Napalm Death

Creating some of the most ferocious, abrasive, thundering sounds ever heard, West Midlands band Napalm Death re-interpreted heavy metal in the late 1980s, turning it into a hardcore, a-tonal eruption of noise known as grindcore. Inspired by the classic hard rock acts Black Sabbath and Motörhead and the anarcho-experimental punk of Crass and Throbbing Gristle, the band really took off when, championed by Radio 1 DJ John Peel, debut album Scum (1987) went on to become a landmark of the underground metal scene. Their 1.3 second track "You Suffer" was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest song ever and the band became even more extreme with the 54-track second album From Enslavement To Obliteration (1988). Through line-up changes and experiments with death metal, industrial and blast beat, the band have built a loyal cult following and stand as innovative figures within the world of hard rock. Albums Harmony Corruption (1990), Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994) and Enemy Of The Record Business (2000) are all acclaimed high points for the band—who remain popular today, with their 2020 album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, charting across Europe.