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I don't think I need to explain to anyone who Napalm Death are and what they represent for extreme metal: Napalm Death were the putative fathers of Grindcore and for a long time the combo closest to cacophony/madness in the entire metal scene, so much so that at the beginning they were poorly received by specialized magazines that judged them as the worst band existing (mmmmhh, they did the same years earlier with Hellhammer, the first incarnation of Celtic Frost). At the same time, the large number of fans of these Birmingham madmen also grew: from the seminal "Scum" to "Mentally Murdered" they claimed victims far and wide, gained international relevance, and breathed new life into the scene by bringing an unusual fresh breeze. In this period, Napalm Death was an open project, involving the most prominent and brilliant artists of the fervent underground scene, including Nick Bullen and Justin Broadrick (Head of David and Godflesh), Bill Steer (founder of Carcass), Lee Dorrian (then founder of Cathedral), Mick and Mitch Harris, and Shane Embury (Unseen Terror).
Then the explosive deceleration that "Harmony Corruption" brought with it: the world began to spin a little more slowly around them, the lineup clearly defined itself, laying the foundation for a less chaotic future. Embury, already mentioned, joined on bass, former Benediction "Barney" Greenway on vocals (???!!!!), and former Terrorizer Jesse Pintado on guitar, plus the two Harris, respectively guitar (Mitch) and drums (Mick).
They headed to Florida where Morrisound Studio and especially death metal guru Scott Burns awaited them with open arms. And here something happens: whether it’s the producer (who has the tendency to standardize the sound of the bands he works with), the influences brought by the newcomers, or a sort of compositional maturation, "Harmony Corruption" initially left early fans speechless.
In this release, the band presents itself with a rather traditional death metal, sweetening the grind traits that had marked past releases, and the hardcore/punk reminiscences accelerated to the extreme gave way to a more traditional metal-style songwriting. Listening to it gives the impression of being a deliberately low-fi work, not exactly showcasing its real value, far too accessible to an audience already accustomed to torrid sounds. The production is quite raw and coarse (compared to other Morrissound productions of the period), leading one to think that perhaps the intention of the Albion was indeed to corrode, to rot the traditional death environment, or even to pay homage to historical groups like Repulsion, much loved by a good part of the group members. In any case, we’re certainly not faced with a work lacking interesting critical insights, so if you’re looking for uncompromising violence, then with "Inner Incineration" you'll find what you seek, while if you appreciate the new course, the powerful "Malicious Intent" will not leave you indifferent. With "Unfit Earth", they reinforce their death metal credentials with cameo appearances by John Tardy of Obituary and Glen Benton of Deicide on backing vocals, while with the "hit" "Suffer the Children" (still performed in their current live gigs), you'll take a ride on a runaway train speeding at full tilt.
The texts that the good Barney Greenway prepared for the album are interesting and significant, always focused on the difficulties experienced by the social fabric and the anxieties of an alienating modernity.
In conclusion, this "Harmony Corruption" is certainly to be considered as a piece of history, as well as an isolated case in the band's discography for the type of sound expressed, which laid the foundations for the future Napalm Death who would resume their evolutionary journey from the subsequent "Utopia Banished" towards the unexplored shores of contamination at the edge of industrial.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 If the Truth Be Known (04:11)
Your self-determined place of value
Think before you act!
Can you justifiably criticise
A situations development
Sometimes there's only a single path
Which we have to walk
You realise before you even speak
That we're standing in a one-way street
Why should we retreat? - To satisfy your gain?
Think hard - tell me
What's your actual thoughts?
Could you even give your brain the time of day?
I'm not defending things I've said or done
But let he without sin
Cast the first begrudging stone
I the truth be known
Your desire to judge unchallenged
And revel in the according attention
03 Inner Incineration (02:56)
Malformed spirit
An infestation
Supressing ways of communication
Depression lingers
Then the journey
At wits end in a socialised hell
Confusion in recognition
Pessimistic thoughts invade
Shared amounts to archieve a goal
Roles reversed could summon change
[Verse x 2]
Expectations are enquired
Exceptions should be required
04 Malicious Intent (03:25)
Previous times you stuck by me
Relations fine undeniably
Mutual trust and honesty
The essential recipe
There's two sides to a coin
Opinions numbered many
Yet resolve came with ease
Compromised and regret - free
Then the vhange of expression
A unit of friends and the chance to be free
Your thoughts on these cast a jealous light
A concensus of hate to accompany
A vindictive acid taste
Flows from your chalice
Valued friendships tainted
Martyr of malice
Then the final straw
Violent intimidation
Your self acclaimed pacification
Brushed aside for self-gratification
Blatant ignorance - martyr of malice
05 Unfit Earth (05:02)
Looking from outside inwards
A view to dumbfound the most outspoken minds
Silent screams from an unfit Earth
Battered and bruised with nowhere to hide
Disasters man made and natural
Gradually pushing to absolute imbalance
On the scales of survival
Soon to tip in favour if extinction
An unrelenting dioxin cloud
Propelled to dispel our oxygen
Slowly seizing up our lungs
And choking the ground we depend upon
Silent screams from an unfit Earth
Battered and bruised with nowhere to hide
Transforming aquatic inhabitance
Overcome by cocktails of sludge and chemicals
Interfering with life on which so many rely
Then dumping our shit to economise
Wanton destruction
Environment in regression
All reverse into decline
Kiss this unfit goodbye
Silent screams from an unfit Earth
A future of provocation with nowhere to go
06 Circle of Hypocrisy (03:14)
Talk of unity - a far cry from the slander and rivalry
Why should we encourage what in fact is a circle of hypocrisy
Impulsive jealosy
Where;s the so-called harmony?
Internally untrusting
Externally inspiring
Assume your place above the rest
The wisest of the less
The knowledge you'll never possess
Compensated for with single-mindedness
Bored with life you turn to test
Battleground for pettiness
Pick at flies to justify
Temper's raised - You wonder why?
Why??
Supposedly Accessible
Come support our scene
Just another target
Harassed to the extreme
09 Extremity Retained (01:57)
You come to us and criticise
Without prior inspection
Judge us as a waste of time
An incorrect perception
Just a noise - your shallow view
An opinion I find misconstrued
There's probably more thought in what we do
Than a large part of what appeals to you
Why should we? - Why the need to justify?
Only in others' presence are you motivated to jeer and jibe
Everybody has the right to opinionise
But to us your pettiness is used to occupy your tiny minds
Extremity retained- never fall into your line
10 Suffer the Children (04:20)
Your unflappable conceptions
Moralistic views
Never open to criticism
Your overpowering ruse
Promises of sanctuary
In eternal bliss
With starry eyes and cash in hand
Pledge to all the master plan
Just face the truth or fund the farce
At one with your god
Your sole intent
Your treasured place assured
For a substantial rent
Global lunacy
Death threats for supposed blasphemy
No room for free thought
All non believers pushed to the floor
Aggressive tyrants
Supposed saints for the cause
Judgement through force
Faith a fuel for pointless wars
When all is done
Who shall benefit? Who is the one?
Not to those who pass on
But those dictators divine waving their deceitful wands.
13 The Missing Link (02:16)
An integral sense
Comes with belonging to a scene
Supposedly absent of barriers
(When sexism is only one of many)
Earnest words
Calling for unity of the sexes
When she's still the chick, or stupid bitch
(Ridiculed for showing an interest).
Hidden indifference
Strikes an emotion reaction
When you see an animal being abused.
Yet un-noticed when a woman
Is abused in the same way.
The links in oppression
Stem from the same degradation
But to one our eyes remain closed.
Actively abusing the rights of one
Whilst fighting for those of another.
The 'scene' may hold a different name,
But the roleplays just the same.
Egual rights are fine,
As long as she's in her place.
Outrightly denouncing fascism
Whilst oblivious to it taking place,
Is condemnation of standarts,
All an act to save face.
Unity a stark ambition
When out abuse surpasses recognition
14 Mentally Murdered (02:10)
Your aspirations, unable to stretch,
Beyond the barriers of what's expected,
As the free thought you were born with
Becomes externally polluted.
Lose sight of your ideals
In their brainwashing institutions,
Predetermine your values
To befit your substandard existence...
Discouraging creativity,
To aim for empty ambitions.
Living up to others expectations.
Takes hold of your assiduity.
Mentally murdered!
Always up to the mark,
Set the wheels in motion,
A fake sense of security
From your invariable position.
Sinking in the crowd,
A face minus expression.
A mouth that echoes words,
Recycled from tradition.
Your only contentness
Is in living a lie.
Mentally murdered!
Do you possess the strength
To re-create your own life?
15 Walls of Confinement (02:55)
Before my eyes I see a wall,
12, 000 miles high,
And the same amount wide.
Within that wall are faces
Of people
To whom I once could relate.
Now communicating seems hard,
When there's an ego barrier to break through.
Opinions of self opinion
Cloud a new horizon,
The vision a mere illusion.
Biased in conclusion,
Trapped in seclusion,
To the outside - exclusion.
When an attitude is so biased,
What can you expect to change?
Banging your head,
But the wall's not moving,
It's enclosing.
Burning so much energy
Enthusiasm burning
Is change the 'real' obsession?
Or with a sense of pretention,
Do you merely stive for cedible attention?
16 Cause and Effect (01:25)
What are your motives,
For your abuse,
What can they be?
Accused of things
I've never done,
This seems strange.
Your motivation, for my humiliation.
I'm pressurised,
So many times
By your presence,
Your very existance
Has become
My obsession.
My infatuation with you damnation.
I experience
Dangerous thoughts,
That are all too real,
How can one man
Inflict in me
So much hate.
My obsession with your destruction
17 No Mental Effort (04:12)
So we're still in our teething stages
As far as politics are concerned
That's fine coming from someone
To whom sensationalism be there only wisdom in words.
A self-proclaimed spokesman
On something to which prior knowledge excedes,
Championing no more censorship,
Then ridiculing our beliefs.
To appeal to your better nature,
Are we to keep our mouths shut?
Easy to discard
Constructive power
At your disposal
When ego's and sales
Outbalance opinions
On the scales.
Using bands
As pawns in your hands
Building up,
Knocking down,
Sensationalize
To suit cheap public demand.
Merging with the gutter press,
You claim to detest.
It's opened it's lid,
For you to crawl in and infest
18 Siege of Power (03:32)
Siege of power
In your land
Too many problems
For you to understand
Siege of power
Inside your mind
Outward restrictions
To keep you in line
Siege of power - in your land
Too many problems - for you to understand
A slave of their power - you never question why
Your going to suffer - you're going to die
Siege of power - inside your mind
Outward restrictions - to keep you in line
You're a slave of their power - you never questioned why
You were made to suffer - you were born to die
Siege of power
They made you a tool
While others were ruling
You were being ruled
19 Harmony Corruption (03:32)
A cortex-thin line over calm One temptation, infinite penetration
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