Great Metal Albums of 1987: Napalm Death- Scum

When listening to the debut album, “Scum,” from British metal band, Napalm Death, the first question which arises is: Is Napalm Death the British version of the Stormtroopers of Death? Like the S.0.D., whose album “Speak English or Die” had twenty-one tracks in under thirty minutes, “Scum” has twenty-eight tracks in little over thirty-five minutes. Also like their American predecessor, the album is full of ear-bashing short, sharp, in your face tracks. Many of the tracks on “Scum” are under one minute in length but when you listen to them, the interesting thing is that it feels like a full three minute song crammed into that little amount of time.

What is just as interesting is that the band had a complete lineup change while making the album. The first half of the album has a different singer, guitar and bass than the second half with drummer Mick Harris being the only permanent fixture. However, I don’t hear any real change when I listen to the album. It’s still an all speed ahead assault on your eardrums. Some will even raise the criticism that you can’t understand the lyrics being sung but guess what? I don’t really care. This is just a great album to thrash out and create lots of mayhem to. My only regret resulting from listening to the album is that I have never seen them live. I think that would be an experience.

One challenge I had when listening to “Scum” was identifying stand out tracks. It is a challenge when songs are over just as you are getting into them. Although, there are tracks like “Born On Your Knees” which has a cool intro as well an instrumental portion to mosh along to. Another song which I think stands out is “Polluted Minds.” While only a minute long, it packs a very powerful punch. “Prison Without Walls” is another memorable one, not that any of these songs aren’t. However, what you do get here is twenty-eight tracks to have a great mosh to.

Tracks Listing:

1. Multinational Corporations
2. Instinct for Survival
3. The Kill
4. Scum
5. Caught…in a Dream
6. Polluted Minds
7. Sacrificed
8. Siege of Power
9. Control
10. Born On Your Knees
11. Human Garbage
12. You Suffer
13. Life?
14. Prison Without Walls
15. Point of No Return
16. Negative Approach
17. Success
18. Deceiver
19. C.S.
20. Parasites
21. Pseudo Youth
22. Devine Death
23. As the Machine Rolls On
24. Common Enemy
25. Moral Crusade
26. Stigmatized
27. M.A.D.
28. Dragnet

Napalm Death

Tracks 1-12

Nik Napalm- vocals, bass

Justin Broaderick- guitar, vocals

Mick Harris- drums

Tracks 13-28

Lee Dorrian- vocals

Jim Whitely- bass

Bill Steer- guitar

Mick Harris- drums, vocals

History has determined that “Scum” marked the official initiation of the sub-genre now known as grindcore and Napalm Death have been attributed as its pioneers. I won’t debate that fact but all I know is that I have come to love having my ears cleaned out by the album.

Next post: Testament- Live at Eindhoven

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