Napalm Death - _Greed Killing_
(Earache Records, 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)
What a shock! Sit any ancient Napalm Death fan in front of your ghetto blaster and play the first track of this new EP (a teaser in lieu of Napalm Death's forthcoming album due January 30th), and watch his/her eyes pop right out of their head! When I first put on the advance tape for this EP, I thought that they sent me the wrong cassette! This album starts off with a totally un-Napalm Death, almost progressive guitar riff, which then degenerates into the now regular, (after 1994's _Fear, Emptiness, Despair_) Napalm Death sound. The one thing however which signifies beyond all else that Napalm is back and in full force, is Mark 'Barney' Greenway's superbly killer vox. The first two tracks of this 7 track offering are lifted from Napalm Death's forthcoming longplayer, _Diatribes_. Glad to say that the first track, 'Greed Killing', doesn't hold the prog riff for much of the song. The album then progresses into 'My Own Worst Enemy', a more mechanical but still somewhat 'light' song that compares closely to 'Primed Time' from their last album. The next four tracks are rejects from the _Diatribes_ recording session. An interesting cut is 'Self Betrayal' which features spoken word distorted vocals and experimental slow paced background music. The next three songs, 'Finer Truths, White Lies', 'Antibody', and 'All Links Severed' are all quick-tempo, blast-beat laden (!) grinders which make good medicine for any Napalm fan's heart. But perhaps the most disappointing moment on this album is the closing track, 'Plague Rages (live)'. I almost cried upon hearing this sorry excuse for a live track. Although it's good that they did not try and overdub any of the sound, it was just plain shit, especially since I saw them live in Toronto and personally thought it was a great performance. Anyways, I'd buy this album if you are a fan of the new direction Napalm Death have taken with _Fear, Emptiness, Despair_. If not, there is nothing of interest for you here.

(article published 13/12/1995)


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