contains more energy than many bands can generate for a single song. There is plenty of experimentation contained within the release, some which may be a little unexpected, especially to the non-diehard fan. My advice is still to strap in tight, regardless of your experience for this remains an aural assault of the highest order.
The album is bookended by the blistering brutality of “Narcissus” which opens the release in a typically ferocious manner and is closed by “Resentment is Always Seismic.” For someone who is not the biggest Napalm Death fan, their most recent releases have seen me continue to warm to the band. This release is another in my continued and building iration for them.
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“Narcissus” is blistering in its ferocity, a pummelling aggressive kick in the face which starts the album in typically explosive style. The following track sees Napalm Death slow things right down with a sludgy doom atmosphere on “Resentment Always Simmers”. Greenway’s vocals work wonderfully, his lower tones something that few would associate him with. That would be more in keeping with the ferocious ‘By Proxy’ which sees the band hitting warp factor speed, and Greenway significantly upping the scream and roar to a more recognisable standard.
But that is not to say that all this album is predictable. No, indeed. Move onto the cover of Slab’s “people Pie” and you find yourself pinned to the floor by Shane Embury’s guttural bass lines which lead this industrial flavoured song. With backing vocals, and an infectious groove underneath drawling clean vocals, this is something new and fresh. “Man Bites Dogged’ returns to the rampant thrashing style that Napalm is known for. There is the one-minute bludgeoning of ‘Don’t Need It” and then the conclusion which is a cranial searing remix of the title track, one of Embury’s other sides as he slips into Dark Sky Burial guise.
Is it wrong to say that I enjoyed this more than I expected. I hope not. It is an album that reaffirms my appreciation of a band who are as important to the UK metal scene as Iron Maiden. And that is surely enough.
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Resentment is Always Seismic – a Final Throw of Throes is out on 11th February
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