July 1, 1987 - Napalm Death and Scum

A new band joins my library, but to introduce them we've got to go way back to the 80's! On July 1, 1987 Napalm Death released their debut album "Scum", and I'm just discovering it in 2026! Who is Napalm Death? They are pioneers of a genre known as grindcore and while they started as a 3-piece this album is unique in my library in that the two sides of the album are performed by two different line-ups! Side A was recorded nearly a year before this album's release as a 3-piece with Nicholas Bullen on lead vocals and bass, Justin Broadrick on guitar and Mick Harris on drums. Side B was recorded just a couple months before the release as a four-piece and drummer Mick Harris is the only remaining original member, and we're not even done their debut album yet! He's joined by bassist Jim Whitely, guitarist Bill Steer and lead singer Lee Dorrian. Both sides play the same grindcore style, but what is grindcore? It's extremely, blindingly fast music that is reminiscent of early Metallica and Slayer, but also very punk-y with very, very short songs, and yet also pretty heavy with vocals that aren't quite a scream, but a very low, guttural yelling that is also lightning fast. Let's see what Napalm Death is all about! 

The album kicks off with "Multinational Corporations" and Bullen shouts out "Multinational Corporations/Genocide of the starving nation" on repeat overtop some increasingly loud static in this one minute opener. Up next is "Instinct Of Survival" and it's the first real taste of what Napalm Death are all about. Broadrick plays a repetitive but decent, punk-y main riff to start us off, then after 25 or 30 seconds they kick into full gear for the first time! Harris's drums are incredibly fast! The guitar and bass is also pretty damn speedy and Bullen shouts very quickly to keep up with the furious pace. They end the song as it began with the slower punk-y riff and while the slower part was a little repetitive, the fast part was pretty crazy, especially for 1987! Track 3 is called "The Kill" and it's a mere 23 seconds long! They set things up for a few seconds, then fire off on an unbelievably fast riff that is over about as soon as it began! It wasn't super memorable, but the fact that these guys can actually play on time together is pretty damn impressive! The next song is the title track "Scum" and Bullen starts us off with some super distorted and dirty bass that sounds pretty cool. Things are pretty slow and tame for a bit, then they suddenly crash into a more typical, lightning-fast riff with everyone firing on all cylinders. Harris's drums continue to be especially impressive as he isn't just wailing aimlessly away, his snare hits are in rhythm  and it's some of the fastest drumming I've heard! They end it on a slower note again which is less exciting, but once again the fast parts are pure insanity! Track 5 is called "Caught... In A Dream" and they jump right into a slightly offbeat and interesting main riff that is of course super fast, but because it's a little off it keeps you on your toes, which I like! They somehow reach another level with a new riff that is even faster and Bullen is shouting some incoherent lyrics very quickly overtop to try and match the furious pace! This song is just relentless for the whole 1:47 and it's probably my favourite one so far! Up next is "Polluted Minds" and they fire right into another absolutely, blindingly fast riff that is almost incomprehensible, but still somehow on time! We also hear our first guitar solo and as you'd expect, it's pretty damn fast as well with Broadrick doing some nice shredding in this short solo! Bullen ends the song with his first high screams, and I really like the shrill Insanity of it as he is giving it his all! This song is only 58 seconds long, but I think it's a new favourite so far; it was a pretty cool minute! Track 7 is "Sacrificed" and it starts with 20 seconds of typical lightning-fast stuff, followed by 40 seconds of feedback and guitar static, then 6 more seconds of Insanity, and another roughly one minute song is over! The next track is by far the longest on the album at four minutes long and it's called "Siege Of Power". It's got a main riff that is a crawl compared to their usual stuff, but it's still a solid riff, just more standard metal as they take a little break from the grindcore. Bullen shouts a slow verse to match the pace, then after nearly two minutes they turn up the pace and play the same riff, only you know about 10 times faster! This is more like it for sure as everything sounds furious and solid and when they abruptly return to the slower riff it's like crashing into a wall going 100 miles an hour! We're also treated to another guitar solo and just like the other one on the album it's crazy fast and really awesome, I don't understand why they don't solo more, Broadrick is pretty good! The mix of slow and fast is done really well on this "long" song. Track 9 is "Control" and we're back to roughly one minute bangers and words don't do proper justice because all these blindingly fast riffs are different! They break things down quite nicely with a little slower, hard-hitting break before reaching a new level for the finish with some of their fastest stuff yet; it's really quite insane! I love it! Up next is "Born On Your Knees" and they tease a slow start, but quickly slam into a typically crazy main riff. They spice things up with a cool instrumental riff that reminds me of Iron Maiden actually, then they close it out with some more insanity, making this a pretty solid 1:48 of music! Track 11 is "Human Garbage" and Harris starts us off with a pretty sweet drum beat in a bit of a groovy opening, then it's off a cliff into typical insanity for a few seconds at least! Then they shift into a slower but solid and catchy new riff, then close out this minute and a half song with another burst of craziness! These guys are certainly something else! The next track is hands down the new shortest song in my entire library: it's literally 1 second long!!! It's called "You Suffer" and in that 1 second they manage to squeeze in four snare hits plus cymbal hits, a few guitar notes and Bullen signing off with a very fast "you suffer, but why?". That's how Side one wraps up and I loved this original line-up!

We now switch to side 2 and the new line-up, and the longest of the 16 songs on this second side is only 1:32! That's a lot of short, furious songs, starting with track 13 "Life?" The guitar and bass (and of course Harris' furious drums) by Steer and Whitely is along the same furious lines as the first side and Dorrian has the same low guttural yell for the most part, but already he's mixing in more of the super high, shrill screams and I think they add an extra layer of Insanity to things! Up next is "Prison Without Walls" and the Same template that summed up the previous less-than-a-minute song is going to apply a lot of this side's tracks as they speed through another super short and crazy song. Track 15 keeps the theme rolling with "Point Of No Return", but this one has no high screams, making it a little more monotone and less exciting. The next track is "Negative Approach" and it's got a different, stop-and-start riff; emphasis on the stop, as it's only 32 seconds long! Track 17 is "Success?" and Dorrian has some pretty metal high screams that are ear-splitting before they settle into a slower, slightly groovy and distorted riff. At a little over a minute they even have time to bring it back to the beginning with some more insanity and shrill screams to close it out. Up next is "Deceiver" and it follows the Napalm Death template and is Over after 29 seconds. They are just tearing through songs like it's going out of style, but there's not a ton of substance to some of them, including this one. Track 19 is "C.S." and it is unique because they actually build up the main riff piece by piece. Cool drums to start, dirty bass follows, insanely fast guitar is next and Dorrian completes things with some typical super fast low yelling. I like that this one seemed to break up the more typical blistering songs, a solid 1:14 of music! The next track is "Parasites" and it's a mere 23 seconds! Still, they squeeze in this side's first guitar solo and that makes it a pretty cool 23 seconds! Track 21 is "Pseudo Youth" and it follows the template with Dorrian unleashing some more ear-piercing screams that are just so insane, especially for 1987! Up next is "Divine Death" and at 1:21 it's a "long" song by this side' standards! It has time for a slower intro riff before they settle into a lighting fast and typical main riff. The last 16 seconds has no music: just Dorrian screaming the name of the song over and over, and he sounds pretty damn gnarly! Track 23 is "As The Machine Rolls On" and Dorrian is spitting out lyrics almost the whole 42 seconds, this one is even more relentless and abashing than most! The next track is only 16 seconds long and it's called "Common Enemy". It's like a quarter of a verse and there's not much to say other than Dorrian sounds like an insane person and I love the high screams! Track 25 is the very long, 1:32 long "Moral Crusade" and it begins with some super distorted chaos that sounds pretty cool before Steer starts up the fast guitar riff and Harris comes tearing in with his incomprehensibly fast drumming. This song even has a chorus! There's only one, and just two verses, but that makes this a bit of a unicorn! Up next is "Stigmatized" and it fits the template for sure, but it's a cohesive and unrelenting 1:03 that is headbangingly solid the whole way through! Track 27 is "M.A.D." and it follows the template for a minute, then ends with just over 30 seconds of guitar static that leads into the album's final song "Dragnet". It's a fittingly furious way to finish off this very unique and insane album!

That is the end of "Scum" and I thought it was a very interesting debut album by Napalm Death. I really liked side one with the original line-up and side two was still very much grindcore, but no longer songs at all actually turned out to be a knock! I live when both singers go for the shrill high screams and this is certainly a unique, crazy and cool new genre of metal. I look forward to seeing where Napalm Death goes from here and with this new addition comes an updated top 3 (now 4) for 1987!

Top 3 Albums of the Year

1. Surfing With The Alien by Joe Satriani
2. Crest Of A Knave by Jethro Tull

3. Scum by Napalm Death
4. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason by Pink Floyd

"Scum" knocks Roger Water-less Floyd down a notch, but the top two stays the same.