Napalm Death – at The Rat – Review

Napalm Death

at The Rat
by Paul Lee

I’m a new initiate into the ranks of Napalm Death connoisseurs. Although I’ve been aware of them since about 1991, I didn’t actually get turned onto them until I checked out 1994’s wrenching Fear, Emptiness, Despair (Earache). With their newest and most diverse opus, Diatribes, spinning in my CD player almost every day, my admiration for Napalm Death grew even more. Then it was my turn to experience the mighty Anglo/American grindcore demons in a confined, live setting at The Rat in Boston.

As expected, it was a diverse crowd, including many punkers who were also there to check out NYC hardcore stalwarts Sheer Terror, who put on an obnoxiously (you gotta love their outspoken frontman Paul Bearer) intense show. Also opening was Boston’s own deathsters Anomanes, who brutalized the crowd and put on a solid show. I hope to hear more from these monsters in the future.

From the first second, the blast Napalm Death unleashed was phenomenal. I’ve seen many loud and intense bands over the years, but few rival the brute force of ND’s assault. Singer Barney Greenway’s vocal annihilation was even more intense than on recording. Swaying back and forth like he was going to leap out of his carcass.

Guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado (the ND American faction) hurled pulverizing riff after riff upon us with no mercy or respite. These guys are the killer grindcore ax duo of the ’90s. Bassist Shane Embury let his rumble be felt throughout our marrows. Embury is one of the most underrated bassist/songwriters of the extreme music genre (check out his side project Meathook Seed). Though former ND drummer Mick Harris gets loads of praise, present drummer Danny Herrera is worthy of the highest marks. Hererra went wild, creating a rhythmic thunder with his double bass drums and the rest of his drum arsenal. Don’t let their brutality mask the fact that ND are an immensely talented and creative band.

Admittedly, I didn’t recognize songs from the pre-Fear… days, but what they unleashed was great. Newer songs like “Diatribes” and “My Own Worst Enemy” from Diatribes were absolutely neck-breaking. Granted, the earlier stuff doesn’t have a lot of variation in the intensity, but newer songs, like “Cursed To Crawl,” mix slower, darker sounds with the signature ND grindcore attack. If I had to level one major criticism at ND, it’s that they don’t throw in enough slow material to really make you appreciate the brutal stuff. The only drag about the ND show were the few fights that broke out towards the end. Not being fans of fights at their shows, ND stopped playing until the fights were cleared, but then couldn’t regain their momentum afterwards. Up until that point, ND were awesome.