January 26, 1996 - Diatribes

A little over a year and a half since their last album "Fear, Emptiness, Despair", Napalm Death released their sixth album "Diatribes" on January 26, 1996. Napalm Death continue the experimentation that dominated their last album as they delve deeper into this more standard, less grindcore metal style. Let's see what their latest has to offer!

The album kicks off with "Greed Killing" and it's got a cool stop-and-start main riff leading the way. Things are still solidly heavy, but it's the same muted, toned down style of production as the last album which takes away from the excitement of things. Barney Greenway sounds solid shouting overtop and this song is a little repetitive, but still a solid choice for the opener. Up next is "Glimpse Into Genocide" and Danny Herrera is playing some fast and cool drums right from the get-go to back a slower main guitar riff and they work fairly well together. Greenway's vocals are very monotone and unexciting on this one which makes things drag a little bit. Track 3 is "Ripe For The Breaking" and they dive right into a pretty fast main riff that is plenty fast compared to most bands, it's just not quite grindcore fast (which is slightly disappointing) and it's a solid main riff still for sure. After a couple rounds they actually turn things up from here for a grindcore chorus and it's easily the most exciting part of the album so far, back to your roots baby! This is definitely my favourite song on the album so far and they even end it with a new riff that is pretty groovy and cool and has Greenway hitting a couple nice high screams as well! This is what I'm talking about! The next track is "Cursed To Crawl" and it's got a much slower, but groovy and interesting stop-and-start main riff and once the first verse begins the guitars fall away and Shane Embury takes over with some cool bass! Greenway yells an interesting verse in this good example of experimentation and it leads to a more typical, heavy chorus and the segue is pretty smooth! They don't stray far from the verse and chorus, but it's unique and interesting enough to make for a solid tune. Track 5 is "Cold Forgiveness" and it's got a really slow, droning opening that leads into a slow and distorted main riff with Greenway almost just talking in a really low voice overtop. Herrera plays some solid drums throughout the verse and chorus, but Greenway's chorus is super repetitive and not very exciting. This would be an example of experimentation gone awry with a song that is almost unrecognizable as Napalm Death. And at four and a half minutes it's too long as well. Up next is "My Own Worst Enemy" and either Jesse Pintado or Mitch Harris starts up a fast and cool guitar riff, then the other one syncs up with him perfectly with a different guitar tone for a louder, heavier sound. It makes for a solid main riff and Greenway sounds solid screaming overtop. Herrera plays several sweet drum fills in the chorus and it's a tad repetitive, but still pretty catchy honestly! This was a better song for this new style, but it still doesn't compare to grindcore times! Track 7 is "Just Rewards" and Herrera starts us off with a fast and cool drums beat that the rest of the band forms nicely around for a typical(ly solid main riff in this new style). After a couple rounds they change it up and shift to a cool breakdown to a slower but heavy and cool new riff. Once they return to the main riff it's a predictable finish but that was a welcome change in the middle there and it all adds up to a solid tune. The next track is "Dogma" and they jump right into a furious headbanger of a main riff with some sweet guitars by both Pintado and Harris. The chorus is more dull and less exciting, but it's a solid main riff leading the way. They go full grindcore for a bit, and just like last time it's easily the highlight of the song as these guys show they can still play insanely fast and in sync when they want to! Track 9 is "Take The Strain" and it has a stop-and-start main riff that is pretty damn catchy with some nice bounce to it! The chorus rolls pretty smoothly as well and if Napalm Death ever did singles I would nominate this one; it's one of their more catchy tunes, but still very Napalm Death (at least this new, non-grindcore Napalm Death). Up next is "Diatribes" and it fits their new template pretty perfectly with some fast and solid guitars and drums, but it's just regular metal fast and it's still in this muted, tamer tone. The chorus is actually grindcore levels of speed and of course that makes it a pretty sweet chorus! Having the whole chorus be this blindingly fast stuff is a welcome change, but it makes the verse sound even slower in comparison! Another solid tune for.this style. Track 11 is "Placate, Sedate, Eradicate" and Embury starts us off with a cool bass riff before one guitarist joins up with him and the other adds a slow rhythm riff behind them. Greenway screams the name of the song nicely before he moves into a more typical, lower verse and the lead guitar is pretty awesome on this one! Once Greenway yells the name of the song again the lead guitar takes us to a cool new riff with all kinds of sweet stuff and this is definitely one of the better songs on the album! The final song on the album is "Corrosive Elements" and it's got a fairly catchy and cool main riff with Pintado and Harris playing off each other nicely. There is something being played at several beats per second every second of this song as it's non-stop for the whole four minutes. There's lots of good stuff mixed in there and it's a pretty solid and fitting finisher.

That is the end of "Diatribes" and I thought it was a good album for this new style, but it still doesn't come close to their grindcore style. They have improved upon this new sound for sure as it's way better than their last album "Fear, Emptiness, Despair", but I don't think it surpasses "Harmony Corruption" so 4th place will have to do. Will Napalm Death continue in this same vein?