NAPALM DEATH - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism

 

NAPALM DEATH - Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism

Century Media Records

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This release is charged with hatred amazing they pulled it off.  I didn't like this in the beginning because it's so different from their older material.  By older I mean when Barney first joined the band via 'Harmony Corruption'.  I just need to again get used to all the screaming because there's no burly vocals like in the past even on 'Utopia Banished' and 'Fear Emptiness Despair'.  Those were the good days (to me).  It's a matter of getting used to the 21st century Napalm.  This one is charged with blisteringly fast guitar work though they change it up some songs are just slow and seem out of place.

I think the energy here is great!  I don't mind this album, it's a more modern Napalm with all the screaming and aggression.  Mitch (I believe) does some vocals on here as well.  The whole band does a good job on here, it's just not what I expected.  But it's a good follow-up from 'Apex Predator - Easy Meat'.  That's another really loud one with insane vocals and noise terror.  Both this one and their last has this great energy to them.  Just take out the useless songs.  Some tracks however sound like 'From Enslavement To Obliteration' but the screaming is higher pitched and the guitars are more tranquil. 

The music on here is quite unique the guitar sounds great.  Just the vocals take some getting used to.  I liked all the tracks that weren't slow and like I said out of place for this release.  That's my only beef with the album.  Other than that, the axe is amazing.  Mitch does a great job with the compositions.  Him and Shane are fantastic.  I think this newer voice of Barney needs adjustment.  I haven't heard him sound like his old self since his early days with the band (as I mentioned).  He needs to go back to his roots with Benediction and early Napalm while they were just getting established.  And say on the live album 'Live Corruption'.

I thought that the production quality was top notch.  Everything you could hear rather well.  I wouldn't change anything in that respect.  This new generation of the band with no original members left except Shane (way early on) is sort of reinventing their sound.  It's mainly death/grind with all screaming.  It isn't as much of grind since Danny cannot play nearly as good as Mick Harris was with the blast beating.  Mick pretty much founded the grindcore drumming.  Danny has never been really strong in terms of blasts,  I also admired Mick's creativity.  It's too bad he didn't stick with the band I think he's in Scorn now.

The songs with main guitars were phenomenal.  The energy on here is amazing.  I ordered this album, but I first heard it on Spotify.  You can check it out there or on YouTube (I believe).  It's worth getting the album, what a release!  I loved the guitars the most and a hell of a lot of screaming between Barney and Mitch!  The intensity!  It only gets better as the album progresses.  If you're a Napalm fan, especially the newer Napalm, you'll like this.  And even though I'm a longtime fan throughout their discography, this one definitely needs to be checked out!  Get it on CD and show support to the music industry!

Ryan “Death8699” Fanucchi