From Enslavement to Obliteration

What we have here is the ultimate Napalm Death (which from now on shall be called ND) album in the classic pre-Barney line-up. For a lot of metal fanatics their previous album Scum. Although groundbreaker, still had too much ‘punk’ in it. But on F.E.T.O. it’s old school grindcore all the way. Not as sloppy as their earlier works yet not as slick and heavy as their Barney period, F.E.T.O. sounds underground as well as proffessional enough to appeal to more than one select group of listeners. It therefor is ND’s most ‘accessable’ release from the eighties.Lee Dorrian feels more at easy growling and grunting the socially aware lyrics compared to his performance on the B-side of scum. His voice has improved and therefor the dynamic performance is more consistent. Mick Harris’ drums have slightly approved in terms of tightness which is logical considering that on the previous record the band was still experimenting and on this album they had crystalised their music.Bill Steer? We all know what Bill Steer could pull of so his performance here sounds laid back and therefor pretty proffessional (if we can use that term in old school grindcore). Shane Emburys pressence is just a heap of distorted bass but is excatly what the music needs.Whereas ‘Scum’ was the album that really started it all for ND, ‘F.E.T.O.’ was in fact their best! Tighter, more focussed and produced suitingly. It’s not all noise or blastspeed. With “Unchallenged Hate”, “Mentally Murdered” and especially “Display to Me” the band shows they can combine grindcore, crustcore and some pleistocenic death metal into aggressive, catchy and well played songs.“Retreat to Nowhere” and “Lucid Fairytale” are two prime examples of the Scum (side-B) approach being worked out more efficiently. Brutal, short and with some ingeniously catchy riffs, breaks and vocal lines.Lyrically the band was as furious and sometimes remarkably subtle as ever. For instance “Cock Rock Alienation” (apart from a briliant title!) being a great song against corporate music or the even more impressive “Social Sterility” (check it out yourselves).Of course, most grindcore albums since those days sound heavier, more brutal or whatever. But the intensity, drive and especially honesty surrounding this album is still hard to equal. F.E.T.O. is way up there with other early bands like Terrorizer, Carcass and Fear Of God (Swiss).If you like grindcore, your collection can not exist (mustn’t even be allowed!) without From Enslavement To Obliteration!

This album steamrolls through its twenty-plus tracks with relentless power and angst. Where the debut, Scum, summons feelings of despair, From Enslavement leans more toward anger. It has more of a "screw-you" feeling than Scum's "we're all screwed" tone. The songs average about a minute apiece, and are so fast there's no opportunity to catch a breath. Several have become live staples, like Lucid Fairytale, Unchallenged Hate, the title track, and the five-second Dead. Out of the others, I'd like to see Cock-Rock Alienation and Display to Me played live, as they'd both fit in well with the band's current sound. Some of the riffs on this album are catchier than Scum, but the extremity is retained, you might say. Be warned, though; like Scum, pure grindcore like this is not for the uninitiated, and if you're only a fan of more recent Napalm albums, you might not even like this. Even though you can hear traces of their later sound in the guitar tone and hardcore-inspired breakdowns, it's a different style of music. But if you listen to it a few times and try to understand it, it will eventually blow you away. Blindingly fast, grinding riffs, whirlwind hyper-speed drums, infrequently enunciated barking death vocals mixed with utterly insane, nearly unintelligible screaming...crazy stuff. From Enslavement is beyond heavy, and is the very definition of extreme.

Grindcore classic. They would sure change a lot after this release (not a bad thing). No grind band has ever matched the intensity and pure creativity that Napalm churned put here.

Napalm Death the originators of Grindcore, this is their second album the follow up to Scum and the last to feature the entire original line up, including Lee Dorian, Cathedral, and it pounds out loud.While I think the current and long long lasting line up is better their first 2 albums are great not to mention started its own genre.If your a fan buy it, but if youve never heard their first 2 albums check them out before you do for the sound is alot different then it is now,altho its not worse at all.

Master piece

The grindcore movement apogee. Probably one of the most extreme albums ever. When I first heard it back in '89, I was completely floored. Extreme purity of sound. Unmatched speed. The highlight is the transition from the slow intro-like "Evolved as One" to the shriek of "It's a M.A.N.S. world". The noise explodes and never lets up until you slump into exhaustion around the fourth track. This is the problem with this kind of music. It's hard to mosh to for more than ten second. So its uses are limited. Still, the best ever. Get it and go deaf.

great vocals you can tell the difference on the change of vocalist great blast beatsawesome grindcore sound great price and new

one word epic........terrorizer , carcass, all are classics bands but this records have the evil touch of the most grindcore band.

Pancada sonora completa

If you like Grindcore then this is ground zero. This album in particular should be considered Grindcore Law. Get it.

Sin duda alguna, una de las obras musicales maestras del grindcore es este "From Enslavement To Obliteration".Un disco fundamental en la historia de Napalm Death, totalmente recomendado para cualquier fan de la banda y del grindcore.Un disco que ya presentaba cierta experimentación para lo que Napalm Death venia haciendo.

Their best album in my opinion.If you want to listen to some great classic grindcore, go with that one.

Ein Album wie "Scum" gibt es nur einmal. Wie geht es also mit Napalm Death weiter? Hört man sich "From Enslavement"..genauer an, stellt man fest, dass sämtliche Trademarks des Grindcore bereits vorhanden sind und auch produktiv eingesetzt werden. Zudem growlt und kreischt Lee Dorrian um sein Leben-wer hätte gedacht, dass derselbe Sänger später mit Cathedral alte "Hippie-Tugenden" des Psychedelic Doom wiederbeleben würde? Neu ist auch der Einsatz von Mindtempo-Walzen am Anfang und Ende des Albums: "Evolved as One", bzw. das apokalyptische Instrumental "The Curse".Dazwischen wird geholzt und gegrowlt, was das Zeug hält, und das auf manchmal 30 Sekunden oder noch kürzer...Krachfestischisten kennen das Album sowieso, und wer eine Gegenkur zu Oktoberfest-Sounds und ähnlichem braucht, ist bei "From Enslavement to Obliteration" an der richtigen Adresse!