September 16, 1988 - From Enslavement To Obliteration

A little over a year after their debut album "Scum", Napalm Death released their second album "From Enslavement To Obliteration" on September 16, 1988. Napalm Death continue to play the same grindcore style they pioneered last year, and with most of the same line-up they ended that album with. Jim Whitely is replaced by Shane Embury on bass, but it's the same Napalm Death style with 22 songs totalling just over 29 minutes. Let's dive into the next album by Napalm Death!

The album begins with it's longest song "Evolved As One" and Mick Harris plays a slow but epic drum beat to keep the pace. Lee Dorrian talks overtop at first until eventually he shouts "your weak minds" on repeat as the slow, chugging music plays behind him. Dorrian sounds good when he's really giving it his all screaming, but a lot of this 3-plus minute song is him just saying/yelling that one line overtop a very simple and repetitive guitar riff. Not their best song, and a weird choice for the opener! Up next is "It's a M.A.N.S. World" and it's much more typical for Napalm Death as things clock in just under a minute. It's unbelievably fast, as you'd expect, and Dorrian does a nice job of alternating between low yells and shrill screams in this typical(ly cool) song. Track 3 is just over a minute and is called "Lucid Fairytale". Embury plays some super low bass, Bill Steer plays some typically super fast guitar and Dorrian growls for the most part but mixes in a few nice high screams. The next track is "Private Death" and this and the next song are both 35 seconds long! It's a typically crazy fast song and track 5 "Impressions" is no different. Words don't do proper justice when I Sum things up in one line like that: each short song is a unique blend of insanity with everyone going their fastest, especially Harris with his crazy fast drums. Up next is "Unchallenged Hate" and it's a little over two minutes, it's almost prog!(lol jk) The first 1:20 is largely instrumental and while it's slow by Napalm Deaty standards, it's still a pretty cool metal riff and the more regular pace is nice break-up after several lightning fast songs. The final 47 seconds are super fast and more typical and I think the combination of these styles is Done really well and this is my early favourite off the album. Track 7 is "Uncertainty Blurs The Vision" and it's easily the best of the less-than-a-minute songs so far! Ut's only 40 seconds and fits the super fast template, but this is out first song to have a guitar solo and it's a super fast and trippy solo that sounds great! The next track is "Cock-Rock Alienation" and it's a little "long" at 1:20, but already we have another solo! This one isn't nearly as epic, but it's still welcome and they close out the song with a still very fast but also slightly groovy riff that is pretty cool. Track 9 is another 30 second song called "Retreat To Nowhere" and Dorrian manages to squeeze in several long-held screams in that short span that make this a solid little inferno of a tune! Up next is "Think For A Minute" and for the first minute it's a typical(ly solid) tune, then they break into a rock-and-roll flourish ending that just seems to keep going and going! Everybody is absolutely going crazy and Dorrian is just screaming his head off, it all sounds super heavy and awesome! Track 11 is "Display To Me..." and it's the second longest at 2:43, an eternity to these guys! It's a typical song for the first 1:15, then they shift to a slower riff that once again is still solidly quick, it's just slower for Napalm Death! This part is decently epic with Dorrian growling overtop in a low voice, then they close it out with some more insanity. The next track is the title track "From Enslavement To Obliteration" and it's instrumental and "slow" for almost the whole first minute, then the final 30-plus seconds is more typical as they speed through some crazy stuff. Track 13 is the 21 second "Blind To The Truth" and as they race through this short song, Dorrian still manages to squeeze in a couple nice shrill, super high screams. Up next is "Social Sterility" and it definitely follows the template, but Harris's drums stand out even more than usual as he rails through several incredibly fast fills that all sounds really good, and somehow perfectly in time! Track 15 is "Emotional Suffocation" and a good portion of this minute-plus song is a long, very distorted guitar solo that sounds pretty insane! They're certainly keeping everyone on their toes! The next track is "Practice What You Preach" and Harris and Embury start us off with a fast and super low rhythm section before they typical crazy fast guitars take over and Dorrian growls low overtop to nicely match the mood. Track 17 is "Inconceivable?" and Dorrian does a nice job of alternating low growls and high screams overtop another pretty typical main riff. Up next is "Worlds Apart" and it's another absolutely relentless song that is non-stop madness for the whole 1:24. It's a distorted chaos, but it's an organized chaos! Track 19 is "Obstinate Direction" and words don't do proper justice at all when I say it's a typical one minute Napalm Death song. The drums are just so damn fast, My head is banging the whole minute and Dorrian sounds great screaming his head off. The next track is "Mentally Murdered" and at 2:13 it feels like an eternity! It's almost weird to hear them shift from one riff to a different one in the same song, but the riff that dominates the middle portion of this song is still super fast but a really cool stop-and-start kind of fast! Then they end it as it began with some typical(ly good) Insanity. Track 21 is "Sometimes" and we're back to another typical but uniquely aggressive one minute bangers with Dorrian holding some long low growls. The final song on the album is "Make Way!" and it fits the template with non-stop madness for the whole 1:36.

That is the end of "From Enslavement To Obliteration" and I thought it was another very interesting album by Napalm Death. This grindcore style is relentlessly in your face and these guys play really well together. I liked that their debut album "Scum" had a bit more variety as this album had a lot of typical, but still good songs, so this one is going to come second. But if you bought this album physically back in 1988, you would've also received a bonus EP! Stay tuned!