Napalm Death - _Words From the Exit Wound_
(Earache, 1999)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
It only seems right for the band that helped begin (or at least lay the groundwork) for all of this genre moulding metal to have a solid release as this century comes to a close. Had this been a bummer of a record, I think I would have given up on Napalm Death. But my metal friends, _Words From the Exit Wound_ is quite the piece of work, so there is no need to panic. Much in the vein of the brilliantly crushing last effort (1997's _Inside the Torn Apart_), Napalm Death has once again upheaved their sound to much stronger and precision oriented numbers, relying heavily on slight melodies and pure punishing rhythms. Singer Barney Greenway's vocals are in top form too, lashing out a vindictive tongue of musical mayhem with each and every breathe. It's stunning to see that through all the metal meldings and style changes that have shaped metal over the years, Napalm Death still adhere to their principle song writing structure and stay sounding like Napalm Death. Can you imagine Napalm Death showcasing black metal or gothic rock tendencies? Eek! While not as potent as _Inside the Torn Apart_, Napalm Death serve up plenty of action here (i.e., "Next of Kin to Chaos," "Ulterior Exterior" and "Clutching at Barbs"). I saw them live a month or so back and they ruled. The new stuff carried off well live.
(article published 19/5/1999)
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