Review Summary: Two bands past their prime team up for an unnecessary split.
Let's get one thing right out of the way - Converge's 'No Light Escapes' is the only worthwhile song you will find here. While only a far cry from the seminal Jane Doe or Petitioning the Empty Sky, the barely minute-long hard hitter storms by with unrelenting speed and riffs that would make Hep Kat proud, hinting at the direction of the band's upcoming album. And then we have their take on Entombed's 'Wolverine Blues', a slow-burner that showcases Converge's weaknesses as a metal band. Relying on generic chugging and uninspired chord progressions for most of its 2+ min running time, the song quickly becomes filler material that fails to play to the band's strengths.
Quite predictably, though, Napalm Death are the real offenders here. While it is commendable that they didn't fully latch on to the 'bullshit grind' tendencies that sprung out of nowhere in the last couple of years, I cannot say that playing an extremely watered down version of the style they helped pioneer is the right way to go. 'Will by Mouth' is a perfect example of this, as it serves as a mere extension of any of the bands '90s efforts. You get extremely distorted vocals from Barney that give you the impression that he's chewing on something bigger than he can handle (and by that I mean penises. Lots and lots of penises), backed by riffs stolen from previous (what, 10?) outputs that unite bros together in a glorious mosh. 'No Impediment to Triumph (Bhopal)' is where the bullshit grind leanings kick in. Heralded as an atmospheric, slow and textural song (undoubtedly Aaron Turner's idea. That man is a genius when it comes to boring music), it recalls another failed attempts at experimentation such as Phallacy Dominion off of TWFNS. Notable for its injection by a strong dose of melody, and plodding away with endless repetitive riffing, the song is obviously an attempt to spice things up and to expose Napalm Death as the masters of dynamics. But hey, people will still eat this up no matter what junk they decide to throw on record, so hats off to them.
