Napalm Death
Words From the Exit Wound
Earache
Argh! Argh! Argh! The new Napalm Death album is upon me! I feel like cranking this baby up and busting heads!
Words From the Exit Wound , is there a better phrase to describe what Napalm Death sounds like? Shot through the stomach by the Thought Police, I could imagine the hole in my back growlscreaming out songs like “Septic in Perspective” or “Thrown Down A Rope,” both damning my oppressive antagonists. While the music of Napalm Death is classic death metal (they were one of the first death metal bands ever), lyrically they’ve always concentrated on biting socio-political commentary with emphasis on political economy pertaining to Great Britain.
Good tracks include “The Infiltrator,” a take on how the day-to-day may be manipulated by governments that masquerade as well-meaning, and “Repression Out of Uniform,” a scathing reproach directed again at those who “know better.” Napalm Death’s music has always been ripping and heavy, slamming, pounding abusive death metal, but after studying their lyrics (mostly penned by Barney Greenway – or, as I remember him most from an Orlando show, “the lion-haired man who sings in his underwear”) I’ve gained a new appreciation for the band. There’s a real “meter” to the songs that’s clear in many of the songs -even without having the words in front of you. “Next of Kin to Chaos” and “Cleanse Impure” have marching choruses (“Covet me dearly/Shaft me completely/Cleanse me impure ‘til the doctrine sticks”), and I swear there’s “rhythm” in Napalm Death.
Definitely for fans of the original “extremists.” Includes three live tracks, including “Suffer the Children,” the video from which made it to MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball a million years ago.
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