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Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat (Century Media/2015)

2/27/2015

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Napalm Death - Apex Predator - Easy Meat (Century Media/2015)

Within a different realm here with once pure "grind", but now death/grind pioneers, Napalm Death is back with in my estimation a technical, diverse, intriguing, illustrious and brutally diverse intense release. They, simply put DOMINATE in respect to the music and the variety. They're incorporating a lot of diversity here on this new one showing that they're still kicking ass even after over 30+ years since they were originally founded! By no way are they putting out material that is repetitious. On "Apex Predator - Easy Meat", Napalm has technical guitar riffs showing here, some drop down tuning and such original music in all aspects. They've combined some of the "old" sound in respect to the vocals i.e. Barney showing a change in his style than what he once was and Mitch on background vocal screams. It makes it more listenable with variety.

All 14 tracks dominate! The music, production, vocals and intensity is all there. This is one of my favorite ND releases besides "Harmony Corruption" and the live album "Live Corruption" way back in the early 90's. This band is still kicking major butt because they're incorporating many different sounds musically and it's loud as all hell. It's alright that there are no original members since they were founded -- Shane Embury on bass is probably the eldest contributor, Barney and Mitch with the band for over 20 years and Danny took over on drums ever since Mick Harris left the band in 1991. They've really gone through musical evolution over the years, but still reign high as this one exceeded my expectations!

You have tempos here that very from slow, medium, fast then hyper-fast speeds -- they're covering it all! These guys especially Mitch and Shane did some great riff writing no doubt -- they both made the music highly well conducted as they used a lot more higher end concoctions of technical morbidity musically yet still tuned the guitars it seems lower than D-tuning for this as well as filled the album with precision. There was only I think 1 lead guitar part -- the rest just plain obliteration to the eardrums. Mitch and Shane were all over the fretboard here -- you get bar chords, tremolo picking riffs and intensity hands down! The vocal variations also make the album very diverse and intriguing. Barney no is not the same man on vocals as he was when he joined. He is yelling mostly while Mitch's backup screams keep the music flowing.

Very well produced album! I liked the fact that they really did cover every musical avenue here when creating the music for this one. They really hit home with their creativity and even though old Napalm is dead and different from what they originally were doing in the earlier days to what they're doing now, I still think that this album is musical perfect in death/grind. Danny isn't as tight on drums than when Mick was with the band, but he's definitely a solid drummer and compliments the bands compositions quit well. Mick was more of a leader type of person when he was with Napalm, but Danny definitely did his part well on this release. He might not be as creative and tight as Mick was, but he's stuck with the band for over 20 years also!

Should you be excited with Napalm's latest? My words are: HELL YES! This band takes all of these musical avenues and turns metal into a whole new avenue with all that makes a perfect score album complete: brutality, originality, diversity and intensity along with a solid production quality. These guys deserve praise with this one because it's I think their best one out since "Words From The Exit Womb" was released! They simply annihilate here and there's no doubt that it was by no stretch of chance that they were one of the Billboard's top releases for this year! YouTube this and listen for yourself. Interesting song titles and still yes the politically based lyrical concepts haven't escaped them! Get the album if you want to hear some top metal from this year so far. This one destroys!


Rate: 100%.

Reviewed By Death8699 (ryanfanucchi@gmail.com).
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Cannibal Corpse - A Skeletal Domain (Metalblade/2014)

2/25/2015

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A slight change from the norm -- not in song titles or lyrical concepts, but a more "approachable" onslaught of metal due to the fact that Cannibal Corpse comes up with more listenable guitar orchestrations.  A catchier infliction of domineering riff writing and leads, in the brief a memorable diseased warpath embodying thickness in distortion.  Songs don't sound as repetitious of say "Torture" or older material -- a more solid approach of animation among the eardrum infestation.  I say through and through, the writing style is heavy and virtuous, with less intense tempo infiltration, but still technical in terms of the riffs.  I can't say that I fully enjoyed the "whammy" wah in their lead outputs -- I would say that is why I took some points off in a more worthier scoring.  If the band would have the leads taken out, then I might've been more generous in my rating.

Not to digress, but "Corpsegrinder" doesn't really sound any different in past discoveries in his vocal outbursts, he sounds the same.  In my contention, his throat feeds well along the guitars and I would conclude that they wouldn't sound as brutal if he was taken out of the lineup -- though I do think that Barnes was better for the band, though we won't rehash ourselves from our earlier discoveries in musical form such as on "Butchered At Birth" and "Tomb of the Mutilated."  These were MY favorites and they've become a different band since he left then Fisher came in.  For YOU guitar maniacs the sound of the band is as if they're once again here tuning to B-flat using a lot of heavy gauge strings with more heavy palm muted slays -- the technicality we shall revisit and say it is apparent once again with a "fresh" use in thickness extremities.

When we speak of the overall recording quality, its' mastery is apparent.  It exists here that the music is palatable, but in Cannibal Corpse's history, I can't with full honesty say that this is their best work to date.  I say it is solid no doubt -- their songs here flow rampant and the music is what makes the album admirable minus those leaks in weak lead guitar aspects.  In ingenuity, O'brien and Barrett come up with some interesting thickness, chunky, heavy, and explosive manifestations.  To say this is a solid release is still the question -- would I be fair to say that this is deserving of a "greatness" or unfathomed ingenuity, I would say that it's a "B", a solid one if that.

We being listeners of metal know that this band have and will never depart from their concepts in lyrical domination, but I would be unfair to say that this one is unworthy of mention.  The music does own the realm in it's uncompromising heaviness as well as hefty drum episodes.  A still same lineup as in past releases, just not really really older releases therefore mentioned and covered.  In proximity, this one musically is remaining to be heavy, dominant and ear deafening malevolence.  It hits home with me, the riffs i.e. musical orchestration are summoning heaviness and would be prominent if as the leads technicality were more brightening or wholly omitted then the band would have a greater rating than what was given to it.  A high "B" is still without a doubt, but Cannibal Corpse should focus more so on just the rhythms.

Concluding here as we've discovered death metal sheer precision, a definite boon to your collection, will not bore you as did (I found to be the case) older releases, just not the 2nd and 3rd albums -- those I deem as gems.  They're definitely well over the styles in the early days with guitars that a much thicker and heavier distorted, whereas the early releases combined death metal vocals with a more thrashy guitar style.  Definitely check out YouTube first to see if it's suitable to your palate, but I would say that followers of the band definitely will be more than satisfied with this one.  Watch for catchy riff writing in both tremolo paths and technical onslaughts.  Get this, it shall not disappoint or fall below your expectations -- it's notable and catchy, believe me in this entirety, the quality and ingenuity are well intact!

Rate: 85%.

Reviewed By Death8699 (secret_face_metal@yahoo.com).
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