NAPALM DEATH

Well, this was a big leap forward compared to the earlier F.E.T.O. album. The individual musicians have grown a lot. I can’t say too much about Shane Embury because he is buried in the sound.

The growth becomes most obvious of the re-recorded version of the song ‘Mentally Murdered’. Except being a lot tighter the guitarsound was a lot heavier, even comparable to the sound Bill Steer has on the Carcass album ‘Symphonies Of Sickness’ albeit a bit dry. Speaking of Carcass, there’s a great solo on ‘Walls Of Confinement’ that has that Symphonies-atmosphere.

Lee Dorrian grunts deeper than ever. It takes a lot of effort to understand what’s coming out of his mouth. ‘Walls Of Confinement’ is the most comprehensible. Mick Harris plays an important part to the band sounding a lot tighter. He’s become quite a good metal drummer here and also his D-beat sounds brutal and tight.

Now the compositions on itself aren’t even that different than the F.E.T.O. album. The sound may confuse some but if you notice how the ‘new’ songs are written compared to the re-recorded track ‘Mentally Murdered’, it’s actually pretty much the same style, only played better. So the biggest differences can be found in performance and production.

It’s hard to point out ‘best’ songs here as they all are great. ”Rise Above”, ”Mentally Murdered” and ”Walls Of Confinement” are remarkably catchy and “The Missing Link” had a great Extreme Noise Terror-ish crustcore beat to it. If I had to complain it would be that 'No Mental Effort' is slightly over-strechted.

The 'Mentally Murdered' EP is a classic example of a band becoming proffessional at making noise and playing great songs as well.

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morbert (courtesy of the Encyclopaedia Metallum website)

Quite a Brutal Mix of Death and Grind

We didn’t know it, but as they were producing their best work to date, this incarnation of Napalm Death was rupturing from within. Musical and business differences would splinter the band, which would see itself radically restructured in the two years that would succeed this EP release. But for the moments, Mentally Murdered was a new and different Napalm Death, one with it’s ear bent to the encroaching death metal scene, and an eye towards beefing up the band’s previously lo-fi recording standards. Thus this record reveals the band in an interesting middle ground, wielding the grindcore values of yore as pushed up against the very evident musical influence of Morbid Angel, a touring partner who would join the Earache roster right around the time this record was being issued.

It’s an excellent release, completely benefiting from the sonic alchemy being toyed with. Thus songs like “Rise Above” and the seminal “Walls Of Confinement” boast a maturity and even greater sense of bassy extremity that Napalm’s earlier work. The songs, supported by monstrous and memorable riffs, are given nefarious life by Colin Richardson (who would go on the be one of extreme metal’s finest producers) and his diabolical engineering skills. The general maturity on hand should not be surprising when one considers what the players involved would bring us in the future.

After an ill-fated tour, Bill Steer would depart to concentrate completely on his gory “other” band Carcass, while Lee Dorrian would form/join doom/stoner rock legends Cathedral. Mick Harris would reveal other formidable sides to his musical mind with industrial/ambient projects like Scorn and Lull. Shane Embury would also be a part of many projects; the industrial tinged Malformed Earthborn being perhaps the most pleasing. I know this EP is now incorporated into a host of Napalm Death retrospectives and rarities releases, but I had to give it full points here as a stand-alone release.

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brocashelm (courtesy of the Encyclopaedia Metallum website)