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Napalm Death > Punishment in Capitals > Reviews
Napalm Death - Punishment in Capitals

Live energy captured - 80%

Lane, November 29th, 2011

A live DVD from Napalm Death (ND from now on). What do you expect from it? Exactly. Pure aggressive energy. No flashy stage sets, lighting, image etc. ND do what is the most important thing in live music; they deliver. So, if you want something else than excellent live music, look somewhere else. Maybe some Britney Spears video for you, then...

Main event was filmed in ULU, London on April 27th 2002. A benefit show for S.H.A.C. - the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaing - against animal testing. ND are well known for their political and social commentary in their lyrics. In this gig, punks, metalheads and other fans of aural brutality gathered to witness a musical equivalent to *insert here whatever you find extremely ferocious*. Consisting of 28 songs, this is a nice overview of ND classics and newies and three covers. Even if I don't find all my faves here and some less favourite songs, this is a very enjoyable batch of songs, thanks to the band's unbelievably exact yet groovy performance. The crowd enjoys the show and "some" moshing, headbanging and stage diving can be seen. Only some bastard want to stand on stage for long time. The stage itself is quite small and guys can't move too much. Guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado stand and headbang, bassist Shane Embury moves a bit more and vokillist Barney Greenway seems to follow same footsteps throughout the gig, between the front of the stage and a few steps back next to drums (well, he needs to drink because his growl/bark is certainly abusive for his throat). Talking about drums, Danny Herrera is unbelievable; how can a man play drums like that fast and accurate. As this is live, some of the songs are actually a bit faster than on record. Well, I've witnessed it with my own eyes and ears now and I can tell you this is a totally inhuman show! I can't still understand how this kind of talent can exist. ND's music is a mixture of punk, grindcore and death metal, and they sound fucking original as they have always sounded.

Picture is okay. This looks real, sharp and no effects are used. I think this was recorded with 6 or so cameras only, but this is enough, since the venue is quite small. Sound is great, with every instrument and vocals well audible, plus crowd noise. Basically it's completely WYSIWYG stuff.

Documentary is good for a ND newbie, and even long-term fans of the band might find something new. Every guy is interviewed, Barney and Shane talking most, Mitch and Jesse some and Danny only once. The documentary was recorded before the show. The tension grows nicely, I mean at first guys are calm, but towards the end they almost shit themselves, he. The extras are okay. Santiago concert is better with many cameras and okay sound, but the two Tokyo songs are of pure bootleg quality. One camera in the crowd, but still the songs are easily recognizable. A short history etc. could have been nice. A small booklet is included.

This DVD is a must for those who want pure live energy and all other stuff is secondary. This kind of ferocity is rarely seen on DVD. ND fans should love it, others will love it. If they do not go deaf.

(originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com in 2004)

I wish I could’ve been there - 93%

toofargone, April 9th, 2004

I for one always enjoy live DVDs, as they give you a chance to see what you can’t always see firsthand. While never a perfect substitute for the real thing, a recording of a good show can be immense fun to watch (or just listen to). That’s why I enjoyed what was on show here.
After a lengthy behind the scenes intro that you’ll watch maybe once, the mayhem begins. From the first riff of the classic “Lucid Fairytale”, Napalm Death put on a crushing performance. Excellently executed riffs, check. Distorted bass played by a fuzzy-haired fat guy, check. Exemplary percussion, check. Growls and screams, check. Well it seems that all ingredients are present, and indeed they are.
Taking place in a small venue with a small stage, absolutely packed, “Punishment In Capitols” shows Napalm Death at their best. On the visual side of things, this release gets a top score. Constant movement added to the clearly brutal rapport between fans and band, this show is nothing short of chaotic. People interact with the band on the already packed stage (from singing along, to requesting songs), mosh like gorillas, stage-divers pump into the band while they’re playing, ‘Barney’ Greenway moves back and forth the whole time, it’s fucking amazing to watch. All this action isn’t hindered in the least by the camera work. Steady where it needs to be and a decent shot-changing rate that doesn’t tire but only adds to the overall experience. There’s even icing on the cake with some little incidents, including Greenway accidentally getting kicked in the balls and shortly losing his singing voice. The extra footage from others concerts admittedly isn’t as good, but it’s still satisfactory. Visually this DVD is as good as anyone could wish for. And that brings me to the meat and fat, the music.
I’ll start off stating that there are some downfalls musically. For one the track-listing, although good (it contains mostly tracks from “Enemy of the Music Business”) could have really done with some older material, but then again, the material they did play was wisely chosen in it’s own right, with a good amount of classics and new stuff, including a flawless playing of the at the time yet-to-be-released, “Narcoleptic”. Another slight downfall is Greenway’s vocals. While he is a great vocalist, his voice isn’t what it used to be. That’s not to say that he doesn’t perform well, as he does. Both his growls and his screams are excellent, but his voice is slightly lacking at moments. Also, he seems to skip a lot of words in the lyrics to keep up with music, which is understandable as he spilling his guts screaming, a feat that’s definitely not easy. My one major grudge with him has more to do with me being a Napalm Death fan than his vocals; for once I’d like to hear “Unchallenged Hate” with the original screams instead of growls. Anyway, moving on.
The rest of the band all bring the pain. Pintado and Mitch Harris both keep the riffs crunchy and blasting, despite both being pushed and shoved by crazed fans, Mitch further pleases with his awesome long, high pitched screams, Embury plays his bass perfectly, even treating the crowd to mini solos between songs and Herrera blasts out endless beats of perfection, too bad his drums were louder in the mix.
Musically, this DVD is of the highest quality, with such crushing tracks as The Dead Kennedy’s “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”, the classic “Scum”, the obliterating “Suffer the Children” and “The World Keeps Turning”, the catchy “Constitutional Hell” and the infamous “You Suffer” (what’s a Napalm Death show with “You Suffer”?). If you’re a Napalm Death fan, than this should be a worthy purchase. A cure for the common complaint? If that complaint is godly grind, then yes.