Thursday, September 24, 2020

Full Length Review: Napalm Death "Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism" (Century Media Records) by Dave Wolff

Location: Birmingham, England
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Grindcore, death metal
Full Length: Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
Format: CD/mediabook/patch (limited), standard CD jewelcase, LP and poster, Colour is of No Concern LP and poster, All that Gliters is Not Enriching LP and poster
Label: Century Media Records
Release date: September 18, 2020
After releasing fifteen albums in thirty three years, does Napalm Death still have the capability to experiment with their time-tested formula in a groundbreaking manner? Their time as a band shows how often they’ve done so. In 1987 their now-classics “Scum” and “From Enslavement to Obliteration” introduced a new genre called grindcore to thrashers everywhere. Their “Mentally Murdered” EP and their album “Harmony Corruption” made a major contribution to second wave death metal. After this, they consistently remained dark and non compos mentis to make their point about current events, but in no way were they plagued by a lack of development. On every new album they introduced new apocalyptic themes as a vehicle for their pertinacious lyrical offensives on the state of the world and its impingement on our personal lives. Napalm Death has never shied away from overstepping musical confines, and they’ve had five years to test new waters since 2015’s “Apex Predator - Easy Meat”. “Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism” delivers at hooking your visceral responses while staying lyrically relevant to global affairs, of which there’s a lot to talk about. The synergy created by Shane Embury (bassist and principal composer) and Mark “Barney” Greenway (vocalist and principal lyricist) takes this method of addressing important matters to another level of untried territory. While “Apex Predator - Easy Meat” was quite a savage, primordial and uncomplicated grind-death metal album “Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism” expands upon it with themes of hardcore, post-punk, industrial and black metal. Each song is based on a different musical linguistic, which keeps the album entertaining, but they’re all joined by a common concept that’s bluntly characterized by the cover art. A dove being slowly strangled by a gloved hand apparently signifies people in power slowly strangling a populace that has unknowingly been duped into accepting the illusions fostered by social media, television and showman politics. Grindcore has been synonymous to shattering media fueled lethargy, and Napalm Death has not lost sight of that attitude personified by themselves, Brutal Truth, Extreme Noise Terror and Terrorizer in the eighties and nineties. All one has to do is read a paper or scroll AOL news to see said attitude is as relevant as ever today. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:
Mark "Barney" Greenway: Vocals
Mitch Harris: Guitars, vocals
Shane Embury: Bass
Danny Herrera: Drums

Track list: 
1. Fuck the Factoid
2. Backlash Just Because
3. That Curse of Being in Thrall
4. Contagion
5. Joie de ne pas vivre
6. Invigorating Clutch
7. Zero Gravitas Chamber
8. Fluxing of the Muscle
9. Amoral
10. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
11. Acting in Gouged Faith
12. A Bellyful of Salt and Spleen

1. Fuck the Factoid
2. Backlash Just Because
3. That Curse of Being in Thrall
4. Contagion
5. Joie de ne pas vivre
6. Invigorating Clutch
7. Zero Gravitas Chamber
8. Fluxing of the Muscle
9. Amoral
10. Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
11. Acting in Gouged Faith
12. Feral Carve-Up
13. A Bellyful of Salt and Spleen
14. White Kross
15. Blissful Myth



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