Mass Appeal Madness

Guess it’s nothing new that Napalm Death began as one of the most anarchic formations ever. But “Harmony Corruption” showed first signs of a less individual sound and paid tribute to the rise of the death metal legions all around the world. “Mass Appeal Madness” combines both worlds. On the B side are two new recordings from their second full-length and the riffing of “Unchallenged Hate” is definitely influenced by Sacrilege’s raw debut “Behind the Realms of Madness”. The completely insane, hyper-hysterical whining reanimates the band’s very early days and Barney’s deep, pressed vocals fight a losing battle. However, this re-recorded song works like a stun gun – or just like many other pieces of Napalm Death in their very early days. Needless to say that the same goes for the 72 seconds outburst “Social Sterility”.

Naturally, the main focus was on the A side of the release. The title track is an almost complex piece with many great, unquestioning riffs, double bass attacks and a proper quantum of tempo shifts. Some screams echo every now and then through the inferno, while Barney spits out his lines with disgust. Sometimes bulky, sometimes in a surprisingly good flow, the song is absolutely convincing. “Pride Assassin” does not deliver any form of weakness as well. This number is more straightforward and rolls over the listener with burning wheels. Both tracks cannot hide the fact that “Harmony Corruption” had been released only one year before this EP. But okay, this had been a strong album and therefore I see no problem at all.

The quite massive production scores with a cool mix of sharp guitars and an almost dull sound base. The guitars and the voice dominate, but the rhythm section is not just a necessary accessory. The pretty stylish artwork reflects the more or less confusing yet brutal approach of the band and the lyrics are printed on the back cover. So what more could you ask for? Maybe a playtime that exceeds the nine minute mark, but come on, this is a grind-punk-death-hybrid, not an exercise in doom or progressive metal. Or to say it with Barney: “Mass appeal madness eats your brain” and it is not the blame of Napalm Death that our miniature brains can be eaten that fast. And by the way, the short length builds a bridge to the 28 tracks / 33 minutes configuration of the debut. Even anarchists are reactionary enough to retain a remnant of their rebelliousness.

When I saw the video to the titletrack on TV somewhere in ’91 two things were very notable. The music was played more aggressively than on the Harmony Corruption album and secondly Barney’s vocals sounded more vile and convincing. The return of screaming backing vocals (Mick Harris?) were nice to hear again.

Yes, it is very obvious how the 1990-1991 line-up of Napalm Death have grown accustomed to eachother and the style the played. The attitude of the composition and performance are stunning. Second song “Pride Assassin” built a bridge between the last ND days of Dorrian & Steer and the previous Harmony Corruption album.

What also makes it obvious the band rediscovered their roots is that they also re-recorded two old ’88 songs which actually don’t fall out of place next to the new songs. Now with that ‘modern day’ heavy guitar sound and Barney on vocals all songs on this EP are remarkably cohesive. Not forgetting to mention Mick Harris was still around to play these songs with his typical hyperactive crusty style.

When hearing this version of “Unchallenged Hate” it is even less possible to deny that Napalm Death already used some typical (death) metal riffs on the F.E.T.O. album. “Social Sterility” is the more brutal one and features some of the most classic lyrics from the Dorrian-era. Comparing these songs to the originals is like comparing the 1988 version of Maiden’s “Prowler” to the 1980 version with Paul Di’Anno… You get the idea.

For collectors this EP might be fun to look for but for the rest of you these recordings are also available on the compilation album “Death By Manipulation”