Band:	Napalm Death
Album:	Resentment Is Always Seismic – A Final Throw Of Throes
Style:	Grindcore
Release date:	February 11, 2022
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Narcissus
02. Resentment Always Simmers
03. By Proxy
04. People Pie [Slab! cover]
05. Man Bites Dogged
06. Slaver Through A Repeat Performance
07. Don't Need It [Bad Brains cover]
08. Resentment Is Always Seismic (Dark Sky Burial Dirge)

Making an impact.

Returning to tie up the loose ends, Napalm Death have produced this EP as a way of closing the book on the Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism chapter of their career. With the news of a new album pencilled in for later this year, Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes has to do well to grab fans' attention, as well as establish a reason for people to delve deeper to find it. Luckily, those who do give it the time of day will be treated to a solid collection of tracks, albeit one that does admittedly at times feel like a collection of disparate leftovers and outtakes.

If you don’t know who Napalm Death are, you will quickly become acquainted with them once “Narcissus” kicks into gear, a track straight out of the band’s playbook: high-energy grindcore with an ear for groove and a charged and febrile atmosphere as the band get in your face. Alongside some strong original material in “By Proxy” and “Slaver Through A Repeat Performance”, the EP contains two covers that recall the band’s punk roots. Slab!’s “People Pie” is a funky, industrial number that is a nice mid-record breather, if not much else. “Don’t Need It”, on the other hand, is a faithful rendition of the Bad Brains classic and one that sees the band delve into their hardcore roots as they blitz through it with red hot intensity.

The highlight has to be “Man Bites Dogged”, a somewhat straightforward grindcore track, but one that lives up to the quality you expect from the band. Featuring a solid mix of full-tilt aggression, heaviness and a section that you can’t help but headbang along to the groove of, it reminds you that even when doing the basics, Napalm Death do it to a high standard, with each member of the band still firing on all cylinders.

The EP, however, closes on a low note, with “Resentment Is Always Seismic (Dark Sky Burial Dirge)” limping from its beginning until the EP’s conclusion. A mix of industrial noises and atmospheric soundscapes, it sounds like an unused introduction passage that carries on for far too long, reinforcing the notion of the EP being a collection of songs that weren’t good enough to be used prior. With that said, Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes fares much better than you would expect of a record of leftovers, with only that one track that feels like wasted space.

For a record pieced together with leftover material, Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes is far stronger than what it could have been. Rather than merely tiding fans over until the next album is ready, the EP builds up the excitement and makes you anticipate the next full release even more than you already did. Worth checking out for fans both casual and hardcore.