With 15 prior albums under their belt, Napalm Death have very little left to prove to the metal world, being the fathers of grindcore and one of the most active and influential extreme bands to ever exist.
Enter Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism and you may start to get a bit of a more groovy and less overt overall than their last few albums, it just might be their strongest since 2009’s Time Waits For No Slave.
“Backlash Just Because” is more standard modern fare from the band with vocalist Barney Greenway plowing through sections of vocals which is well supported by the rest of the band, in particular drummer Danny Herrera and his fast and furious double bass pedal. “Contagion” has a slow lead in before blowing the doors off courtesy of Shane Embury and Mitch Harris, plenty of dissonance breaks up the fracas and frenetic pace of the track which beckons to be experienced live.
Noise and atmosphere reign supreme on “Joie De Ne Pas Vivre” and “Amoral.” They both combine elements of Killing Joke and Throbbing Gristle here to a maximum and frightening effect while still maintaining the pace that you would expect from the band. This is just one of the reasons that this album is so diverse.
In times like these it’s important to remember that without bands like Napalm Death we would not have reached the same extremes in music. And in extreme times, extreme music rules supreme, bar none. Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism is a special album that perfectly captures the apocalyptic spirit of the current global climate and is intended to be experienced on repeat until there is a proper solution. Expect to see this album adorn ample amounts of lists by year’s end. Nearly 40 years as a band and Napalm Death are far from done.
(released September 18, 2020 on Century Media Records)
