Napalm Death

From Punkopedia - The Punk, Hardcore, and Indie Encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Napalm Death

Napalm Death
Music genre(s)Grindcore, Hardcore Punk, Anarcho Punk, Death Metal
HomebaseBirmingham, England
Years active1982-Present
Current StatusActive
Notable RecordsScum, From Enslavement To Obliteration, Utopia Banished
Label(s)Earache Records
WebsiteOfficial Napalm Death website

Napalm Death are an influential grindcore/death metal band that helped to develop the "grindcore" genre, a fusion of thrash metal, crust punk and sped-up hardcore punk. Other groups had previously played similar music including Siege, Lärm, Repulsion, and Cryptic Slaughter. However, Napalm Death defined the grindcore genre with their fusion of punk aggression, fast tempos,metal-influenced production style and deep guttural vocals.

The band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1981 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. There are no original members left in the band: indeed, the early history of the band is one of constant member rotation - by the second side of their debut album Scum, they did not contain any original members. Napalm Death are listed by Nielsen Soundscan as the seventh best-selling death metal band of all time.


Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early History 1982-1986

Napalm Death started in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, in December 1981. The band was formed by young teens Nic Bullen and Miles Ratledge. The duo had been playing in amateur bands since 1980 as an extension of their fanzine writing, and went through many names including "Civil Defence", "The Mess", "Evasion" and "Undead Hatred" before they settled on Napalm Death at the beginning of 1982. The band were initially inspired by the early wave of punk bands, particularly the anarcho-punk movement, which included bands such as Crass, Flux of Pink Indians, Rudimentary Peni, The Rondos and The Ex: anarcho-punk was a sub-genre of punk music which was focused on anarchist politics.

They recorded a number of demo tapes in 1982 and 1983, one of which contributed their first released recording to the Bullshit Detector Volume 3 compilation released by Crass Records in 1984. However, the band only played one concert in 1984 (a benefit for the Miners' Strike which was occurring at the time in Britain). Nic Bullen met a young guitarist from Birmingham called Justin Broadrick and they found they had a shared musical interest in bands such as Killing Joke, Throbbing Gristle, Crass, Amebix, Dead Kennedys, Swans and the developing Power Electronics scene. Nic Bullen joined the "Final" project for a period in 1983, and later asked Broadrick to join as a guitarist.

The band began to blend a mixture of the post-punk of Killing Joke and Amebix with heavy punk in the vein of Discharge and the thrash metal scene led by groups such as Possessed and Celtic Frost. They recorded a demo Hatred Surge in October 1985. Following the recording of the demo (and numerous concerts through the latter half of 1985), Bullen and Broadrick decided to pursue a more extreme style which Ratledge did not like. As a result, the group splintered and Mick Harris(a local fan) became the drummer in December 1985. The three-piece band with Bullen on vocals and bass, Broadrick on guitar and Harris on drums explored ways to make their sound more extreme. The band played many concerts through 1986, recording a demo "From Enslavement to Obliteration" in March 1986 and another demo which later became the first side of the band's debut album Scum in 1986.


The band then faced a number of line-up changes. Nic Bullen was becoming frustrated with the group's move towards a US Thrash Metal and Death Metal style. The band played a number of concerts as a four-piece before Justin Broadrick left the group to play the drums for local band Head of David. The group attempted to find a new guitarist by asking Shane Embury to join and giving trial periods to Frank healey (later of Cerebral Fix and Sacrilege). After Broadrick's departure, Nic Bullen left to study English Literature and Philosophy and Jim Whiteley joined as bass player.

[edit] 1987-1989

With the departure of Broadrick and Bullen, the band had to look for new members. Guitarist Bill Steer played in a band based in Liverpool, called Carcass and given the affinity between the bands, he joined Napalm Death while still playing an active role in Carcass. The band asked a friend (Lee Dorrian) to join as vocalist due to his good relationship with the band (he had organised a number of concerts for the band), even though he had never been in a band before. With this line-up they recorded what was to become the B side of Scum in the Rich Bitch studios in May 1987. The result was finally released through Earache. This classic attempt against perceived logical musical structure features seminal Grindcore classics such as "Dragnet", "Control", and "You Suffer".

The band promptly lost another member just before they undertook a short tour after the release of Scum : Jim Whitely left and Shane Embury - former drummer of Unseen Terror and an avid fan of the band - joined on bass. The band then appeared on two compilation records (North atlantic noise attack and the Pathological), recorded two Peel sessions and a Split 7" with Japanese grinders S.O.B.. They also returned to Rich Bitch studio once more and recorded their second album: From Enslavement to Obliteration.

Very much in the same vein of the second half of Scum, From Enslavement to Obliteration differs only as far as production goes. Following the release, Napalm Death had a participation on BBC's Arena Heavy Metal Special, which proved how successful the band could be. The band went on touring around the world for a while, but as soon as they came back home from Japan, in July 1989, Steer and Dorrian left the band: Steer decided to dedicate himself full-time to Carcass, while Dorrian formed the doom metal outfit Cathedral. Soon enough the remaining members contacted Jesse Pintado (ex-Terrorizer). A new singer, Mark "Barney" Greenway, who sung in the death metal act Benediction was also called, and immediately joined.

After recruiting new members, the band took part of the Grindcrusher tour, with fellow labelmates Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Morbid Angel. After the touring, they called in a second guitarist, Mitch Harris (ex-Righteous Pigs), and soon started writing new songs with this line-up. They went to the American death metal producer Scott Burns who lives and works in Florida and records mostly in the Morrisound Recording studio.

[edit] 1990-1994

n Florida, they started working on their next album, Harmony Corruption. While writing Harmony Corruption they changed their style a little, from grindcore, to a mix of blast beats and some slower, more rhythmic parts. In addition, death metal was a major influence on Harmony Corruption, more so than their previoius records. After releasing the new record, they went on touring around the world and from the material filmed at those concerts they released a home-video, Live Corruption.

Drummer Mick Harris eventually left Napalm Death because of conflicts regarding their musical style. Danny Herrera, a close friend to Jesse Pintado, was brought in to replace Mick. Napalm Death released a new record, Utopia Banished. Now working with producer Colin Richardson. This release was a kind of "return to the roots" - grindcore. After recording The World Keeps Turning EP, the band toured Europe with Dismember and Obituary on the "Campaign for Musical Destruction" tour. The tour continued in the US, where Napalm Death played with Cathedral, Carcass and Brutal Truth. The proceeds of Napalm Death's 1993 EP Nazi Punks Fuck Off were donated to anti-fascist organisations.

The band remixed the track "Mind Of A Razor" by London based hip hop crew Gunshot. The remixed version of the track appeared on the EP of the same name in 1992. Thereafter, they went to the studio and recorded Fear, Emptiness, Despair. Although it was still as heavy and aggressive as ever, the new record took a different direction and sounded more experimental; they added more rhythmic riffs, an industrial-like structure, and then added grindcore blast beats. Live concerts with Entombed, Obituary and Machine Head showed the audience how violent and aggressive the new Napalm Death sound was. They continued with the experimentation through the rest of the 1990s.

[edit] 1995-2004

The Greed Killing EP was the next release from the band, through Earache. After the preview with the EP, Diatribes, a full-length album was released. Although things seemed to be going smoothly from outside, they were going through problems. Misunderstanding rose between the members and singer Greenway was expelled from the band in late/mid 1996. Greenway went to record with Extreme Noise Terror (the ENT release Damage 381 features Barney on lead vocals) and ENT's main singer Phil Vane went to fill vocals slot in Napalm Death. Things did not go as well as they were supposed to, and Vane was kicked out of the band just before they got into the studio to record the new album. And so Greenway returned to Napalm Death.

The next albums Inside the Torn Apart and Words from the Exit Wound continued with the experimentation but displayed more signs of grindcore, notably faster tempos than the last two albums. This return was completed with the release of Enemy of the Music Business. It shows their anger with the music industry and especially with Earache. Order of the Leech continued where their previous album ended and can be seen as even more faster and aggressive.

In 2004, they recorded a covers album called Leaders Not Followers: Part 2, the sequel to their earlier covers EP. It contains covers of old hardcore punk and heavy metal bands, including Cryptic Slaughter, Massacre, Kreator, Sepultura, Siege and Discharge. Due to personal problems, Jesse Pintado did not play on either Order of the Leech or Leaders Not Followers: Part 2, and left the band in early 2004. Nevertheless Pintado stated that he left because he grew tired of Napalm Death and wanted to start something new. The two guitars that you hear is Mitch over-dubbing.

[edit] 2005 and Onward

In April 2005, their next album The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code was released. It features guest appearances from Jeffrey Walker (formerly of Carcass), Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed vocalist) and Jello Biafra (formerly of Dead Kennedys, and Lard among many other bands). The album continues the band's progressive approach to their brutal brand of extreme metal, with their trademark grindcore sound retained.

Napalm Death finished recording their new album titled Smear Campaign in June 2006; released on September 15, 2006 to very strong reviews from fans and critics alike. The main lyrical focus is criticism of the United States Government and other governments who are strongly religious. The album features a guest appearance by Anneke van Giersbergen, vocalist for the Dutch rock band The Gathering. There is a limited edition digipak version of Smear Campaign, which has two new songs, "Call That an Option?" and "Atheist Runt".

In early 2006 Napalm Death headlined a tour with Kreator, A Perfect Murder, and The Undying. On August 27, 2006, Jesse Pintado died in a hospital in the Netherlands due to liver failure, prompting Mitch Harris to express his sadness at the loss of someone he thought of as "a brother" on the band's official website. After the Smear Campaign tour, the band did a 2007 "World Domination Tour". Bassist Shane Embury is currently working on a project with Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh, their work together will be released on Feto Records at the end of 2007.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Demos

  • Halloween (1982, demo 1 - 9 songs)
  • And, Like Sheep, We Have All Gone Astray (1982, demo 2 - 15 songs)
  • Kak (1983, demo 3 - 10 songs)
  • Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare (1983, demo 4 - 6 songs)
  • Hatred Surge (1985, demo 5 - 9 songs)
  • From Enslavement to Obliteration (1986, demo 6 - 13 songs)

[edit] Studio albums

  • Scum (MOSH3, Earache 1987)
  • From Enslavement to Obliteration (MOSH8, Earache 1988)
  • Harmony Corruption (MOSH19, Earache 1990)
  • Utopia Banished (MOSH53, Earache 1992)
  • Fear, Emptiness, Despair (MOSH109, Earache 1994)
  • Diatribes (MOSH141, Earache 1996)
  • Inside the Torn Apart (MOSH171, Earache 1997)
  • Words from the Exit Wound (1998)
  • Enemy of the Music Business (2000)
  • Order of the Leech (2002)
  • Leaders Not Followers: Part 2 (2004)
  • The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code (2005)
  • Smear Campaign (2006)

[edit] Singles and EPs

  • The Curse (7", included in initial copies of From Enslavement to Obliteration) (1988)
  • Napalm Death/S.O.B. split 7" (1989)
  • Mentally Murdered (EP, MOSH14 1989)
  • Suffer the Children (Single, MOSH24 1990)
  • Harmony Corruption bonus live EP (EP, 1990)
  • Mass Appeal Madness (EP, MOSH46 1991)
  • The World Keeps Turning (EP, MOSH65 1992)
  • Nazi Punks Fuck Off (EP, MOSH92 1993)
  • Hung (EP, 1994)
  • More Than Meets the Eye (Promo, 1994)
  • Plague Rages (Promo, 1994)
  • Greed Killing (EP, 1995)
  • Cursed to Tour (split with At the Gates, 1996)
  • In Tongues We Speak (split-CD with Coalesce) (MOSH168 1997)
  • Breed to Breathe (EP, 1997)
  • Leaders Not Followers (EP, 1999)
  • Tsunami Benefit (Split CD with The Haunted and Heaven Shall Burn) (2005)

[edit] Napalm Death-only Compilation albums

  • Death by Manipulation (MOSH51, Earache 1992)
  • The Peel Sessions (1993)
  • The Complete Radio One Sessions (2000)
  • Noise for Music's Sake (MOSH266, Earache 2003)

[edit] Live albums

  • The Peel Sessions (1989)
  • Live Corruption (1990)
  • Bootlegged in Japan (1998)
  • Punishment in Capitals (2002, CD)

[edit] DVDs & VHS

  • Live Corruption (VHS, 1991)
  • The DVD (DVD, 2001)
  • Punishment in Capitals (DVD, 2002)
  • The Scum Story (DVD, 2007)

[edit] Compilations

  • Chapter 3 - Various Artists (by Jako of "The Joy of Propaganda", 2 songs, 1982)
  • Ruptured Gut - Various Artists (by Twisted Tapes, 2 songs, 1982)
  • Twisted Nervous Breakdown - Various Artists (by Twisted Tapes, 1 song, 1982)
  • Subversive Elements - Various Artists (2 songs, 1982)
  • Bullshit Detector #3 : "Crucifixion of Possessions" (1984)
  • North Atlantic Noise Attack : title ? (excerpt from Scum/FETO) 1989
  • Hardcore Holocaust : "Moral Crusade", "M.A.D.", "Divine Death", "Control" 1989
  • Grind Crusher : "The Missing Link" 1989
  • Grind Crusher - free 7" : "You Suffer" 1989
  • Hardcore Holocaust II : "Walls/Raging in Hell/Conform or Die/S.O.B." 1990
  • Pathological Compilation : "Internal Animosity" - unreleased song 1990
  • Grind Crusher - The Ultimate Earache : "The World Keeps Turning" 1992
  • Masters of Brutality I : "Suffer the Children" 1992
  • Masters of Brutality II : "The World Keeps Turning" 1992
  • Virus 100 : "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" - unreleased song 1992
  • Earplugged I : "Plague Rages" and "State of Mind" 1994
  • Earplugged I (Japanese release): "I Abstain" 1994
  • Rareache : "Living in Denial" and "Internal Animosity" - unreleased songs 1995
  • Better Read Than Dead: ?? (1996)
  • Mortal Kombat (soundtrack motion picture) : "Twist the Knife (Slowly)" 1996
  • Metallurgy I : "Greed Killing" demo version - unreleased song 1996
  • Earplugged II : "Breed to Breathe" 1997
  • Earplugged III: "The Infiltraitor" 1998
  • Hellspawn : "Breed to Breathe" remixed by DELTA 9 - unreleased song 1998
  • Anti Racist Action : "Unchallenged Hate" live - unreleased song (only in America) 1998
  • Hard Music News Vol 2: "The Icing on the Hate" 2002
  • What Lies Beneath: "Silence Is Deafening" 2005

[edit] Videos

  • "If the Truth Be Known"
  • "Suffer the Children"
  • "Mass Appeal Madness"
  • "The World Keeps Turning"
  • "Plague Rages"
  • "Greed Killing"
  • "Breed to Breathe"
  • "Lowlife"
  • "Necessary Evil" (2 versions)
  • "Silence Is Deafening"
  • "Morale"
  • "When All Is Said and Done"



[edit] Members

[edit] Current lineup

[edit] Past members

[edit] Vocals

[edit] Guitar

[edit] Bass

[edit] Drums

[edit] Other Projects

Members of Napalm Death have moved on to form bands such as:

  • Carcass
  • Godflesh
  • Cathedral
  • Scorn
  • Jesu
  • Black Galaxy

Additionally, band members have formed numerous side projects, including:

  • Lull
  • Painkiller
  • Brujeria
  • Lock Up
  • Meathook Seed
  • Defecation
  • Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine
  • Venomous Concept

[edit] Pop Culture References

  • Dream Theater singer James LaBrie wears a Napalm Death t-shirt in their "Pull Me Under" music video.
  • 'Unfit Earth' from Harmony Corruption was used on the Vic and Bob pilot sitcom The Weekenders.
  • The character Sol Badguy's (from Guilty Gear) Instant Kill move is called Napalm Death, after the band.
  • In the children's film Matilda, Matilda's brother Mikey is wearing a Napalm Death t-shirt in the scene where the TV blows up.
  • In David Firth's Burnt Face Man series of cartoons, the character Anger Man is seen wearing a Napalm Death t-shirt.
  • Bill Steer appeared in Red Dwarf series 3 - ep. 'Timeslides' as the drummer in character Dave Lister's band Smeg and the Heads. Jeff Walker from Carcass played the bassist.
  • Hard Rock band System of a Down gave thanks to Napalm Death in the booklet for their self titled album.
  • In the computer game SSX Tricky, it is stated that the character, Psymon Stark's, favorite band is Napalm Death.



[edit] Links

Retrieved from "http://www.punkopedia.com/content/Napalm_Death"
Personal tools