Napalm Death: Apex Predator

Napalm Death had been relentless in their pursuit of delivery. Apex Predator is the band's 15th full length release & there's no let down in terms of intensity. In fact, some appraisals out there deem this as a redefining moment in the band's history with some doom laden & spoken words content unlike what the band had done before. What's in it for me from a guitar player perspective? Focus. That's right, Mitch Harris is one focused on contextual delivery regardless of what the entire album has to offer conceptually. 1994's Fear, Emptiness, Despair (my personal fav) was a downright heavy release but the music was ND through & through.1996's Diatribe proved to be a very groove-oriented album but the guitars pulled through once again & remained true to the band's philosophy- grindcore, no compromise. Today, I look forward to a Napalm Death release just to hear how adaptable the guitars are pertaining to the twist in ideologies. So what proves to be a measure of good guitar playing is none other than the ability to remain relevant despite countless changes.

Napalm Death: Utilitarian

The Napalm Death quartet let loose to the world another relentless grindcore set, no signs of letting age dictate the music. When the lads came over in 2011, they were visibly seasoned but their stage activities suggested otherwise. What can you expect from Utilitarian? Assuming you are an ND fan, recall Fear, Emptiness, Despair & the subsequent turn which was Diatribes- a notable change in the band's music specifics. Utilitarian is manifesting the essence of Fear,... after a good spin, you can sense the impending turn maybe in their upcoming releases but that's just a convenient assumption. Regardless of any predictions, it's good to know (& hear) Napalm Death staying true to form. 

I was expecting a slight modification guitar-wise since the passing of Jesse Pintado (RIP) but Mitch Harris handled this professionally, letting the lone guitar role fit the entire music rather than pressing on the fact that the guitars should be the bulk of the presentation. Em... please bear with the opening number (Circumspect), whose tempo & propensity isn't quite representing the rest of the songs.

ND: Explosive

The Brummies were here & they delivered loads. It was such a competent performance by Mr. Greenway & company, committing such presence to memory was rather easy. I was also very glad to hear some of the clearest guitar tones (despite the heavyweight presence of the lower frequencies) by arguably one of the most intense music performers this side of aggressive music. The down-side of it all was the delayed entry; the ticket clearly stated a 7.00pm entrance but we only managed to tread the performance ground some 90min later. I last heard it was an equipment-related issue, somehting to do with the drums.

Knowing Mitch Harris (& the late Jesse Pintado) to be a minimalistic player when it comes to gear, the use of Peavey amps (Triple XXX/ 5150) was the right pick; great note separation throughout the performance.

Napalm Death @ SG

Napalm Death will be performing here on 29th June 2011 - watch this space!!

Mitch Paul

Napalm Death's Mitch Harris seen lately with an old friend, a Les Paul Custom, after being with his V-guitar for the longest time. It's nothing new as Harris & the late Jesse Pintado (Napalm Death's other guitarist, RIP) did use LPs for Fear, Emptiness, Despair.

If you peddle heavy music, chances are, the Les Paul's firm, bottom end would do your music good. Despite not being a Les Paul fan, I have no qualms in acknowledging the guitar is this aspect. If you are solo-inclined, the Les Paul would prove to be quite a challenge as it's not as forth-coming in the upper frequencies.

Napalm Death: Time Waits for no Slave

Can't help but think of Jesse Pintado's passing at the very mention of Napalm Death. It's rather insensitive but ND's latest offering has blistering guitars regardless of the missing counterpart. This is also the band's most punk-laden release to date, not that it is a punk-inclined release per se but the rhythm structure is of that manifestation. The arrangements in whole are tight & not devoid of great musicianship. I've been enjoying the lads' release since SCUM, to date, they are still a band whose releases I eagerly anticipate.