NAPALM DEATH – Apex Predator – Easy Meat
- Posted on 17-01-2015
Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death keep chugging along at blistering speeds that men half their age struggle to muster. "Apex Predator- Easy Meat" delivers another 14 tracks in 40 minutes, keeping all the trademarks such as Barney Greenway’s ferocious bark, Shane Embury’s punk-like bass, and guitarist Mitch Harris ripping his way through the riffs in a speedy, no holds barred way – while drummer Danny Herrera keeps the tempos racing and blasting while staying on the edge of insanity.
The 86 second blitzkrieg "Smash a Single Digit" features dual barking/ scream vocal patterns and high octane picking/blast action, while "Stubborn Stains" has more of a thrash vibe musically as alternate VoiVod-ish guitar parts percolate in the atmosphere. "Dear Slum Landlord…" showcases the band at probably in their most doomy light to date, only to ramp up the grind antics and punk attitude on the follow up "Cesspits", allowing Danny a chance to flex a bit of his progressive chops during the opening verses. Plenty to dive into lyrically as always, Barney continually taking aim at the injustices of the world in an intelligent, forward thinking manner.
To those that believe grindcore is merely noise, kindly seek out other avenues for your underground pleasure. Napalm Death channel all their creativity in the right direction – exploring facets of anger, aggression, and intensity while developing individual song ideas. Will they ever beat "Scum"? Probably not … but "Apex Predator – Easy Meat" is not a slow, pretty walk in the park record either. The 5 minute plus closer "Adversarial / Copulating Snakes" contains some pretty evil churning parts and spoken word vocals that haunt my dreams.
Life feels a little smoother when you take in Napalm Death – especially if you crave intense music riding along the surface of the earth.