subversion
Moderator
Where were you in 1982? That year, 4 irritable English geniuses gave birth to a genre in aggressive music which redefined ‘fast’. A good 23 years later, Napalm Death (ND) isn’t about to down-shift their tempo as evident in this year’s release, ‘The Code is Red- Long Live the Code’. If you are new to ND, the band is perhaps the most enduring grindcore unit to date, seeing countless lineup changes throughout their existence. Personally, ND’s standard is a benchmark against any other similar professional acts, thusfar, no other bands remain dedicated & true to the genre, the very reason I’ve been an ardent fan.
First off, this year’s release saw the absence of Jesse Pintado, the other guitar half of ND. In a media statement, vocalist Barney Greenway cited work commitment as a cause for his mate’s departure. Apparently, Pintado became lethargic & saw other avenues of sustenance to cite enough disinterest in the current employment.
Nevertheless, remaining 6-stringer, Mitch Harris, is more than capable in propelling the band’s guitar laden music on- no problems whatsoever (more on Mitch later). ‘The Code…’ in its entirety is a Napalm Death formality- sheer aggression with lots of thoughtful, catchy polyrhythms. This release also saw invited guests chipping in to colour ND’s overall offering- Jeff Walker & Jello Biafra among others. The only number which is an oddity here is the closing track, ‘Our Pain is Their Power’, no grind blast beats on offer & it borders on the cosmic escapism of Blut Aus Nord (apologies if you aren’t familiar with this black metal band, but it’s the only one offering this hallucinating dirge to date…). ND fans would do well to check out ‘The Code…’ but cynics would make you believe that ND is trying too hard to redefine its genre-defining music. I find this release not a must-buy but it is one not to be overlooked either as it contains very tasteful guitar grind- a sum greater than its parts, this one.
PS- ND remembers John Peel (1939-2004), who was responsible in letting the world hear grindcore, in one of his ‘Peel Sessions’, a popular radio slot for extreme music in the UK.
**************************************************
Mitch Harris isn’t as solo inclined since the release of ND’s ‘Diatribe’, which was more than a decade ago. However, he is easily on my revered player list because he embraces simplicity & effectiveness. Since ‘Diatribe’, Mitch’s main guitar has been his Royal (a custom guitar company, UK based) Flying ‘V’ which was affectionately named ‘Angel’ (simply due to its colour- white). It’s EMG equipped & sports a Kahler vibrato. His setup is sheer plug & play- the V + a MESA Rec. The only pedal in this chain is a noise gate. There you have it; simplicity & brutality, hand in hand. If you ever see Mitch play live, you’d see him strapping on his V in a very eccentric way, his strap actually runs on the surface of the the bass-side, V-prong, then round the neck (see pic below). A reason for this being a hug-like effect which makes the guitar stay put in the midst of all those thrashing on stage. Mitch is a genius when it comes to riff variation, if you’ve been following the ND developments, he is responsible for the danceable tunes between Greed Killing & Words From the Exit Wound. More of such catchiness can be heard in Meathook Seed, his side-project with ND bassist Shane Embury. If there is an authority to cite when it concerns intelligent rhythm at work, Mitch Harris is one.
