NAPALM TED: Cesspool Of Human Mind
Release year: 2021
Label: self-released/Mögähead
Napalm Ted, whose name strikes me as a silly play on the name Napalm Death, have been going at it for six years. During this time, the crust and death metal laced grindcore trio have released ten releases – in other words, almost two every year. But, considering most of them are EP’s and splits, and there’s one compilation included as well, it’s not actually that much. Still, the trio certainly haven’t rested on their laurels at any stage.
Their newest release, Cesspool Of Human Mind, is another EP of the type “short and sweet”: four tracks and ten minutes is what you get. The tape version doubles the length with demo versions of the EP tracks. But hey, when we’re talking about anything related to grindcore and/or crust, nobody expects epic 75 minute albums full of rambling mammoth tracks, right?
I must admit that I am only cursorily acquainted with the earlier material of the band: the band is certainly no stranger to me, but I’ve not spent too much time listening to them. Just enough to kind of have a decent idea of what they sound like, I should say.
So, grindcore is the core element here. There’s a plentiful amount of grimy old school death metal thrown into the mix, as well as bits and pieces of nasty crust. The end result is a dirty, filthy barrage of grinding metal punk nastiness, which might well find fertile ground with friends of all three genres.
One of the characteristic aspects here is the dual vocal assault: guitaist Gravy Ted delivers gravelly growls of an old school death metal type, whilst drummer Han Ted shouts and shrieks his throat out with hysterical abandon. The dual vocals lend the band a definite crust-y tinge. Musically, this is speedy but rarely full-on blasting: this particular cesspool concentrates more on rhythmic, moshable sections that are punctuated with the occasional blasting moment. This emphasizes the death metal elements, giving the guitars plenty of room to chug out heavy riffage.
With its brief running time, “short and sweet” is indeed descriptive of Cesspool Of Human Mind. Whilst none of the four tracks stands out as a potential hit, none are letdowns either. Napalm Ted keep the quality consistent, but cram plenty of variation into the ten minutes the EP lasts. This definitely isn’t your generic, run-of-the-mill grindcore EP with one nondescript blast of noise following each other in an indistinguishable string.
In other words, regardless of whether rotten old death metal, nasty grindcore or grimy crust is your thing, there’s something for you on Cesspool Of Human Mind. Maybe something that rubs you the wrong way, too, especially if your tastes are particular… but check your prejudices at the door and you’ll find yourself nodding along to this in no time.
Only Death Is Real 