Customer Reviews

Inside the Torn Apart

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It seems that several of Napalm Death's mid-`90's albums - including _Diatribes_, this album, _Fear, Emptiness, Despair_, and _Words from the Exit Wound_ - are highly overlooked in this band's long and varied career. Except for the occasional immature sell-out accusation, rarely anything actually *bad* is ever said about these albums. Napalm Death's earlier albums such as _Scum_ and _From Enslavement to Obliteration_ are classic, genre-defining grind, and later albums such as _Enemy of the Music Business, Pt. 2_ and _The Code is Red...Long Live the Code_ get somewhat mixed but still fairly high appraise.

So what's wrong with an album such as _Inside the Torn Apart_? In a word, nothing. So they don't write 1.316-second songs anymore. So they use melodies a lot more now. If anything, they've learned how to play their music BETTER. This album has all the trimmings of a classic Napalm Death record: bone-crushing riffs, pummeling drums, and harsh vocals). Haven't they always been all about this formula? At least they know how to switch things up and keep it sounding fresh.

The band is in top form: the Jesse Pintado/Mitch Harris guitar team continues to work perfectly, making some excellent harmonies and riff-fests; Danny Herrera's drums are plentiful, with some memorable fills, and a keen sense of technical, almost jazz-like, timing. Shane Embury, the longest-lasting member (and yet not from the original lineup!) continues to make good bass lines even if they're barely audible. And then of course, Mark "Barney" Greenway is still one of the best voices in the metal genre, belting out fearsome throaty howls and shouts (and unlike most death/grind vocalists, he actually puts a bit of variation into his delivery - and is fairly easy to understand without reading the lyrics sheet!).

_Inside_ sports twelve original and flowing songs over about 40 minutes, completely devoid of filler. The title track is particularly noteworthy for its multiple time changes: shifting from a mid-tempo, almost ambient wall of guitar riffs to a sludgy crunch that segues perfectly into a chugging chorus with catchy, brutal vocals. Songs such as "Birth in Regress" and "Section" have some excellent melodic breakdowns that really beef up the heavier parts. There are some great chug-and-crush riffs on "Purist Realist," and a flurry of blast beats used in "Lowpoint." The closer, "The Lifeless Alarm," is one of Napalm Death's unusual slow songs; eerie guitar harmonies are played over a lurching, doomy tempo, with shouted vocals pushed way into the background, adding a creepy underlying vibe.

It doesn't seem to make sense why an album such as this doesn't get more attention; this is as good as anything else Napalm Death has put out, and if you give it a listen, you might shake your head in wonder as to why it's been sitting on your shelf and collecting dust all this time. You'll be grateful to have it; even if it didn't do anything for you the first time around, it will make for some seriously great listening later on.

This album is metal to the core. It has excellent vocals, the best gutairs and brutal drums. It is good to see a metal band still playing the metal that is good. A band that doesn't need to go rappy to impress

Napalm Death's innovation has obviously put them in a trap that yields a no-win situation as they progress. By starting out with songs like "Dead" and "Lucid Fairytale," they set a standard of speed and intensity that many listeners and critics were going to hold onto for dear life, and anything slower than the 'good old days' would be met with derision and contempt. I myself fell into that camp for a while, thinking that Napalm Death has lamed-out with the loss of Mick Harris and had "slowed down" into a "mere" death metal band.

It took me a while to come around, especially after hearing lame copycats at a Napalm Death show (I can comfortably say that I've seen Napalm at two different stages of their life). What Napalm still brings to the table is a raw intensity that rarely gets overproduced. The amount of energy and lack of pretension brought me around to picking up their later albums again, and this is one that I think gets bashed for its slower stuff. I'll agree that I didn't really get my hooks into this disc until track 4, "Reflect on Conflict," but when I went back again from the start, I could find that great Napalm edge throughout. This is a band that has been around from the advent of grindcore--don't you think they get a little chance to play around with their own creation some? I think I would only bash them now if their sound became more imitative than innovative, but _Inside the Torn Apart_ is not one of those efforts--rock on, guys.

I have to say that Napalm Death has always released good albums despite their constant lineup change. However, they're a completely different band than they used to be. A lot of people don't know that they used to be a grindcore band. This album, along with a lot of others, is more commercial and straight-forward (not that that's a bad thing). If you really want to see this band at their best, I'd reccomend listening to "Scum" and "From enslavement to obliteration." However, if you like this particular style of metal, I would say that this album is one of the best.

From the opening blast to the final chord, this cd is a must have for any fan of heavy music. A few seconds into the cd, the music has you pumped to destroy anything not moving, and by the time Breed to Breathe closes, you are ready to punish the neighbors with the wall of noise. Every song here rages like no tomorrow..... it will be hard to pick a favorite.

Sure its not the ear bleeding grindcore noise (which I am a huge fan of) but do you really think that you could drag out something like that for more then two albums? Serously think about it. Well anyways I to disliked this album until I truly sat down and took a good listen to it. This is very good musically and Barney's growl is still good. If you're a fan of Napalm Death or grind then give this a listen.

This is one of those rare albums where the good stuff is at the end. "Inside the Torn Apart" begins with "Breed to Breathe," which has riffs so melodic it's hard to believe that this is the same band that invented grindcore. "Down in the Zero" has some nifty syncopated drumming, but things don't really heat up until "Prelude," which has the first blastbeats of the album. "Lowpoint" is absolutely crushing, while "The Lifeless Alarm" closes the album on an abstract, doomy note. The main drawback here is the overly clean production and the unnaturally clicky drums. The performances are efficiently precise, but there's little grit and no sense of danger here.

I cannot believe that Napalm Death even considered replacing Barney with Phil Vane from Extreme Noise Terror, luckily they came to their senses before recording Inside the Torn Apart. Subsequently what they produced was a great overall effort, although not as good as Fear, Emptiness, Despair or Words from the Exit Wound. Indispose is an amazing track anchored by Herrera's amazing drum work. Breed to Breathe, Section, Purist Realist, and Down in the Zero are strong as well. With this album Napalm regressed a little but it was to only be expected when you fire an intricate member of your band. Overall, this is worthy of adding to your collection because even average Napalm can crush any other grindcore/death metal on the market. Long Live Barney!

Great Cd! one of my favorite Napalm cds!!! Inside the torn apart!!

and the quality of the item when i receive it was excellent!!

Napalm Death is one of those bands that never really grabbed my attention in the past (for several years), though I had heard of them. It was'nt until I went back and tracked down most of their albums on amazon (mainly mp3 download format) that they have become my favorite band since Sepultura (who have been my favorite band for some years now).

This album, along with Enemy Of The Music Business, is my favorite from this band.

Among my favorite songs, 'Birth in Regress' is an industrial-paced powerhouse (a lot like 'State Of Mind' from the 'F.E.D' album).

'Reflect On Conflict' and 'Prelude' are driven by blazing fast hardcore rhythms and the usual killer delivery from Barney.

I have a special edition of this album with the bonus tracks; 'Time Will Come' has a crushing beast of a main riff. 'Bled Dry' is my favorite song on the album and features more crazy rhythm playing (like most N.D. songs) and killer double bass that supports the song throughout.

Apparently, this album is regarded as the least favorite by fans of the band. Its not a perfectly solid album, but there are several brutal tracks to be heard at least. Still a five-star album in my opinion.