Order of the Leech

Napalm Death are one of those big-name bands pretty much everybody with at least a passing interest in metal knows—well, at least by name. Yet of the many who know the name, how many have actually heard one of their albums?

I’m not going to proclaim myself to be some sort of expert on the band, but I’ve been around long enough to know they have always been darlings of the music media, which sang their praises even when their creative output was really nothing to write home about. After all, of the bands that first bridged the gap between hardcore punk/grindcore and (death) metal, Napalm Death, along with fellow Englishmen Carcass, are arguably the most prominent one. Of these two, Napalm Death are also the ones who have remained much closer to their grindcore roots even after undergoing a few stylistic shifts during their long and storied career.

Starting out as a more or less pure grindcore outfit with Scum and From Enslavement to Obliteration, Napalm Death soon shifted to a more metal-inspired sound, putting out Harmony Corruption and Utopia Banished right at the time when death metal became all the rage in the metal cosmos. Now, the nineties were obviously a volatile time for metal in general, and when the death-metal craze subsided, Napalm Death again went with the times by incorporating more groove elements into their sound, which is evident on albums like Diatribes or Inside the Torn Apart. After maneuvering themselves into something of a creative stalemate, the band then turned the corner with 2000’s Enemy of the Music Business, which brought back much of the grinding and blasting that had been largely missing on previous releases.

Napalm Death have stubbornly stayed the course ever since, putting out stylistically similar albums in rather quick succession. Order of the Leech, published in 2002, solidified the band’s back-to-the-roots sound and is as good a starting point as any if you’re looking to delve into their post-2000 discography. Deathgrind is the name of the game and the first thing you’ll notice is how brutally heavy and absolutely massive everything sounds, thanks to a very modern production that’s a far cry from what the band had to work with in the early days. From beginning to end, Napalm Death take no prisoners, cranking out one furious outburst after another and hardly ever taking their proverbial foot off the gas pedal. You almost have to pity drummer Danny Herrera, who earns his salary the hard way by playing blast beats almost incessantly. Meanwhile, Mark “Barney” Greenway tirelessly bellows at the top of his lungs, Shane Embury rumbles and clatters along on his four-string, and the riffing courtesy of guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado is uncompromisingly chaotic but not exactly memorable.

Speaking of memorability, there is next to none on Order of the Leech, and while there’s something to be said for refusing to compromise and relentlessly sticking to your formula, there is also painfully little in the way of creativity. If you’re content with getting pummeled almost non-stop and having your butt thoroughly kicked for roundabout forty minutes, Order of the Leech may be right up your alley. If, however, you expect at least a tiny bit of variation, some sort of finesse or even some catchiness in the form of well-placed hooks or harmonies, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. I may be mistaken, but I think there’s not even a single guitar solo on the whole damn thing. Compared to this, Carcass’ Reek of Putrefaction, which had the most horrible sound and was recorded by a bunch of teenagers, comes off as delightfully sophisticated and diverse even though it’s no less extreme musically.

It’s futile to discuss songs individually as they differ from each other only minimally. Sadly, after about 15 minutes in, it already feels like the band just keeps going through the motions—violently and emphatically going through the motions, mind you, but still failing to make much of an emotional impact. The powerful yet somewhat sterile production doesn’t help matters, giving the entire affair a slightly clinical, artificial, almost mechanical touch.

Greenway’s vocals are another weak spot, as they are extremely one-dimensional and, to make matters worse, sometimes distorted to the point where they take on a screeching, crackling quality, which underlines the mechanical aspect and, truth be told, can get rather annoying. The politically charged lyrics, meanwhile, aren’t profound displays of poetry either. They basically consist of the same trite slogans Napalm Death have been known for since their inception. It’s hardly surprising since these guys have always pushed a decidedly left-wing agenda. Even so, rehashing the same old tired clichés and rambling on about how wicked and evil Thatcher, Reagan and Bush were—yes, they all make a cameo appearance in “Continuing War on Stupidity”—doesn’t exactly come across as rebellious or edgy anymore but rather simple-minded and backward. Jeez, someone should have told them they were living in the 2000s and the 1980s were long gone. Alas, some people mature as they age while others are forever stuck in their teenage ways.

For how very little I enjoy listening to this record, I still have a hard time rating it as low as I probably should. In spite of all its shortcomings you have to admire its wholly uncompromising nature, relentless aggression as well as the band’s musical chops (the drumming and guitar play are commendable from a technical perspective), yet there’s no denying listening to Order of the Leech in its entirety is a stunningly trivial, tiresome and ultimately unrewarding exercise.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10 points

I think this is a solid release as well as line-up. Except for the fact that they don't have Mick Harris anymore. He seemed to be the driving force when it came to grindcore. But Napalm changed into more of a death metal band than grind. This is a solid release nevertheless. It's got both elements to it: grind and death metal. The energy is high up there and the riffs are mind boggling. This is another newer generation of Napalm that I like. A lot of their newer material is OK but I prefer the old. This has a good sound to it and vibe. I think old school Barney is the best but he's doing good on here as well.

The music is the highlight of this album and I did enjoy pretty much all the tracks. Mitch's vocals are a little annoying though, but it brings back Mick to old Napalm. I felt that the bulk of the songs had a good structure to them and the guitar tone was appropriate. They were fortunate that Jesse (RIP) was still with the band at this point. I always liked him with the band. I think after Harmony Corruption the band experienced a fall in their energy (Mick). They've just changed when he left and turned more towards death metal than grind. Not that that's bad, but maybe change their name, I'm not sure.

The guitars sound like they're tuned pretty low hence their thick sound. Really keeping it underground they are and Danny has some wicked drum tracks though it sounds like he's using triggers. That's not bad just has to keep up with the rhythms! I guess I just like the old school Napalm though I do think a lot of their newer stuff is palatable. But yeah, they should've changed their name. However, there are a lot of good moments to this album. Nothing that sticks as well as the old but still, it is quality. Barney isn't as low on the growls as he was on Harmony Corruption or Fear, Emptiness, Despair.

This album is almost 20 years old, but it's still on the good side of Napalm. The main members were with the band on here (Barney, Jesse, Mitch and Shane). I don't know what happened to the last track on this album but all the songs are pretty strong! I decided to buy the CD after hearing this digitally. Mind you, I still collect CD's. It was worth getting, wholeheartedly! The energy and fire is still there on this one it'll just never amount to Harmony Corruption. That one was filled with death/grind glory! Still, an excellent effort on this one. They have shown the metal community fresh new riffs! Check it!

Continuing War on Stupidity blasts out of your speakers, and you know that Napalm Death is definitely back, returning from their 90s experimentation and steamrolling forward with a "modern" sound that isn't death metal or grindcore, but some combination of the two which usually works incredibly well. Three minute songs of generally fast riffing along with blast beats, double bass, and d-beat drumming, covered with Barney's recognizable voice are the norm. Order of the Leech is generally faster and more chaotic than its predecessor Enemy of the Music Business, at the expense of a loss of memorability.

Quite simply, very few of these songs are as memorable as the average Napalm Death song in the 21st century, and compared to some of the best songs they've done recently, are made mostly irrelevant. Any and all of these songs would kill live, there is no doubt about this, and the release is more than perfectly serviceable for what you would want out of "modern" death metal/grindcore. If you just want to bang your head for 30 minutes, this'll work just fine. But I love Napalm Death for their memorability, for the dozens of songs that are permanently embedded in my mind just because of amazing songwriting and memorability, riffs and otherwise. And these just don't quite make the cut.

There is no bad song here, just several mediocre songs and a few that stand out. Continuing War on Stupidity works as a fine opener, and the middle section with the mid-paced riffing whilst Barney calls out homage to Celtic Frost is very much satisfying. One has to wonder though if this is simply due to this song's placement first in line that it is remembered, just like how The Great Capitulator as the final song is also particularly memorable.

Sandwiched between these two songs are ten songs which mostly run together. I can recall a riff here, a vocal line there, but I probably won't ever remember these songs in their entirety, which I can probably do for the entire Smear Campaign album, for example. It's not really like the songwriting is any different from the previous album or what comes later to any significant degree; somehow with this album, it just comes down to a general lack of memorability. Don't get me wrong, I'm listening to the album right now and in no way not enjoying myself, but if I think back on this listening session in a few hours, I still won't remember how many of these songs start or end, just the general structure of "fast riffing accompanied with either blast beats, double bass, or d-beats with Barney shouting over top of it all". Or if I actively remember a riff here or there, I probably won't be able to match it with the song it's in. Slower (well, read "mid-paced" since this is Napalm Death after all) moments immediately stick to mind for standing out and being relatively rare (middle of Continuing War on Stupidity, beginning of To Lower Yourself (Blind Servitude), um I'm pretty sure Narcoleptic has a decent mid-paced part in the middle but I already forget what it particularly sounds like, just that it's there...).

The production is pretty "chaotic", more so than Enemy of the Music Business at least. I do own the vinyl version which I recorded in Audacity and imported as MP3s, so I have to admit that the sound is "slightly different" than if, say, I listen to these songs on YouTube or somewhere (just due to the nature of vinyl and all of that). (Whether that is affecting my opinion of the album as opposed to if I had bought a CD and had exposure that way, I do not know.) Oh hey, another admittedly catchy moment: the fade-out of Lowest Common Denominator leading right into the beginning stomp of Forewarned Is Disarmed? is memorable enough. But now that the song is going and fast and all, all I can say is "Yeah, the guitar strings are being strummed in various patterns really fast and stuff", and I really can't say much else. I get the feeling that a slightly different guitar tone could have increased the memorability factor of these riffs a little bit. But back to the production, it's modern without being "too much", not much else to say about it.

This is still a perfectly fine album for the (modern) Napalm Death fan, but all of its siblings are simply better remembered. I would probably skip this album entirely if making a modern Napalm Death compilation for a friend (maybe The Great Capitulator would be tacked on since it has the funny "Total Black Trash Grind Freak from the Czech Republic" skit tacked on at the end). With a few songs to go everything is still mostly going through one ear and out the other, not making a strong lasting impression. I'm glad things will end on a strong note with The Great Capitulator, but this will probably remain my least reached-for modern Napalm Death album. I do prefer it to Utopia Banished and Words from the Exit Wound though (Fear, Emptiness, Despair and Distribes of course also get beat), which both also seem to lack the memorability factor that Napalm Death usually brings to the table.

Should the modern Napalm Death fan get this? It was my most recently acquired 21st century Napalm Death album, partially due to completion considerations, and it ranks below Enemy of the Music Business and everything from The Code... and forward as well. So... yes, but don't expect it to become a favorite.

I have been criticized quite a bit lately for supposedly "not liking any Grindcore," so let me tell you about a band that I truly enjoy listening to: Napalm Death.

Napalm Death is Grindcore that actually functions as music instead of mindless noise. The guitars have an incredible sound that is clear and manages to stay in some sort of order so that the listener does not get totally lost in the process. The riffs are brutal and manage to convey the harsh feeling of the music without losing all semblance of order in the process. The drums actually have different rhythms and are turned DOWN in the mixing process so they don't sound like a group of terrorists burst into the fucking recording studion and gunned down the entire band. The beat is followable and clear--you can actually THRASH and HEADBANG to this music instead of spending your time wondering what the fuck is going on. The bass is actually AUDIBLE in the production, so there is, in fact, a solid bass line underneath all this brutality, and it really enhances the sound as opposed to the "shadow" basses that completely mirror and get lost in the bass drum. Finally, the vocalist has a brutal and harsh death/grind voice that goes perfectly with the music and doen't sound like random ass gurgles (Cock & Ball Torture) or something inanely stupid like that.

Highlights. The Great Capitulator is an awesome song that starts out with a really cool guitar introduction before heading into a pure assault of drum beats and vocalized emotion on top of insane riff shredding. Lowest Common Denominator starts out with some brutal opening riffs before heading into a headbanging frenzy in the main theme courtesy of the very well-done 1-2 beat of the drums. Out of Sight, Out of Mind starts off with a blood-curdling scream that is done above some really catchy riff work from the guitars and a really interesting drum "roll" pattern that is quite unique in terms of anything I've heard from bands of a similar vein.

So, let me say this loud and clear for the benefit of all: I DO NOT HATE ALL GRINDCORE. I don't like the subgenre as a whole since it tends to produce mindless acts of stupidity in the name of "music," but there are exceptions to the rule, like Fuck...I'm Dead. Napalm Death may be an exception to the rule, but what a motherfucker of an exception it is! This is THE definitive Grindcore band and should be bought by any Grind or Death fan immediately in addition to anyone looking to get into the scene.

It's always cool to listen to a new NAPALM DEATH CD, it's a bit of warmness in your so cold heart of ice!
But I've got quite mixed feelings about this new one: this is in the same vein than their 2/3 last releases, but I find it less expressive and intense on an emotional point of view! And even if there are still a bunch of cool riffs, some guitar parts doesn't sound that good (too common for Napalm!)
The style hasn't changed much, this is still a mix of Death/ Grind/ Crust/ Hardcore/ Sludge... but there are a few new elements such as the heavier CELTIC FROST like part on the first track (Barney even growls "Procreation of the wicked" on this riff. I may also compare them to USUR¨PER on this part as this American band sounds like old Celtic Frost with a more powerful sound) or some few Black metal influences riffs.
This is a cool CD with nice parts, but there aren't so much "Hits" or incredibly killing riffs (they doesn't dig that much under the surface of the iceberg). There are still some nice parts that stands out particularly (the 2 last minutes of the 2nd track, the 5th one or some more powerful one) but these parts are ways less numerous.
Notice the comeback of a punky tempo beat Napalm didn't use since the time of the "F.E.T.O" LP or "Mentally murdered" MLP.
To conclude I'll say it's not one of the best NAPALM DEATH CDs! Their 3 previous albums were far better! What we've got here is a CD à la NAPALM DEATH played by NAPALM DEATH themselves...
I understand it can please someone who haven't listened so much to N.D, but I expect more from a band whose members release so much stuffs (Another tribute to old bands is on its way, the DEFECATION new CD, DVDs, and other projects we don't know).