Napalm Death - From Enslavement To Obliteration (1988)

MOSH 008

 

PRODUCTION INFORMATION:

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.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM:

"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.

INFORMATION ON THE RELEASE:

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.

 

SONGLIST FOR "FROM ENSLAVEMENT TO OBLITERATION":

 

SIDE A:

- Evolved As One

- It's A M.A.N.S. World!

- Lucid Fairytale

- Private Death

- Impressions

- Unchallenged Hate

- Uncertainty Blurs The Vision

- Cock-Rock Alienation

- Retreat To Nowhere

- Think For A Minute

- Display To Me...

SIDE B:

- From Enslavement To Obliteration

- Blind To The Truth

- Social Sterility

- Emotional Suffocation

- Practise What You Preach

- Inconceivable

- Worlds Apart

- Obstinate Direction

- Mentally Murdered

- Sometimes

- Make Way!

- Musclehead
(CD/7" Bonus Track)

 

- Your Achievement?
(CD/7" Bonus Track)

- Dead
(CD/7" Bonus Track)

- Morbid Deceiver
(CD/7" Bonus Track)

- The Curse
(CD7" Bonus Track)

Some nice picts from the FETO Picture Disc:

       

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