Napalm Death is a trailblazing grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands, in 1981. Known for their intense sound, they are credited with pioneering the grindcore genre by blending elements of crust punk and death metal. Their music is characterized by a cacophony of distorted, down-tuned guitars, overdriven bass, high-speed tempos, and blast beats, accompanied by guttural growls and high-pitched shrieks. Their 1987 debut album, Scum, released by Earache Records, was groundbreaking and is still highly influential in the metal community. Their track “You Suffer” holds the Guinness World Record for the shortest song ever recorded, at just 1.316 seconds long.
Although none of the original members have been with the band since 1986, Napalm Death has had a stable lineup since 1992. The core members include bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris, drummer Danny Herrera, and lead vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway. The band expanded to a five-piece from 1989 to 2004 with the addition of Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris but reverted to a four-piece following Pintado’s departure.
Over the years, Napalm Death has released sixteen studio albums and is recognized as the seventh-best-selling death metal band in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. Their influential albums, such as *Scum* and *From Enslavement to Obliteration* (1988), have collectively sold around 400,000 copies worldwide. The band’s music spans grindcore, death metal, and early anarcho-punk.
In 2018, Napalm Death performed alongside Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Testament on Slayer’s final North American tour. Although Shane Embury was unable to join the 2019 North American tour, Vernon Blake stepped in as the live bassist. In February 2020, the band released the EP Logic Ravaged by Brute Force, followed by their sixteenth studio album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, in September 2020. Despite lineup changes and challenges, Napalm Death continues to be a powerful force in extreme metal.
