"Long Live..." Napalm Death!
A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 10/08/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There could be many reasons why Barney and the gang chose to make their eleventh full-length release, 2005's "The Code Is Red...Long Live The Code," the heaviest of their twenty-plus-year career. It could be they did it simply just because, well, they could. Or, it could be that since this was their first studio effort in three years, the band was hungry to mount a comeback that would take the world by storm. But the most likely reason is that this is Napalm friggin' Death (darn it!), and they've never been known to take the easy way out by going soft or opting for an even remotely accessible sound.
There are a few surprises to be heard on this album. For one, whereas 2000's "Enemy of the Music Business" and 2002's "Order of the Leech," were more along the lines of being death metal albums, "The Code Is Red...Long Live The Code" features a much stronger and more pronounced grindcore influence. Next, quite a few of the songs possess fairly strong doomy undertones. And finally, several guest vocalists make an appearance over the course of these fifteen tracks, including The Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra, Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta, and Carcass' Jeff Walker.
But all the usual Napalm Death hallmarks are still firmly in place here, including head-spinning speed, skull-crushing heaviness, and impeccable, airtight musicianship. Longtime axeman Mitch Harris unleashes one scalding riff and steamrolling lead after another; frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway's foaming-at-the mouth bellows have never sounded this visceral or ferocious; and Mitch Harris' drumming - an incessant stream of raw, chaotic, impossibly tight, and relentlessly jackhammering blast beats - is classic grindcore. When all of these things are combined, the result is a devastatingly brutal, 45-minute long onslaught which effortlessly crushes the listener like a tank as soon as he or she presses the PLAY button, and just keeps piling on the layers of sonic violence. Indeed, the pain and carnage induced by this record are positively pleasurable!
The ironically titled opener, "Silence is Deafening," is a complete trainwreck of blazing guitars, cracking drums, a doomy breakdown, and Barney's full-bodied roars accented by shrieking, Black Dahlia Murder-esque refrains which are downright catchy (who says you can't teach an old dog a new trick?!) Back on more familiar ground, "Right You Are" and "Pay for the Privilege of Breathing," are two vicious, blindsiding sneak-attacks which evoke Napalm Death circa 1987 (the "Scum" era) almost to the tee. And the assault never lets up - even when you're already lying on the ground in a bloody pulp, along comes a track like the pummeling "Diplomatic Immunity" to kick you in the head and elbow you in the ribs.
Tracks like the title cut and "Climate Controllers" are more mid-tempo and groove-oriented, and have undeniable punk edges in their arrangements (a trend Napalm Death started on "Enemy of the Music Business"). Elsewhere, see "Instruments of Persuasion" and "Sold Short" for some absolutely top-notch and rapid-fire trapkit battery ("Instruments of Persuasion" also highlighted by memorable, call-and-response hardcore vocals from Jamey Jasta); "All Hail the Grey Dawn" and "Vegetative State" boast killer, ginormous, scorched-earth riffs.
Lastly of note are the two terrifically ominous set closers, "Morale" and "Our Pain is their Power," which are straight-up doom metal with trippy vocals, gnawing guitars, and (in the case of the former) strong, grumbling bass lines. These are two very strange and out-of-place songs, but at least give them props for keeping things interesting and somewhat unpredictable.
It could be said that "The Code Is Red" is a fairly safe-sounding album, because it will sound familiar to anybody that has been exposed to ND's back catalogue. Nonetheless, it is still better than anything the band had released in recent memory (including all of their stuff from the 1990's), and also takes its place right alongside their all-time best works."
Napalm Death's most complete and best album to date!
Ben Stubbs | Australia | 05/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Napalm Death is an institution, having been around since the early 80s and considered both genre creators and leaders. The band's sound has varied throughout the 20 something years of their existence, ranging from pure grindcore, solid death metal, punk rooted grooves and finally a mixture of all three. But throughout all this time, they've never really dropped the ball (except maybe a little during the mid to late 90s) and have remained genuinely extreme and relevant. Personally, while I've always been a fan, they were never completely my thing until 2000s "Enemy of the Music Business", with its combination of brutality, groove and production values impressing me greatly. 2002s "Order of the Leech" was really just a successful continuation of this sound without really setting the world alight. Which brings me to "The Code is Red...Long Live the Code".
Let's get one thing straight, this is Napalm Death's best album. Ever! It has everything a great album should have. There's a fantastic production with a real live feeling without losing any of the clarity. Unlike some of the band's previous releases, this album has great variation with short brutal tracks juxtaposed by much longer, more detailed tracks. Some tracks have more of hardcore punky feel ("The Great and the Good"), while others much more grinding ("Diplomatic Immunity"). "Morale" has an almost doom like momentum and is a definite highlight for me. The point is, I never get bored listening to this album. There's always something different and fresh around the corner, yet everything fits together beautifully.
"The Code is Red...Long Live the Code" has amazing riffs in nearly every track and jaw dropping drumming to match. I also don't think I've ever heard Barney's vocals sounding this awesomely brutal and pissed off. As usual the lyrics are of a political nature, which in this day and age, gives him infinite targets in which to get all nasty on. There are a few celebrity guests involved including Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys and Jeff Walker from the just as important Carcass, which is fun but not that noticeable. Napalm Death continues to be extremely relevant in terms of both content and quality, which is just incredible for a band of such longevity. They seem to have many good years left it them too. Napalm Death are Gods...long live Napalm Death."
Napalm Death Have Still Got It
Mono-Grind | Here | 05/31/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Even with the loss of guitarist, Jesse Pintado (Who allegedly left the band last year for unknown reasons), Napalm Death still have the same power as they have ever had before. Vocalist, 'Barney' Greenway, has only gotten more hoarse and more powerful with this excellent release. Mitch Harris, now the sole guitarist, plays so tight that you'd never know that Pintado even left the band.
Napalm Death as a whole have come together on this album, and produced a crushing Grindcore experience. This is great on so many levels. This CD also has a video for "Morale", the nearly 5 minute slow to mid-tempo song which is different for Napalm Death, although they pull it off very well and it's one of the coolest songs on this CD. The video for it is pretty cool.
The opening song "The Silence is Deafening" is straight-up brutal. It's a song that i first heard on MP3 somewhere on the Internet, and i thought "I've got to get this CD". "The Silence is Deafening", "Right You Are" which goes for 52 seconds, "Diplomatic Immunity" and the title track, are all very fast and give the listener a full blast when first listening to it. I think all Napalm Death fans would be expecting that though, as Napalm Death are pretty much THE Kings of Grindcore.
"Climate Controllers" and "Instruments of Persuasion" are very heavy tracks, with Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed appearing on "Instruments of Persuasion" and "Sold Short" too. Also, Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys and Jeff Walker from Carcass appear on this album too. Biafra on the song "The Great and the Good", and Walker on "Pledge Yourself to You". All guests take nothing away from Greenway's amazingly brutal vocals, but instead add their own kind of aggression to the songs.
"Morale" is a real highlight on this album, and is one of my favourite songs on here. It's different for Napalm Death, as it's a pretty slow to mid-tempo song. I'm not sure how well long-time Napalm Death fans will take it, but i think it should go over well, as it's a great song. Also, the bonus track you get with this CD is "Our Pain Is Their Power", which basically is an extended 2 minutes of "Morale" that finishes off the CD alot better than if the bonus song wasn't on here. It's nothing to get excited about, but it's a good addition to this excellent album.
All Napalm Death fans should get this simply because, for one, it's Napalm Death. And two, this CD is a great addition to your Napalm Death collection. This did for me, and surely will to others too, live up to expections. I expected something very brutal, unrelenting and aggressive..and i got it and so much more."
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1