Napalm Death
Time Waits For No Slave

February 2009
Released: 2009, Century Media Records
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Aaron Yurkiewicz

The godfathers of grindcore are back and not a moment too soon. A new Napalm Death record is always an opportunity to celebrate and TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE is yet another testament proving why they are the best at what they do. Depending on who’s counting, this is the band’s 14th or 15th full length in a career that has spanned over 20 years. That being said, I’m amazed at how the quartet can consistently produce quality, original material year after year in a genre that is often written off as derivative and limiting.



The band’s been riding a resurgence of sorts since 2005’s THE CODE IS RED…LONG LIVE THE CODE, which showed the band embracing their crust/punk roots and delivered some of their best material in over a decade. The band quickly followed in 2006 with the exceptional SMEAR CAMPAIGN (even better than THE CODE) which was decidedly more complex and focused. 2009 completes the trifecta of awesomeness with TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE. Musically, the album combines the complexity of SMEAR CAMPAIGN with the immediacy of THE CODE IS RED, providing fourteen more classic tracks to the Napalm Death library.



The four-piece of Greenway, Embury, Harris, and Herrera sound as tight and succinct as ever. The album blazes through your speakers with “Strongarm” and doesn’t let up until final chords of “De-Evolution Ad-Nauseum.” Album highlights include the title track, “Strong Arm”, “Diktat”, “Fallacy Dominion” and “Life and Limb”, but there’s absolutely no filler to be found anywhere. The only criticism that I can levy towards TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE is that as mentioned, it’s more of a bridge between the last two records than a real step forward. But hell, the last two albums were amazing, so I can’t fault it too much.



Napalm Death are legends in a genre where few legends exist, and deservedly so. There’s something to be said for experience and the benefits of that experience are fully exploited on TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE. The material on the new album is abrasive enough to please long time fans while still managing to be accessible to potential newbies, consistently aggressive without being monotonous, and there’s more social consciousness present here than a day’s worth of CNN. Plain and simple, Napalm Death rules and you need to hear TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE.

Napalm Death
Time Waits For No Slave

April 2009
Released: 2009, Century Media
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: Mr. Rock

Napalm Death are back with their newest disc, TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE, and let me tell you right off the bat, this has to be in the running for album of the year. Fast, furious, and as brutal as they come, this disc is everything that is GREAT about metal. The band has been steadily climbing to this pinnacle since the release of THE CODE IS RED…LONG LIVE THE CODE (a disc I really loved), but with this latest release, the band have proven that they are at the top of their game. This disc kills in every way.



The band, as always, is in top form, but it’s Barney (Greenway – vocals) who seems to be on a mission here. The vocals, simply put, are some of the most brutal on record. Barney does not stop for the entire 50+ minutes, and never once does he let the listener up for air. Brutal, brutal, brutal. The rest of the band have to be commended here as well. Though Barney is leading the way, without the top notch performances of his bandmates, there would be no where for him to go. This is definitely a collective effort.



The songwriting, performances, production, and artwork are all stellar. It’s very difficult to pick out songs as highlights simply because each and every song would be listed here. Yes, they are all that good. From the massive, massive riffs, to the machine gun drumming, to the insane bass work, Napalm Death leave little room for doubt that they will pummel you, it will hurt, and then they will move on to their next victim. No one will be left standing.



After such a lengthy career, especially in the metal game, it’s astounding that Napalm Death are writing and performing songs like these. I know it’s early in the year, but I have a hard time imagining that anyone is going to top this masterpiece.



TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE is brilliant, and you need to add this to your collection.