jasnthornberry's Full Review: Order of the Leech by Napalm Death
Are you into the harder stuff these days? Does the Dillinger Escaper Plan, Botch, Isis, or early Cave In have your parents exchanging puzzled looks as they pass your bedroom? You might prefer less metallic stuff, like Anti Flag, the Dropkick Murphys, Thrice, or Agnostic Front. After all, you like to think of yourself as a punk rocker, even though you were probably still sperm when the genre ground to a halt. If you answered "Yes," then have a seat; class is in session.
It was quite by accident that I discovered Napalm Death. I was reaching the end of a phase where I was trying to find something that was so outside the norm and so intense that it would almost physically move me.
Napalm Death still have the ability to surprise me after nearly fourteen years as a fan. The group that gave breach–birth to an entire apocalyptic genre just brought out their tenth album.
Two decades ago, this was a punk trio that sounded much more like Flux Of Pink Indians or Rudimentary Peni than today. It actually wasn’t until one Mick Harris joined the band on drums that they became synonymous with chaos, noise, and fury.
Aggressive music was developing by leaps and bounds, emphasized by Slayer. "Reign In Blood" (1986) was the most belligerent album collection released by that time and brought metal tinged with punk elements to the forefront of rock. Possessed, Dark Angel, D.R.I., and Voivod were already making Metallica (once considered an extreme ensemble) sound like the boring turds they would eventually become.
An album called "Scum" would close the book on the idea. This 1987 debut initially had punk fans thinking Napalm Death were little more than a joke band. When they dropped "From Enslavement To Obliteration" the following year, it was clear that they were not a one–off, like Sore Throat.
Harris, who was an avowed fan of little–known bands Repulsion and Siege, single–handedly brought the "blast beat" to worldwide consideration. Blast beats are essentially the quick drums of Dave Lombardo (Slayer) or Chuck Biscuits (Circle Jerks), sped up to the velocity of a machine gun. Their "songs" were likewise time–conscious, with "You Suffer (But Why?)" clocking in at almost half a second.
Napalm Death’s bass tones were more akin to radio static than the deep, sonorous sounds of Geddy Lee (Rush) or Paul McCartney (Crispy Ambulance). The rhythm guitars struggled to keep up with the drums, while the singing was adjacent to the sounds of an extremely large mammal vomiting. Grindcore was born!
The band was immediately fawned over and championed by quote–unquote "real musicians" (mainly jazz composers) and their skewed take on hardcore punk was rightly considered ahead of its time. Along with producing challenging music, their lyrics are quite a bit more intellectual that the self–consciously goofy fare of some of their ex–contemporaries.
If you are figuring that the average Napalm Death song is about inverted crucifixes and the molestation of nuns, read this morsel from a track on the new album:
"Reproduce to repent. Move those pious hands off that which isn’t yours. Hers are hallowed parts, governed by her right to choose. And if, as you say, life is so sacred, why is quality of life an afterthought? Controlling a womb does not make her a vehicle. She dictates the terms. ‘Murder on the unborn.’ Yet some newborn die a thousand times."
Their newest offering, "Order Of The Leech" is, somehow, even faster. It is more confusing and angrier than 2001’s "Enemy Of The Music Business," which saw them end an experimental period that lasted for three albums. They had been mixing clean "singing" with their rougher vocal style, adding strange guitar bits, and had less of an emphasis on speed. These were almost moody songs.
"Order" finds them moving the bass drums up in the mix, which gives the blast parts an almost rolling quality. Those are no longer beats, and with the pace sound very nearly like sustained fills on the snare. The album actually has the ability to put me into an aggressive mood. I was listening to "Order Of The Leech" very loudly on headphones a few days ago and noticed my occasional short temper had been compromised by an insistent salesman knocking at my door.
I had to shut it off, and instead, listened to Miles Davis’ "Sketches Of Spain" for the remainder of the afternoon. The two albums do have very distinct atmospheres, but are not that dissimilar overall. On the other hand, most of today’s "aggressive rock" makes me want to lift weights, refer to girls as "hotties," and call my friends "Brah!" That’s not remotely punk.
Through years of touring and adherence to the ideals and beliefs the band was founded on, Napalm Death have made an historic contribution to modern music.
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