And on the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me.. Once again a quick recap of some of the brilliant releases we have had so far.
- Jakub Zytecki – Wishful Lotus Proof
- Agent Fresco – Destrier
- Cain’s Offering – Stormcrow
- Tesseract – Polaris
- Unleash The Archers – Time Stands Still
- Lamb of God – VII : Sturm Und Drang
- Lindemann – Skills and Pills
- The Black Dahlia Murder
- Amorphis – Under The Red Cloud
- Steven Wilson – Hand Cannot Erase
- Sarom – Suenos
Napalm Death – Apex Predator – Easy Meat
Now being thirty years into their career, you would perhaps imagine that the caustic punch of Napalm Death might begin to at the very least slow down. Hurtling right back into the world of Metal the grindcore pioneers once again deftly create a slab of politically charge vehemence nothing short of stellar.
Moving into more experimental realms the band opt to begin with the fantastic introduction, coating apprehension before weaponising their unique sound. Bursting out with “Smash a Single Digit” the record scarcely diminishes it’s pace if at all ever. “How The Years Condemn” and “Cesspits” still twelve months down line bring to mind lyrical cataclysm from Mark “Barney” Greenway aided by his signature feral delivery. Nevertheless the real jewel in the crown of Apex Predator and an integral piece to the Napalm Death make up is when the band merge. Bringing the brute force of Danny Herrera’s drums, with Embury’s bass tone and Mitch Harris‘ brilliant riffs and topped off with Greenway’s insatiable vocals the band as a unit are absolutely unstoppable. The Birmingham Juggernaut is nigh on impossible to start given it’s run up.
Deciding to record the album in bursts retains the sense of urgency the band have always capitalised on. Bringing the sound of grindcore kicking and screaming into the modern day playing with the idea of atmosphere to create even more of a sonic contrast. Reflected slightly on the albums cover many bands in the modern day are packaged, wrapped and then sold. Our Birmingham quartet single handedly destroy this mould time and time again. To encapsulate the sense of seeing the band live on record truly is a coup masterfully executed in their new record. Despite their reliable nature Napalm Death excelled above and beyond with their 2015 effort. Showing that they will always be top of the grindcore food chain.