Episode 108 – Non-Classic-Logo-Era Napalm Death, 1994-1998

The body of critical study - and fan adoration - around the music of Napalm Death has concerned itself principally with the band's pioneering grindcore and its transition into the death metal of Harmony Corruption. But what of the band's wilderness years, the mid- to late-1990s? The 108th episode of Radical Research digs into what its hosts consider to be Napalm Death's most radical music, the four-album futurist blitzkrieg spanning the years 1994-1998. Get ready for some serious side-eye, Legions, as we cross over into the torn apart.

Note I:

In the episode, Hunter mentions Ian Christe's writing on the band's 1994 album, Fear, Emptiness, Despair. In Christe's Sound of the Beast, he writes that the album, "...started a fresh chapter in the history of a band whose membership half-life had once lasted no longer than an album side. Previous urban hardcore noise blasts were mowed by sophisticated guitar layering and innovative drum patterns. Their dissonance became a conscious component of the composition, not merely a side benefit of chaos, and the marriage of intense anger and calculation yielded a masterpiece of passionate, politically minded, negative realism."

Note II:

In an act of gall, the scalar dimensions of which could only be compared to the Pacific Ocean, Mont Blanc, and John Holmes' ballistic member, Christe includes Fear, Emptiness, Despair in his list of the 25 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. The list includes other controversial entries, such as Morbid Angel's Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, and Dream Death's rarely-trumpeted but mighty Journey Into Mystery. 

Note III:

In our excitement, we failed to mention the men who produced these albums. All were produced by the estimable Colin Richardson, except Fear, Emptiness, Despair, which was handled by Pete Coleman. Only one of these gentlemen have played flute on a Skyclad album.

Note IV:

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Music cited in order of appearance:

“The Infiltraitor” (Words from the Exit Wound, 1998) “Plague Rages” (Fear, Emptiness, Despair, 1994)

“Primed Time” (Fear, Emptiness, Despair, 1994) “Fasting on Deception” (Fear, Emptiness, Despair, 1994) 

“Ripe for the Breaking” (Diatribes, 1996)

“Take the Strain” (Diatribes, 1996)

“Diatribes” (Diatribes, 1996)

“Birth in Regress” (Inside the Torn Apart, 1997)

“Prelude” (Inside the Torn Apart, 1997)

“Lowpoint” (Inside the Torn Apart, 1997)

“None the Wiser?” (Words from the Exit Wound, 1998)

“Trio-Degradable / Affixed by Disconcern” (Words from the Exit Wound, 1998)

“The Infiltraitor” (Words from the Exit Wound, 1998) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.