The godfathers of grind are back, and Time Waits for No Slave is not for the weak! NAPALM DEATH have been on a roll with their last few albums, and this release is no exception. All the trademark NAPALM qualities are included - Barney’s barking, Mitch’s high pitched squeals, Shane’s ferocious bass attack, Danny’s immaculate drumming, and of course the political lyrics that actually make you think with your brain, instead of being just a mindless metal clone.
“Strong Arm” punishes the listener immediately and the classic Barney/Mitch Harris dual vocal combo infiltrates your audio senses. The chaos of all the instruments mesh together perfectly, as ‘’Diktat" exemplifies the word “extreme.” Unlike any MORTICIAN release, NAPALM’s songwriting ability proves that their songs are not just a wall of noise with no thought put into it. The band sometimes writes extremely simple but catchy riffs, such as with “On the Brink of Extinction,” but the simplicity is enjoyable and sticks in your head. A few parts of Time Waits for No Slave are reminiscent of the underrated Diatribes album, especially on tracks such as “Procrastination on the Empty Vessel.”
Time Waits for No Slave is relentless, and the title track is an absolute standout track, with memorable breakdowns and grind riffs that grind purists will drool over. “Downbeat Clique” provides an instant classic headbanging riff, and only solidifies the great entity known as NAPALM DEATH. The new NAPALM sound is perfectly illustrated on “Fallacy Dominion,” as Danny’s grinding compliments the vocals and slower discordant riffs. “De-evolution Ad Nauseum” continues to pummel your skull until this 50 minute grind filled album comes to a deafening halt, and all is silent.
Although Time Waits for No Slave suffers somewhat of “KATAKLYSM Syndrome” - meaning NAPALM has released a lot of albums in the last few years, and some tracks and riffs are interchangeable; do not let that fact discourage you. This is still one of the top albums of 2009, and is definitely still EXTREME music and not for the faint-hearted. The bottom line is: check out the grind legends when they hit your town, because these songs are best enjoyed live and at maximum volume. (Century Media Records)
