Since the departure of guitarist Mitch Harris, Napalm Death has been entirely dependent—in terms of writing, that is—on Shane Embury (bass), who has now become the band’s chief songwriter. You can still hear grindcore running through the English band’s music (if only through Barney Greenway’s instantly recognisable vocals), but industrial sounds are increasingly invading their sound. Birmingham has never left such a mark on one of its own resident bands.
Is that a bad thing? Definitely not. It’s obvious that the band didn’t put the pedal to the metal in a desperate attempt to adopt new sounds. On the contrary, they’ve considerably enriched their music with these external influences (a bit like Swans, actually). Though, of course, there’s the risk that fans who’ve been supporting them from the very beginning no longer recognise their favourite band. Napalm Death even go as far as to boldly cover People Pie on this EP, an obscure song by SLAB! from the 80s. Their rendition includes slap bass, something unheard of within this genre, and (even more unusually) sampled female soul choirs! Once recovered from the initial shock, there’s no doubt that this cover is the best track on this hybrid beast that Napalm Death has gifted us. Their cover of “Don’t Need It” by Bad Brains is far more anecdotal and ubiquitous. Narcissus, By Proxy and Man Bites Dogged, on the other hand, are everything you’d expect from Napalm Death.
Like any self-respecting EP, Resentment (…) is somewhat set apart from the rest of the album. However, it still highlights the changes that have been taking place within the band across their last few albums. Napalm Death has always worked in phases. The music they’re producing is still top-notch, and everyone is bound to get on-board with their new, emerging sound. The band’s survival obviously demands evolution, and it would be foolish to resist it. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz