Customer Reviews

Fear Emptiness Despair

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The early nineties was a great time for Rock music. Hair Metal was - finally - dying, and lots of underground bands were selling huge amount of records, and record company folks were flabbergasted, because they couldn't safely predict who might be the next big hit. Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden and in a lesser degreee, Metallica - which already had a huge fanbase - were considered flukes from the suits that worshipped Guns N'Roses, Bon Jovi and Poison.

Company executives went on to hire scouts to 'fish' on underground waters, and maybe hit upon the next Metallica or the next Nirvana. Epic hired Sepultura, Warner Brothers hired Helmet and Biohazard and other bands on the WB roster, like Ministry and Pantera, were doing great.

Company heads then turned attention to a small UK label, Earache. In 1992, after a label frenzy, Earache signed a distribution deal with Columbia in America for its major acts, except Morbid Angel (which signed their own deal with Giant, another american company). The first disc to come out from the new distribution deal was Cathedral, which featured Lee Dorian, ex-Napalm Death grunter. The deal was, initially, mutually beneficial. Earache got more money to invest on tours and more studio time for the bands. In turn, Columbia might get the next Megadeth (Carcass) or the next Nine Inch Nails (Godflesh).

This major label interest in Earache's roster had, like it or not, both a positive and a negative influence on its bands. 1993-1994 was a period which some of the best Death Metal records were released (in my opinion). And many of these bands ended, after the "Corporation Pull-In".

Ok, but... Why take so much time to explain all this?

"Fear, Emptiness, Despair", to me, is undoubtly a product of this period. Instead of 'blast-beat-us-til-death' gimmick - which had already wore thin - ND opted for midpaced songs. To me, it worked. They couldn't get faster than "From Enslavement to Obliteration", and the attempt to get back to their "roots" - "Utopia Banished" (1992) - was midly disappointing. "Fear", however, has more of that "roots" quality - without so much blast-beats. You don't need to be fast to be heavy and brutal.

And I think and ND proved that to themselves, and to me, with this record.

And I hope to all of you, too.

this is the most lyrically complex album from napalm death.its got alot of confusing metaphors and similies.its also really heavy and thrashy.there is no release in music history tht can live up to this album.the best tracks are armaggedon x7 and twist the knife (slowly).this is one of the main grindcore albums in history and influenced most grindcore.other good releases by napalm death are inside the exit wound and scum.all thrash and death fans, buy this album as soon as possible, you wont regret it!

in my personal opinion, there really is no bad N.D. album. some old-school purists don't really like the stuff they did during the mid to late 90's. I've read that these are their "experimental" albums and that this was the reason why Barney left the band for a few months back in '97 (even the N.D. logo is different on these albums). however, I love all of them. I honestly feel that they never lost any of the power or intensity on any of the albums. Fear Emptiness Despair has all the elements of a great Napalm Death record. it has the blastbeats, the mid-tempo grooves, the in-your-face lyrics, and pretty clear, crisp production on top of all that. it has a really nice balance of straight-up death metal and hardcore punk/grindcore to satisfy all N.D. fans young & old. if you can get your hands on this out of print CD, do not hesitate to snag it!

This album I listened to till I could listen no more! One of the best metal bands out there. Pure aggression and solid metal like it should be. If you are going to do something heavy, listen to this before you do it. It will pump you up to go harder than you ever have before. I use it for a surf pump before big waves. If you snowboard, surf, or like to live gnarly, you will need this to survive. Not for the faint of heart. GO BIG! Get this!

Napalm death has been making the best music for years & years...With every album release being better/stronger i can't see how nd will ever stop. I own every album by nd but fed has to be my favorite out of them! best songs? Hung & more then meet the eyes, lovely titles. Over-all, if you love and is a fan of grind and yet dont own nd's fed you are a disgrace! Go get it and then maiby you'll feel okay about your self.

I love all of the other albums by napalm death--i got them all...Don't get me wrong, but "fear emptiness despair" is the best album by napalm death! Mainly because i thought that the production is excellent!!! The best songs ? "hung" , & , "remain nameless" by far the best song on here!I been following napalm death's career since their begining & i must say that napalm death is a band that should be respected & get your fully support! Support napalm death!!!

What can you say about this band to justify it's impact not only on the mainstream but the underground music scene as well? NOTHING

This is Napalm Death's finest hour, combining old and new influences. The album starts off with a grinding power chord in their classic "Twist The Knife (Slowly)" and the mind-raping barrage of assault does not let up up until the final blasts of "Fasting on Deception". Com ... or high water, Napalm Death are sure to shove a good amount of ... grindcore down your throat and have your worthless corpse begging for mercy.

Best songs: Twist The Knife (Slowly), Remain Nameless, Plague Rages, More Than Meets The Eye, Armageddon X7, and Throw Away.

the best and rawest napalm death album takes a couple of listens for it to click but so worth it miss this at your peril

I personally do not listing to grind or grindcore because im strictly a metalcore person but i have to admit napalm death is awsome... I had the plesure to watch napalm death in concert with nile,&, the berzerker, i think 1 year ago im not sure and i had a good time! I mean, i dont like either nile or the berzerker but it was worth it because napalm death gave an hell of a show ! I got all of napalm death's album so you should too ! Buy it!!

This is a great release from ND. It has a very unique sound of it's own in comparison to their earlier material, too. While not always as fast, it captures an extremley brutal edge that was previously unheard off of any of the early releases. While at parts remaining true to the band's older style, it gets somewhat of a new sound as well. Mark Greenway's words are incredibly involved and complex, not to mention brutal .. Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris play some truly bone crushing heavy guitar riffs .. Danny Herrera gives a complete demonstration of just how fast, hard and heavy a drum set can be thrashed on .. and Shane Embury holds it all together on bass. Truly a mind blowing experience. I find that mostly every single song on the CD is unforgettable.