Napalm Death are an English grindcore band, founded by Nic Bullen (vocals, bass) and Miles Ratledge (drums) in May 1981 when the two were 12/13 years old. [1] The band currently consists of bassist Shane Embury (since 1987), lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, guitarist Mitch Harris (both since 1989), drummer Danny Herrera (since 1991).
Bullen and Ratledge founded the band as an extension of their Fanzine writing, [1] the two were joined by Daryl "Dez" Fedeski on guitars in August 1981, and Graham Robertson on bass in January 1982. [2] Fedeski who departed that October, Robertson moved to guitar, and Finbar Quinn joined on bass and backing vocals. [1] [3] The band entered a hiatus in late 1983, playing one concert in 1984, at which they were joined by Marian Williams on backing vocals.
In July 1985 the band consisted of Ratledge on drums; Bullen - performing vocals, bass and guitar; Robertson on guitar and bass, and Damien Errington on guitar. [4] This line up was short lived when Bullen and Ratledge reverted the band to a trio with Justin Broadrick on guitar and vocals. [5] The trio played their first concert on 31 August 1985, they were joined by Peter Shaw on bass in September who recorded the Demo Hatred Surge with the band.
The band split with Miles Ratledge soon after, with Bullen and Broadrick being joined by local fan Mick Harris. [1] The trio first performed in December 1985 and recorded half an LP in August 1986, originally planned to be split with Atavistic but would later be the A side to their debut, Scum. After recording the band were joined by Jim Whitely on bass. This four piece played a few concerts before Broadrick left, Frank Healy joined as his temporary replacement. [6] Sole remaining founding member, Bullen left in December 1986.
The band found full time replacements in Bill Steer on guitar and Lee Dorrian on vocals. This line-up recorded the B side to Scum, which was released in July 1987. During the tour for Scum, Whitely departed, he was replaced by Shane Embury. This line-up recorded From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988) before Steer and Dorian departed after a Japanese tour in July 1989. The group recruited Jesse Pintado (ex-Terrorizer) on guitar and Mark "Barney" Greenway (ex-Benediction) as vocalist, Mitch Harris (ex-Righteous Pigs) joined as second guitarist after the tour.
Mick Harris departed after releasing Harmony Corruption (1990) in 1991. His replacement was Danny Herrera.
The next line-up change was Greenway's departure in 1996, [7] he was replaced by Phil Vane, of Extreme Noise Terror, a band with Greenway joined after his departure. Vane remained with the band for a few months before being expelled due it not working out. [8] Greenway then returned to record vocals for Inside the Torn Apart (1997), Vane subsequently re-joined Extreme Noise Terror.
Jesse Pintado departed by April 2005, [9] he was not replaced. Mitch Harris went on indefinite touring hiatus in 2014, [10] his touring replacement has been John Cooke who had previously acted as road manager, driver, as well as substitute vocalist and bassist in 2010 [11] : 4:59 [12] and 2012 respectively. [11] : 4:49 [12]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Embury | 1987–present |
| all releases from From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988) onwards | |
| Mark "Barney" Greenway |
| lead vocals | all releases from Harmony Corruption (1990) onwards | |
| Mitch Harris | 1989–present (studio/session only since 2014) |
| ||
| Danny Herrera | 1991–present | drums | all releases from Utopia Banished (1992) onwards |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas "Nik Napalm" Bullen | 1981–1986 |
| Scum (1987) A side and all demos | |
| Miles "Rat" Ratledge | 1981–1985 | drums | all demos from "Halloween" (1982) to "Hatred Surge" (1985) | |
| Daryl "Daz F" Fedeski | 1981–1982 | guitars |
| |
| Graham "Robbo" Robertson | 1982–1985 |
|
| |
| Finbar "Fin" Quinn | 1983–1984 |
|
| |
| Marian Williams | 1984 | vocals | none | |
| Damien Errington | 1985 | guitars | ||
| Justin Broadrick | 1985–1986 |
|
| |
| Mick Harris | 1985–1991 |
|
| |
| Peter "P-Nut" Shaw | 1985 | bass | "Hatred Surge" (1985) | |
| Jim Whitely | 1986–1987 |
| ||
| Frank Healy | 1987 | guitars | none | |
| Bill Steer | 1987–1989 |
| ||
| Lee Dorrian | lead vocals | |||
| Jesse Pintado | 1989–2004 (died 2006) | guitars | all releases from Harmony Corruption (1990) to The DVD (2001) | |
| Phil Vane | 1996–1997 (died 2011) | lead vocals | none |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cooke |
|
| Cooke was road manager and driver for the band, when Greenway fell ill, Cooke stepped on stage and sang 5 or 6 songs in 2010, and played bass when Embury fell ill in 2012. [13] [14] Cooke has been the bands primary touring guitarist since Mitch Harris' touring hiatus. [11] : 4:49 [12] | |
| Erik Burke | 2015 | guitars | Burke played guitar in place of Harris on a North American tour in 2015. [15] | |
| Vernon Blake |
| bass | Blake replaced Embury on two occasions, first in 2015 and again in 2019 [16] and 2020. | |
| Jesper Liveröd | 2017 | Liverod played bass in place of Embury in 2017. |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| May – August 1981 |
| none |
| August 1981 – January 1982 |
| |
| January – October 1982 |
|
|
| October 1982 – early 1983 |
| none |
| early – late 1983 |
|
|
| 1984 |
| one show |
| May – August 1985 |
| none |
| August – September 1985 |
| |
| September – December 1985 |
|
|
| December 1985 – late 1986 |
|
|
| late 1986 |
| none |
| late 1986 – early 1987 |
| |
| early – August 1987 |
|
|
| August 1987 – July 1989 |
|
|
| August – late 1989 |
| none |
| late 1989 – early 1991 |
|
|
| early 1991 – mid 1996 |
|
|
| mid 1996 – early 1997 |
| sessions only |
| early 1997 – early 2004 |
|
|
| early 2004 – present |
|
|
Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since Utopia Banished (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris, drummer Danny Herrera and lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway has remained consistent through most of the band's career. From 1989 to 2004, Napalm Death were a five-piece band after they added Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris as replacements for guitarist Bill Steer. Following Pintado's departure, the band reverted to a four-piece.
Scum is the debut studio album by English grindcore band Napalm Death, released on 1 July 1987 by Earache Records. The two sides of the record were recorded by two different lineups in sessions separated by about a year; the only musician in both incarnations was drummer Mick Harris. The two sides are very different, and the two taken together serve to bridge stylistic elements of heavy metal and punk rock. While the songs on the A-side are influenced heavily by hardcore punk and anarcho-punk, the vocals and lower-tuned electric guitars on the B-side anticipate subsequent developments in extreme metal. Loudwire put it in the list of the best 10 metal albums of 1987.
From Enslavement to Obliteration is the second studio album by English grindcore band Napalm Death, released in 1988. It is the final studio album with vocalist Lee Dorrian and guitarist Bill Steer, and the first to feature bassist Shane Embury, the band's longest-tenured member to date. A remastered version was released on 2 April 2012. Loudwire put it on the list of the 10 best metal albums of 1988.
Mass Appeal Madness is an EP by Napalm Death. It was released in 1991 on Earache Records and is dedicated to the memory of Roger Patterson, the bassist of death metal band Atheist who died earlier in the same year.
Greed Killing is an EP by the British band Napalm Death.
Shane Thomas Embury is a British musician, who is primarily known as the bassist of the grindcore and death metal band Napalm Death since 1987—the longest-serving member of the band.
Nicholas Bullen is an English musician and a founding member of the grindcore band Napalm Death.
Leaders Not Followers: Part 2 is a cover album by British grindcore band Napalm Death, released in 2004 by Century Media. It contains covers of various hardcore punk and heavy metal songs. Although Jesse Pintado is credited for playing guitars, guitarist Mitch Harris revealed in an interview with The Metal Forge in 2005 that Pintado did not contribute to Leaders Not Followers: Part 2.
Noise for Music's Sake is a double-disc compilation by British band Napalm Death. It was released on 8 July 2003 on Earache Records. This album is a retrospective of the band's entire career. The first disc is a best-of compilation; the second disc contains rarities. The booklet includes 20 pages with interviews of band members Shane Embury and Mark "Barney" Greenway. It also includes a guide to all the songs from the second disc, and a complete "Family Tree" detailing every person who was ever in the band.
Death by Manipulation is a compilation album of EPs by British band Napalm Death. It was released on 19 August 1991.
Live Corruption is a live album by the English band Napalm Death released in 1992. It was recorded live at the Salisbury Arts Centre, England on 30 June 1990. The band performed various songs composed by the original line-up.
Inside the Torn Apart is the seventh studio album by British extreme metal band Napalm Death. It was released by Earache in June 1997 on double vinyl, regular CD, digipak CD and MC.
Bootlegged in Japan is a live album from British extreme metal band Napalm Death, released in June 1998 through Earache.
The Complete Radio One Sessions is a compilation album by Napalm Death featuring all tracks recorded for BBC radio sessions. Tracks 1–12, which were recorded for the John Peel show, were previously released as The Peel Sessions. There are three versions of The Peel Sessions: 1987, 1989, and finally, the album that compiled all the sessions together, the 1993 version. All these tracks were also released as part of this longer compilation The Complete Radio One Sessions.
Punishment in Capitals is a live CD and DVD-release by the band Napalm Death. It was recorded at the London ULU on 12 April 2002 at a benefit gig for animal rights organization Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty. This is the last release with Jesse Pintado.
Leaders Not Followers is an EP album by the British band Napalm Death, featuring covers from various punk and metal bands. The EP has been re-issued by Secret Records on limited edition red vinyl on the occasion of Record Store Day 2013 and has also been included on their CD re-issue of Enemy of the Music Business as bonus tracks.
In Tongues We Speak is a split EP album by Napalm Death and Coalesce.
The DVD is a Napalm Death DVD released by Earache in 2001. The only material seeing release for the first time is the Nottingham show from 1989 and the ULU show from 1989. The version of Utopia Banished currently in print features The DVD as a bonus disc.
Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism is the sixteenth studio album by British grindcore band Napalm Death. It was released on 18 September 2020 through Century Media.
John Cooke is an English musician, best known as touring guitarist for Napalm Death. Before joining Napalm Death, he was a member of Corrupt Moral Altar, Venomous Concept, and Malevolent Creation. He is also known for his solo project, Lair of the White Worm.
