Smear Campaign

When Napalm Death first hit the scene in the ’80s, plenty of detractors must have thought that their brand of extreme metal was just a passing fad, and would soon go away. Now 20 years later, guess who’s having the last laugh (especially since the group has long been considered one of the first-ever grindcore bands, and easily one of the most influential/copied metal bands of the era)? And despite 2006′s Smear Campaign being the group’s umpteenth release, the band’s assault-on-your-senses approach is still very much intact — particularly evident by singer Mark “Barney” Greenway, who still lives to scream his head off at every given opportunity (especially on such tracks as “Sink Fast, Let Go” and “Freedom Is the Wage of Sin”). Some artists enjoy reinventing themselves with each and every release. Not Napalm Death, which is reassuring in a way (you know exactly what lies therein with each successive brutal release) — and Smear Campaign certainly doesn’t disappoint. – Greg Prato