August 23, 2004 - Leaders Not Followers: Part 2
Two days after my last release and a little under two years since their last album "Order Of The Leech", Napalm Death released a cover album called "Leaders Not Followers: Part 2" on August 23, 2004. A follow-up to the "Leaders Not Followers" EP, this is a full album with 19 covers of metal and/or hardcore punk bands that inspired Napalm Death, most of whom i've never heard of! Let's check it out!
That is the end of "Leaders Not Followers: Part 2" and I thought it was a pretty awesome cover album, especially since I didn't know a single one of the songs they were covering! Napalm Death don't usually solo so much and I absolutely love that Mitch Harris is just let loose on this album! Their last album went straight to #2, and I think this one is even better than that! That brings us to their iconic debut "Scum" and honestly, I think this cover album is their best album yet! Who would've thunk it?! But it's a really awesome album filled with lots of different and coop influences. I hope they bring some of this energy into their next studio album!
The album opens with "Lowlife", a Cryptic Slaughter cover, and it sounds very thrash-y with some fast drums and some speedy but fairly simple guitar leading the way. Once they reach the verse things reach some more typical Napalm Death speeds, and by that you know I mean things are going super fast now! Tons of super speedy and cool guitars by Mitch Harris, some insanely fast but still on time drumming by Danny Herrera and of course some top notch yelling with all his might by Barney Greenway. This seems like the music that definitely inspired Napalm Death as it sounds easily like this could've been an original song; it's a solid way to kick things off for sure! Up next is "Face Down In The Dirt", a cover of The Offenders, and Shane Embury is playing some speedy and pretty sweet bass before the rest of the band comes flying in to complete the speedy main riff. This song is only a minute and a half long, but they pack a ton of super fast and heavy stuff into it that words don't properly do justice for. There's even a short but pretty epic guitar solo, making this one an early favourite! Track 3 is "Devastation", a cover of a band also called Devastation, and it's got a slow, distorted opening that sounds decently heavy. After a bit of this there's a pause (and complete lack of any sort of segue) then things pick up to a faster pace and a solid new riff, but it just sounds like two completely different songs. Both parts are good, I just think this one sounds like it was mashed together. There's another pretty sweet guitar solo towards the end and I love the fact that these older covers means we're seeing way more guitar solos than normal for Napalm Death; Harris is a great guitarist and he should shred more! The next song is "Messiah", a Hellhammer cover, and after a slower intro they ramp into a thrash-y main riff that is pretty fast for most people, but it's not Napalm Death speeds, just more like Metallica (which isn't a bad thing, just different). The chorus follows the same vibe with a decnt thrash-y riff, but honestly things sound really basic and tame compared to typical Napalm Death. Greenway sounds pretty monotone and the music is really repetitive, definitely not my favourite cover of theirs. Track 5 is "Victims Of A Bomb Raid", a cover of Anti Cimex, and this sounds like it could be a Napalm Death original with some extremely fast guitars, bass and drums assaulting you after a slow start. Greenway sounds great screaming quickly overtop and although they stick to the main drag for this one it's definitely a perfect song to cover for Napalm Death. Up next is "Night Of Pain", a
Wehrmacht cover, and it' got a pretty epic guitar riff by Harris leading the way with a slow but perfectly mood-matching rhythm section. Harris is the highlight for sure with some excellent guitar throughout the song, but especially an early solo that ramps us wonderfully into a more typical, super speedy riff! Greenway sounds absolutely insane, belting out some super high screams that are just nutty and the music is so damn fast, such organized chaos! Harris unleashes about four more solos in this atypically long, four-plus minute song and all of them are pretty fucking insane! Like holy shit, jaw-droppingly awesome! I could be neglecting some great earlier song, but I think this just might be my favourite Napalm Death song at this point in their career! That was fucking incredible! Track 7 is "War's No Fairytale", a cover of Discharge (who happens to be the first band they cover that I've heard of! Slayer also covered Discharge on their album "Undisputed Attitude"). This song is only 1:19, so they get right to it with a fairly fast and decently catchy main riff led by some nice guitar by Harris. Greenway sounds pretty good belting out some fast vocals overtop and they still find time for another Harris guitar solo, which of course spices things up! A pretty cool song for one so short! The next track is "Conform", a cover of Siege, and Embury leads the way with a slow but pretty cool bass riff followed by a simple slow drum beat by Herrera. They slam suddenly into a typically super speedy riff and alternate these two very different speeds pretty smoothly honestly! It's a quick two minutes, but it was a solid two minutes with the speedy part being the highlight of course. Track 9 is "Master", a cover of a band also called Master, and they dive right into a slightly sludge-y and thrash-y riff that is decent but pretty repetitive. Aside from another pretty cool solo by Harris, this is a fairly simple song, but still a decent one. Up next is "Fire Death Fate", a cover of Insanity, and it's got a slower than usual opening, but Harris and Embury nicely sync up for a loud and decent opening riff. The pace picks up once Greenway starts to bark out the verse and the speedy drums and guitars sound great, and each verse is followed by a super distorted guitar solo! That means there's like four or five solos in this song and they are all pretty sweet! This kind of stuff just doesn't happen in Napalm Death's usual work, but I fucking love all the solos and think this was another fantastic cover (despite not knowing the original at all)! Track 11 is "Riot Of Violence", a cover of Kreator, and it's got a slower (than usual, so still decently fast by regular standards) main riff that is decently catchy and solidly heavy and Greenway sounds good yelling overtop. Harris plays a pretty sweet new riff for the chorus that is all over the place, then things ramp up to grindcore speeds for a second, then nicely slowed back down for the next round. This song is nearly five minutes long, an eternity by Napalm Death standards, but they never let up with Harris playing more cool guitar solos. His second one is quite lengthy with all kinds of super fast and awesome shredding parts, then they slow it down briefly, only to make the frantic assault to the finish line hit even harder! Yet another phenomenal song that was jam-packed with headbanging awesomeness! The next track is "Game Of The Arseholes", their second cover of Anti Cimex, and they jump right into a typical(ly solid) main riff and Greenway sounds pretty great belting out "religion is a game of the arseholes!" Embury gets a little bass break which is pretty cool, then Harris follows with a nice little solo that fits the mood pretty perfectly, even if it isn't all that flashy. This song is just a minute and a half, but it was solid! Track 13 is "Clangor Of War", a cover of Massacre, and it's got a speedy, very thrash-y main riff with Greenway yelling quickly along. This one is not bad by any means, but it's a pretty monotone riff that drives things and it's just less exciting than some of these other awesome covers. Up next is "Dope Fiend", a cover of Attitude Adjustment, and Herrera comes flying in with some super speedy drums that set the tone for this blazing fast main riff that definitely sounds like it could be a Napalm Death original. This is another short one at around a minute and a half and they stick to the main drag, but it's still a solid little tune! Track 15 is "I'm Tired", a cover of Die Kreuzen, and it's just 54 seconds long! It still manages to have some great bass by Embury and some very interesting, super distorted guitar by Harris. There's also a short and distorted guitar solo and for it's length this was an excellent song! The next track is "Troops Of Doom", a cover of Sepultura (only the second band I've actually heard of), and it sounds like it could be from their 90s era with a slower, grooving main riff that is still of course plenty heavy and cool. The chorus speeds up to grindcore levels with some typically insane and cool stuff and they alternate between the two riffs very nicely. Harris rips off another nice solo towards the end and this was a pretty good song as well! Track 17 is "Bedtime Story", a cover of Dayglo Abortions, and it's got a super slow, but decently epic guitar riff leading the way for over half the song, until the pace finally picks up and Greenway finally joins in. It's a solid verse with the faster riff, then it's back to the slow riff to finish us off. The next song is just over a minute and it's the third band I've heard of as they cover Agnostic Front and their song "Blind Justice". They jump right into a super speedy riff with Embury playing some wicked bass and everything sounding pretty insane as usual! It ends with an almost pop-punk chorus that is actually pretty catchy as well, an interesting little combo! The final song on the album is a mere 30 seconds long, "Hate, Fear And Power", a cover of Hirax. Even in this short span Harris plays a cool little guitar intro, then they jam through one quick grindcore verse, and that's all folks!
Wehrmacht cover, and it' got a pretty epic guitar riff by Harris leading the way with a slow but perfectly mood-matching rhythm section. Harris is the highlight for sure with some excellent guitar throughout the song, but especially an early solo that ramps us wonderfully into a more typical, super speedy riff! Greenway sounds absolutely insane, belting out some super high screams that are just nutty and the music is so damn fast, such organized chaos! Harris unleashes about four more solos in this atypically long, four-plus minute song and all of them are pretty fucking insane! Like holy shit, jaw-droppingly awesome! I could be neglecting some great earlier song, but I think this just might be my favourite Napalm Death song at this point in their career! That was fucking incredible! Track 7 is "War's No Fairytale", a cover of Discharge (who happens to be the first band they cover that I've heard of! Slayer also covered Discharge on their album "Undisputed Attitude"). This song is only 1:19, so they get right to it with a fairly fast and decently catchy main riff led by some nice guitar by Harris. Greenway sounds pretty good belting out some fast vocals overtop and they still find time for another Harris guitar solo, which of course spices things up! A pretty cool song for one so short! The next track is "Conform", a cover of Siege, and Embury leads the way with a slow but pretty cool bass riff followed by a simple slow drum beat by Herrera. They slam suddenly into a typically super speedy riff and alternate these two very different speeds pretty smoothly honestly! It's a quick two minutes, but it was a solid two minutes with the speedy part being the highlight of course. Track 9 is "Master", a cover of a band also called Master, and they dive right into a slightly sludge-y and thrash-y riff that is decent but pretty repetitive. Aside from another pretty cool solo by Harris, this is a fairly simple song, but still a decent one. Up next is "Fire Death Fate", a cover of Insanity, and it's got a slower than usual opening, but Harris and Embury nicely sync up for a loud and decent opening riff. The pace picks up once Greenway starts to bark out the verse and the speedy drums and guitars sound great, and each verse is followed by a super distorted guitar solo! That means there's like four or five solos in this song and they are all pretty sweet! This kind of stuff just doesn't happen in Napalm Death's usual work, but I fucking love all the solos and think this was another fantastic cover (despite not knowing the original at all)! Track 11 is "Riot Of Violence", a cover of Kreator, and it's got a slower (than usual, so still decently fast by regular standards) main riff that is decently catchy and solidly heavy and Greenway sounds good yelling overtop. Harris plays a pretty sweet new riff for the chorus that is all over the place, then things ramp up to grindcore speeds for a second, then nicely slowed back down for the next round. This song is nearly five minutes long, an eternity by Napalm Death standards, but they never let up with Harris playing more cool guitar solos. His second one is quite lengthy with all kinds of super fast and awesome shredding parts, then they slow it down briefly, only to make the frantic assault to the finish line hit even harder! Yet another phenomenal song that was jam-packed with headbanging awesomeness! The next track is "Game Of The Arseholes", their second cover of Anti Cimex, and they jump right into a typical(ly solid) main riff and Greenway sounds pretty great belting out "religion is a game of the arseholes!" Embury gets a little bass break which is pretty cool, then Harris follows with a nice little solo that fits the mood pretty perfectly, even if it isn't all that flashy. This song is just a minute and a half, but it was solid! Track 13 is "Clangor Of War", a cover of Massacre, and it's got a speedy, very thrash-y main riff with Greenway yelling quickly along. This one is not bad by any means, but it's a pretty monotone riff that drives things and it's just less exciting than some of these other awesome covers. Up next is "Dope Fiend", a cover of Attitude Adjustment, and Herrera comes flying in with some super speedy drums that set the tone for this blazing fast main riff that definitely sounds like it could be a Napalm Death original. This is another short one at around a minute and a half and they stick to the main drag, but it's still a solid little tune! Track 15 is "I'm Tired", a cover of Die Kreuzen, and it's just 54 seconds long! It still manages to have some great bass by Embury and some very interesting, super distorted guitar by Harris. There's also a short and distorted guitar solo and for it's length this was an excellent song! The next track is "Troops Of Doom", a cover of Sepultura (only the second band I've actually heard of), and it sounds like it could be from their 90s era with a slower, grooving main riff that is still of course plenty heavy and cool. The chorus speeds up to grindcore levels with some typically insane and cool stuff and they alternate between the two riffs very nicely. Harris rips off another nice solo towards the end and this was a pretty good song as well! Track 17 is "Bedtime Story", a cover of Dayglo Abortions, and it's got a super slow, but decently epic guitar riff leading the way for over half the song, until the pace finally picks up and Greenway finally joins in. It's a solid verse with the faster riff, then it's back to the slow riff to finish us off. The next song is just over a minute and it's the third band I've heard of as they cover Agnostic Front and their song "Blind Justice". They jump right into a super speedy riff with Embury playing some wicked bass and everything sounding pretty insane as usual! It ends with an almost pop-punk chorus that is actually pretty catchy as well, an interesting little combo! The final song on the album is a mere 30 seconds long, "Hate, Fear And Power", a cover of Hirax. Even in this short span Harris plays a cool little guitar intro, then they jam through one quick grindcore verse, and that's all folks!
That is the end of "Leaders Not Followers: Part 2" and I thought it was a pretty awesome cover album, especially since I didn't know a single one of the songs they were covering! Napalm Death don't usually solo so much and I absolutely love that Mitch Harris is just let loose on this album! Their last album went straight to #2, and I think this one is even better than that! That brings us to their iconic debut "Scum" and honestly, I think this cover album is their best album yet! Who would've thunk it?! But it's a really awesome album filled with lots of different and coop influences. I hope they bring some of this energy into their next studio album!
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