Apex Predator - Easy Meat

Some review somewhere else of "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" mentioned "progressive metal influences"? Um, really, are you kidding? This album is exactly what you would expect from modern Napalm Death, to no fault. Sounds like an extension of "Utilitarian" which was an extension of the album before that, and so on, probably going back to "The Code...". If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

The production is pretty similar to that of "Utilitarian", suitably modern and in-your-face, maybe a bit too much in the way of effects on Barney's vocals (a common criticism of recent Napalm), but all is as it should be, and these guys aren't exactly young.

Every modern Napalm Death album, while similar enough to what came before it to be familiar, is unique enough in its own way. "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" sees perhaps an easing of the foot onto the brakes a little bit, as we have a more overall "mid-paced" (well, mid-paced for ND anyway) feel to things. Tracks like "Smash a Single Digit" join recent songs like "Rabid Wolves (for Christ)" and "Nom De Guerre" in being a 21st century re-imagination of the "From Enslavement to Obliteration" sound, but on the whole many songs here are more comparable to an "On the Brink of Extinction" or "Fall on Their Swords": running with your "Celtic Frost" mid-paced riffage, to try to be general. "Cesspits" in particular draws from the previously two mentioned songs (I can't help but feel them to be linked), but still easily avoids being labeled a "self rip-off" or whatever.

Modern Napalm Death has to involve some "experimentation", lately generally involving "clean" vocal parts, suitably layered to get that "Gregorian chant" sound going, and "Apex Predator - Easy Meat" is no exception to this. See the intro/title track (great track in the vein of a "Multinational Corporations" or especially an "Evolved as One"), "Dear Slum Landlord...", and the chorus of "Heirarchies" (the song probably supporting the best of those mid-paced, catchy riffs I've spoken of). Also see (less experimentation and more just "something different") the beginning of "Beyond the Pale" for a "duet" (as I heard it described elsewhere) between Barney's grunts and Mitch's screams (modern ND has plenty of instances of perfectly-placed vocal lines and tradeoffs between these two guys, but here it's a little different than what we're used too, and works greatly).

Like any modern ND release, three or four of these songs will become permanently imbedded in your head. These guys are just damn good songwriters, and write choruses better than most pop artists/songwriters. Good luck getting the choruses to "Smash a Single Digit", "How the Years Condemn", "Hierarchies", or "Adversarial" out of your head. It doesn't even matter that three of those four are just the song titles repeated a few times. The background instrumentation and Barney's and/or Mitch's inimitable vocals get the job done. These would all work excellently in the live setting, get the whole crowd screaming along.

That's about all there is to say really. If you enjoy any Napalm Death release from this century (maybe specifically since "The Code..." as I feel that's where they really solidified this sound), don't hesitate to purchase "Apex Predator - Easy Meat". It's familiar without sounding stagnant in any way, will scratch any ND itch that "Smear Campaign" or "Utilitarian" can, and just proves that this band is one of the most consistent metal bands that is still running and touring strong. Long live Napalm Death.