Napalm Death - 'Time Waits For No Slave'

Yet another masterpiece from the godfathers of grind.

If Napalm Death were to rest on their laurels and tour casually and record only a halfway decent album no one would hold it against them. Napalm Death, after all, is the band that recorded Scum, From Enslavement to Obliteration, Harmony Corruption and Enemy of the Music Business. Thankfully, the English grind legends appear to have no inclination whatsoever to rest on past accomplishments. Napalm's 13th album Time Waits For No Slave is yet another incendiary blast from a band that appears hell-bent on topping themselves with each new release despite the fact that all of the members have started the inevitable lurch toward the half-century mark.

There aren't any duds to speak of in Napalm's catalog but this is an album that will stand with their career highlights. There's so much going on in these songs that the album transcends the grindcore label. Barney Greenway's screams are as vitriolic as ever; Mitch Harris and Shane Embury continue to mine influences from outside metal to sharpen their sound and drummer Danny Herrera again offers a performance just short of outright barbarism. This album shames most bands that weren't even around when Napalm Death formed in Birmingham, England's punk underbelly.

Napalm Death spent most of the 1990s experimenting with more traditional metal trappings before their return to form beginning in the 21st century. Time Waits For No Slave is as acidic and relentless as any of their recent albums, yet infused with new sounds. Napalm Death is one of the few bands able to own a certain style and yet do something completely different on each album. Bristling tracks like "Diktat," and "Work to Rule," show how a band can sound both familiar and fresh.

Time Waits For No Slave is compulsory listening for anyone interested in extreme metal and just shy of a perfect rating.