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| RECORDED AND MIXED AT: BIRDSONG, WORCHESTER. ENGINEERED BY: STEVE BIRD PRODUCED BY: NAPALM DEATH AND DIG FRONT ART BY: MARK SIKORA MASTERED BY: NOEL SUMMERVILE AT: TRANSFORMATION. |
BILL STEER - GUITARS SHANE EMBURY - BASS LEE DORRIAN - VOCALS MICK HARRIS - DRUMS |
Again we have a huge fucking thanks list which I can't possible put here.
"From Enslavement to Obliteration" was released by Earache Records
in 1988, shortly after the first Napalm Bomb, "Scum", was dropped.
The classic line-up feature in this record is now remembered as the formation
of Napalm Death. Lead growler Lee Dorrian established the screaming vocals of
grind, and the record is a wall of sheer speed and brutality, nonstop. Shane
Embury, the oldest remaining member of Napalm Death (and the only one from this
line-up to this very day) makes his first studio appearance here. Shortly after
the touring for the album both Lee and Bill would leave Napalm for good and
follow their own paths. This is their swansong with the founders of grind.
The songs are, again, very socially concerned. Lee Dorrian shoots at every target
he can think of (machism in "i't's a M.A.N.S. world!", Rock 'n' Roll
alienation with "Cock-Rock Alienation" and animal abuse/use with "Display
to me..."). His lyrics were what made Napalm Death popular among the Punk
hardcore community so fast. He was very socially aware, and more than just pointing
the worlds problem's, Mr. Dorrian was making ethics and moral statements as
well. In songs like "Think for a minute..." he shows that change comes
from the inside. You must be critic about yourself and always question your
acts. To be a better person is to see, to learn, to help.
Just like "SCUM", this record is one of the landmarks of grind, in
the sense that it set the footsteps of how aggressive, fast and brutal grindcore
could, and should be. The mix of speed punk and filthy metal riffs were the
catalisers of thousands of imitators, this was (together with SCUM, both were
released with very little time in between) the record that popularized death
metal and the grindcore genre, making it almost successful in the mainstream
(in the late 80's/early 90's). The sound quality and the production are much
better than Scum's , so it is basically the same kind of grind but with a better,
more polished sound. Even if this is maniacally too intense, sonicly graphic,
disturbing or noisy for you, you should OWN this record for historical purposes.
Napalm Death made, by releasing FETO, a whole new generation of death/grind
bands follow their style. And this record was one of the main influences of
distinc acts such as Carcass, japanese noise/industrial/electronic master Merzbow,
The Boredoms, Jazz/grind combo Candiria and Jazz/Avant-Garde musician John Zorn.
This album has been released in the following formats: Regular CD, Vinyl,
Cassete Tape. The record was originally released with 22 tracks, but all
cd editions contain 27 tracks, the last five tracks being taken from the
"The Curse" 7".
As described by Earache itself, "From Enslavament to Obliteration"
was released on the following editions: CDIMC/LP w/ gatefold & free
7", picture disc, splatter vinyl (1988)
I assume that the "free 7" was the "The
Curse" 7" later added to the FETO cds. FETO was also released
in a cd with SCUM. Both "Scum" and "The
Curse" were on the cd as a bonus. This edition of the record is now deleted.
- Evolved As One - Impressions - Unchallenged Hate - Uncertainty Blurs The Vision - Cock-Rock Alienation - Retreat To Nowhere - Think For A Minute - Display To Me... |
- From Enslavement To Obliteration - Blind To The Truth - Social Sterility - Emotional Suffocation - Inconceivable - Worlds Apart - Obstinate Direction - Mentally Murdered - Sometimes - Make Way! - Musclehead |
- Your Achievement? - Dead - Morbid Deceiver - The Curse |

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