Customer Reviews

Punishment in Capitals

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Words cannot accurately describe the sheer brutality and power of this band live. From the moment Napalm Death takes the stage at the University of London, they OWN IT!! The most intense 70 minutes (not including the extra songs from 96 & 97 tours) ever caught on film. The setlist is heavily laden with older material such as Scum, You Suffer (which is all of 4 seconds long!), Life, and The Kill. Although there are quite a few Enemy of the Music Business tracks represented here too: Next on the List, Constitutional Hell, Take the Poison, Can't Play Won't Pay, Vermin etc. There are some KILLER cover songs like Raw Power's Politicians, which might be the best track on the whole dvd, Death's Back from the Dead, and the Dead Kennedy's Nazi Punks to name a few. Barney Greenway's voice is just as good live as it is on record, which is completely unfathomable. The sounds that eminate from this man are astounding. Danny Herrera is nothing sort of a machine with precision and intensity that are unmatched. Shane is the glue that holds it all together, and hold it together he does. This band is as tight as they come. Mitch and Jesse are as good a one-two punch of guitarist as there are on the planet(only King and Hanneman are even close). As I sat and watched Punishment in Capitals, I could not help but notice that my jaw was agape the entire running time, this DVD is documented testimony and legitimate claim that Napalm Death are the best metal/hardcore/grindcore/whatever band to ever walk the face of this earth. Highest Recommendation.

I have the older ND DVD issued by Earache as well as this one. Both are excellent, and I would recommend all fans to get both. The difference with this new release -- besides the change in drummer and the newer material -- is that it was filmed with a widescreen DVD presentation in mind, at least the concert footage.

In terms of direction, I still prefer the 1990 concert included on the Earache disc, but this is an incredible concert, with lots of energy. Barney in particular seems to have a new lease of life in the recent concert. Compare his performance with those of the Chile and Japan gigs (included here as bonus materials) and you'll see what I mean -- his lifestyle changes have obviously been beneficial. The quality of the footage on the extras is quite rough, as is the sound, but they are nice to have included on the disc, even if you only watch them through once. The main concert and the accompanying documentary, on the other hand, you'll be watching many times. There are some classic moments with Shane, Jesse and the others in the band room, and some interesting insights into the politics of the band members as well. It is clear that Barney saw it as his responsibility as replacement for Lee Dorrian to continue the lyrical quality and political edge established by his predecessor. The band, especially the guitarists, give an exceptional performance, and the cover and original material come across equally well. Danny Herrera, while he has a very different personality compared to former drummer Mick 'The Human Tornado' Harris (now Scorn/Quoit/Lull), gives an absolutely blistering performance that will not fail to impress.

There are two versions of this DVD. Both are 'region free' but one is in NTSC and the other in PAL. International buyers in countries where the native format is PAL should try the British or German Amazon[.com] sites for the PAL version. In terms of content they would appear to be identical.

An excellent release from this legendary band!

I was searching the internet for the tracklist of this for about a month with no success. So if theres anyone like me out there, here it is:
Lucid Fairytale, Take the Poison, Next on the List, Constitutional Hell, Suffer the Children, Cleanse Impure, Politicians, Breed to Breathe, Vermin, The World Keeps Turning, Can't Play Won't Pay, Unchallenged Hate, Volume of Neglect, Narcoleptic, Hung, From Enslavement to Obliteration, Scum, Life, The Kill, Deceiver, You Suffer, Cure for a Common Complaint, Mass Appeal Madness, Greed Killing, Instinct of Survival, Nazi Punks F**k Off, Back from the Dead, and Siege of Power.
This entire setlist is awesome. There are a bunch of songs I really wanted to hear that weren't on this, but in order to put all the awesome songs on, this would be a 4 hour DVD, not including the bonus features.
A documentary type thing is also included, which is good if your into that type of thing. Shane Embury is definitely the coolest guy in the band. Barney in my opinion is kind of a loser, as he is sXe, vegetarian, he isn't good at headbanging, and he cut off his hair. But thats beside the point.
Bonus tracks: My own worst enemy, More than meets the eye, Discordance, I abstain, unchallenged hate, greed killing, suffer the children, mass appeal madness. I only wish they had picked some songs for bonus material that weren't already on the DVD. Oh well. BUY THIS NOW.

Punishment In Capitals is a 2002 live DVD (also available on CD) by British extreme metal icons Napalm Death, released after their triumphant Enemy Of The Music Business album won back the praise of fans and critics after their experimental string of records in the nineties.

The band play a mixture of every era in their career up to that point, the catchy nineties singles 'Breed To Breathe,' and 'Greed Killing,' sit side by side with mid era death inspired fare such as 'Suffer The Children,' and 'World Keeps Turning,' which blends against the band's early grindcore material era like 'Scum,' 'Lucid Fairy Tale,' and the famous 'You Suffer,' in a set list which also leans heavily on the band's then newest, and still arguably best album Enemy Of The Music Business.

Standout tracks include an energetic version of 'Hung,' as well as 'Can't Play Won't Play,' and 'Narcoleptic,' which was as yet unreleased at the time of recording. With a set-list of this caliber, Punishment In Capitals should be a rewarding viewing experience for most Napalm Death fans and would serve well as an introduction to the band for potential fans as well.

Interestingly, the DVD recording retains all the dead air, waiting out-of-breathe and other non-musical moments in between tracks, presenting you the gig as it actually happened and not inter-cutting the show with outside material to create some false sense of professionalism or excitement. This is a double edged sword as it is commendable but may still irritate viewers raised on slicker, fast paced major label DVD releases.

The production is fairly good in terms of audio recording quality and mix, with simple camera work and editing covering the visual side of things. Although not the most impressive looking DVD ever released, it serves well for Napalm Death to deliver an energetic a sweaty performance. My only major gripe is that for the first half of the show shots of drummer Danny Herrera are very few and far between, but this is remedied later on.

In addition to the 28 track, hour-long main feature there are a fair amount of extras too; including two bootleg quality recordings in Tokyo from 1996, a six track selection from a Chilean gig in 1997 as well as a hidden Easter Egg (a live-in-a-TV-studio version of 'If The Truth Be Known,' accessible by making the image's eyes glow red my navigating the menu.) In addition to the musical extras there is also a documentary, which while not masterfully crafted is worth at least one watch, covering topics such as Barney's haircut, the effect of foreign food on the bowels and the charity for which this gig was in aide of.

Overall, Punishment In Capitals is a worthwhile DVD purchase that will give you a good selection of Napalm Death material, both in the concert itself and with a nice selection of extras. Definitely recommended viewing for fans of the band.

The name Napalm Death is synonymous with quality, but this 28-song live collection is ridiculously good. It features one of my favorite ND albums, the grindcore comeback Enemy of the Music Business, much like Bootlegged in Japan features songs from Diatribes. This has seven tracks from Enemy, including the Napalm anthem and the song that functions as the title track to that album, Can't Play Won't Pay. But, it also offers material from every other major release up through 2002, including a song from Order of the Leech, which was still months away from being released when this show was recorded. Punishment in Capitals is definitely another must-have if you're a fan.

As far as the rest of the song selection, the staples like Unchallenged Hate and Suffer the Children will always be there, so the question is not about their presence, but the sound. On this, it's a 10. Bootlegged in Japan had some great songs, and the sound quality really wasn't that bad, but many complained that Barney's vocals were uncharacteristically muffled. The production on Punishment is awesome. It's produced like a proper live album, and makes Bootlegged sound like...well, a bootleg. Clear, very strong and intense vocals from Barney, all instruments clear and distinguishable; like I said, it's another must-have for fans.

As for the DVD...wow. Pretty amazing. The Ulu show that's on the cd is the feature, and it's intense. You get to see how manic these guys and their fans are, which makes you appreciate their aggression that much more. You also get to hear all of what's said between songs, as the cd has some awkwardly placed editing on Barney's comments. And the extras by themselves would make a good DVD. A 45-minute interview that gives some insight to the cause behind this benefit concert, footage of seven songs from a '97 show in Chile, and two clips from a '96 Tokyo show. The CD/DVD combo release makes for many hours of Naplam Death excellence, and is definitely worth paying a little extra for if you're trying to pick between it and the regular cd.

the good points... its a raw, brutal, blitzkrieg of Napalm fury. its N.D. in their true element - live and in your face. sonically, these performances are like a sledgehammer to your skull. the set list spans their whole career, so its cool to hear the 90's era Napalm Death do the classics from the earlier albums. the bad points... it just sucks that it took them this long to release a proper live album. it'll probably be another decade before they put out another one. not only that, but I just wish it was longer. a 2-disc set would've been nice.

awesome dvd ,napalm always live up to their name,these guys are real. worth the money.

This may just be the best live album ever recorded! Napalm blast through 28 songs in their patented pummeling fashion and amazingly, come off sounding better than some of their studio albums! This may be the only place to hear the true power in songs off their poorly produced Harmony Corruption album. Pick this up with no fear of a crappy live sound. Then pick up the accompanying dvd if you can find it. They both are fantastic representations of what Napalm Death are like in their natural element, live on stage.

As others have said, this is an excellent DVD with the band in top form. For those of you want to see the hidden track: A live version of "If the Truth Be Known" with Mick Harris on drums. Navigate to the Extras menu and move/press arrow keys until the eyes of the doll on the left turn red. Hit enter, and watch. Pretty cool.

The Good: It's ND, for chrissakes! Loads of great numbers. Everyone looks totally into it. Some cool audience silliness...
The Bad and The Ugly: The filming of the main concert is an annoying joke. Much too much movement, thus no really clean/clear full shots of the band, except Barney. Personally, I would rather have the full shows of bonus features, less Arty Farty not Down and Dirty!