The early 90's saw Napalm Death making a full transition from a grindcore/crust outfit to a death metal group with slight grind leanings. You hear this evolution backwards on Death By Manipulation, which gathers, in order of listening, the Mass Appeal Madness EP, the Suffer The Children single, the Mentally Murdered EP (which was the last Napalm Death recording to feature drummer Mick Harris) and the material from their side of the S.O.B./Napalm Death split. All of the material here is pretty solid, and it's cool to hear how the band was adjusting and shifting their sound from one style to another. The best material is that which bookend the compilation in terms of releases, with both the first four songs and the last six being the best of the bunch, performing their specific styles excellently. In effect, this comp chronicles a transitional period for one of grinds most important bands, and as such, the material on it is nothing to scoff at.
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