The grindcore food chain has always been a testing fight for top dog. Representing frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway‘s outrage at the tragedies of the collapse of the Rana Plaza travesty, wherein so many were injured, knowing that the conditions the Easy Meat were in, the Apex Predators continued regardless. Apex Predator could not be a better representation of Napalm Death. Ferocious, experimental and unpredicatable.
The mastery behind their world lies, within the immediate sense of danger. With the unpredictability between Greenway‘s landfill swallowing and Harris‘ anguished screams. The album itself is a straight forward approach felt with such passion, and rabid intensity giving the intention Greenway is purposefully bellowing at the listener. Whilst Harris‘s howls give a fantastic good cop bad cop theatre.
Be it from the fast cut thrashers of “One-Eyed” or single “Cesspits” the tension is equally matched when Napalm Death slow things down. With the deliciously titled “Dear Slum Landlord…” the plundering riffs give the perfect metaphorical sense of the downtrodden along with bleak croonings in “Hierarchies” even containing a guitar solo. The songs also act as a welcome respite from the seriously bombastic tracks. Recorded throughout 2014, in short sharp bursts, Napalm Death harnessed exactly what makes them one of the most important metal bands out there.
Immediately from the thought provoking artwork we see that, though the ideology remains the same, the representation has garnered a modern twist. The soliloquy of title track envelopes the listener feel despondent. The ominous chanting of Greenway, slowly reaching its cacophonous climax similar to an animal playing with its food… From here on in, there’s no safety net. “Stubborn Stains” harnesses the brute force the band employ, expelling it on “Timeless Flogging” along with the abrasive fury of “Smash A Single Digit“.
The delicious icing on the cake though as always is when Napalm Death really get going, like the proverbial rhino the band charge at anything they can. Giving the air of something feral and schizophrenic, when in fact every move is calculated and pre meditated. “How The Years Condemn” meld the dissonant chords effortlessly with punky “Metaphorically, Screw You” attitude. Going straight for thejugular Napalm Death are a no holds barred statement. Having created so many albums, Apex Predator – Easy Meat employs the same genius the musical maelstrom is known for. Simultaneously being the paradigm of aggression,suffering and injustice. The band paint a beautifully bleak,repulsive image of our new society.
Though album number fifteen Apex Predator – Easy Meat is just as devastating as their classics. Delivering the same crushing blow as almost all of their releases, yet ever evolving their unique sound. Napalm Death are the Apex Predators and anything in their path, is Easy Meat.
