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August 29, 2008 |
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01. Weltschmerz
02. Sink Fast, Let Go
03. Fatalist
04. Puritanical Punishment Beating
05. When All Is Said And Done
06. Freedom Is The Wage Of Sin
07. In Deference
08. Short-Lived
09. Identity Crisis
10. Shattered Existence
11. Eyes Right Out
12. Warped Beyond Logic
13. Rabid Wolves (For Christ)
14. Deaf And Dumbstruck (Intelligent Design)
15. Persona Non Grata
16. Smear Campaign
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Continuing on the path laid out by their previous album, "The Code Is Red...Long Live The Code", NAPALM DEATH are on a secular mission to obliterate anyone who stands before them. They've found (or more aptly, rediscovered) their niche, taking the strongest bits of their time-tested formula (fast and slow CELTIC FROST inspired riffs, Anarcho-Punk inspired political/social outrage), and playing down some their more listener-removing aspects (the hit-or-miss-but-mostly-miss experimentation found on a bulk of their early '90s releases). While the press release claims the album has a level of Diatribes-esque experimentation, don't be alarmed. This is one mean, heavy as all outdoors NAPALM DEATH album.
The opening track "Weltchmerz" sounds like a Justin Broadrick orchestrated funeral march, barreling right into "Sink Fast, Let Go", which explodes with blood-souring screams/barks and the fast Death-Punk riffs that have come to define NAPALM DEATH low these many years. Tracks like "Eyes Right Out", "Rabid Wolves (For Christ)", "Deaf And Dumbstruck (Intelligent Design)", and "Warped Beyond Logic" are what Grindcore is all about; Hardcore and Metal fueled rage incarnate.
The entire album has a nice subtle variety to it as well, also carried over from their previous album. "Puritanical Punishment Beating" is an ominous and monolithic Death Metal track, while "When All Is Said And Done" is driven by Hardcore Punk.
The album's most jarring and haunting track comes in the form of "In Deference", which features an unlikely guest spot by THE GATHERING frontwoman Anneke Van Giersbergen. The track starts out as a typically abrasive NAPALM DEATH track, when it is then intervened by Giersbergen, sounding like an angel whose wings have been ripped off. The lady hasn't sounded this miserable in…well, ever. A short but (for lack of a better term) sweet performance on her part (let's hear EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee try to get this bleak).
There's a little CELTIC FROST. There's a little RUDIMENTARY PENI. There's even a little SWANS. But it all fits together perfectly, something that has taken NAPALM DEATH nearly a decade to really get right. This is truly a case of a band who wears their influences on their sleeve while creating a sound that is unquestionably their own. The production is organic-sounding and flows brilliantly. The song writing is well crafted and balanced. Best of all...it is pissed off. "Smear Campaign": yet another solid NAPALM DEATH album that will wear you out until you're wrecked for the week.
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