REVIEW: Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave

Time Waits for No Slave. Napalm Death's 13th studio album in their 28 years of existence. Holy shit. That is definitely something to grasp.

My first thoughts? The production is beefy as all hell. By this time in their careers, Napalm Death really have perfected a totally crushing style of production which I really enjoy; the guitars are all mids and highs with that signature Napalm crunch that gives room for Shane's crusty bass and and Raymond's totally fucking beat replaced kicks (really, this barely sounds like a fucking drum kit anymore - the dude is a fraud). It's a nice balance that's punctuated further by Shane's throaty yells and Mitch's killer distorted ear-piecing back-up screams.

Really at the end of the day, this is a by-the-numbers Napalm Death album. Napalm Death have become something of an institution. They have their style which they do very well, so if you expect too many suprises then you're an idiot. I think the best way to look at this album is in the context of their last two releases - Smear Campaign (2006) and The Code is Red (2005). I'd like to avoid all the erroneous arguments about the band as much as possible because I simply do not care.

I'm of the opinion that The Code is Red... Long Live the Code is the best album that Napalm Death have ever recorded. Period. The production is impactful, the song-writing is mature and intelligent and there is enough experimentation to illustrate that a lot of time and effort clearly went into the writing and production of that album. Now maybe you don't like the 'new Napalm Death style' - and that's fine - but in terms of their newer material that album is further developed than anything else that came before it. It successfully mixes elements of their sound from the last 20+ years without sounding derivative and stale.

Smear Campaign however seems like a much lazier album - maybe even a rushed album. Now some might argue that they've tried to capture a bit more of their 'raw, old sound', but to me it just sounds less involved and under-developed. Again, if you prefer that style, then good for you. I don't. This is not an issue of what style is better, I'm simply pointing out the difference between the two and their various predecessors. Smear Campaign seemed to have a few cool songs near the beginning of their album, then a whole lot of nothing that failed to stand out from track to track. I find that one of the most important facets of a good grind album - having identifiable and memorable songs, which is definitely fucking easier said than done.

People who still worship Scum are not going to be won over by this album. People who hate The Code Is Red aren't going to enjoy this album. However, if you're like me, and was profoundly impressed that guys playing this style of extreme music for so long were able to pull off such an impassioned album while demonstrating a clear progression and evolution in their sound, then you'll enjoy Time Waits For No Slave. It is another very solid Napalm Death album that might land near the top of the list and is definitely worth your attention.

And for the record, no this will not be in my CD player on regular rotation. The Code Is Red certainly isn't. I'd say some of the only grind albums on regular rotation for me at the moment include releases by Gridlink, The Dillinger Escape Plan ("they're not grind wah wah wah boo hoo"), Captain Cleanoff, Kill the Client, The Kill and Agents of Abhorrence.

Oh and their full album is available for streaming on their MySpace. Nice move guys. I endorse it. http://www.myspace.com/napalmdeath

EDIT: I have no fucking idea why I called 'Smear Campaign' 'Wage Slave' originally.