Review Summary: Wow, what a trip
One of the most striking elements of Napalm Death is their age; the youngest member of this group is 45. This should definitely signal one thing: these guys have come to
love what they do, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon. After all, they've been around for over two decades making some of the most ridiculously chaotic, blistering grindcore tracks. Luckily for us, their most recent album
Apex Predator - Easy Meat is no different, and features common Napalm Death traits we've all come to love, along with other new tweaks and adjustments as well.
Musically, this album is
incredible and definitely noteworthy of heaviness; some of their most insane, diluted, and frantically spiral guitar riffs are located on this album. Like every Napalm Death record, this album is absolutely
intense, and most certainly not for the faint of heart. The music here (for any newcomer to the band) could come off as quite unnerving and incomprehensible. However, any veteran to the group (and the entire genre of grindcore, for that matter) should find this album to be totally kick-ass, and brutally savaging; good for an adrenaline rush. The vocals are blistering, deafening, and seem to come off as nearly ardent; the vocalist seems to hit the nail hard with worldwide issues. I've always considered these guys to be a musical version of Mortal Kombat, if you will.
The album starts off on a gloomy note with 'Apex Predator - Easy Meat', with distant screams heard in the background and boisterous percussion heard in the background. Both build at their own pace and continue evolving for the entire duration. 'Smashed in a Single Digit', however, takes a complete 180; you are immediately hit in the face with a shovel with ear-splitting vocals and manic guitar riffs. "Timeless Flogging" is one of my favorites, as the guitar riff is extremely catchy and definitely a little more on the "melodic" side, if you will. 'Hierarchies', however is
easily one of the greatest tracks on this record. The chorus has a chant-like atmosphere to it, and sounds like you're gearing up for a battle. Absolutely incredible song. The album ends on a face-splitting note with the amazing 'Adversarial / Copulating Snakes', then fades out.
This record is nothing short of fantastic and definitely
incredible considering their age; I mean, you'd think that after nearly two decades of making some of the fastest grindcore you'd grow tired, but these evidently haven't! The album never tones down musically and will constantly be at your throat slamming you down onto the ground. But that's the beauty of this band; they
really know how to make some
damn good grindcore
