Napalm Death — Scum
It’s difficult to under estimate the effect Scum has had on the metal scene in general and the wider extreme music and experimental scene. It went to influence the likes of John Zorn, Merzbow and manly others. It also of course made Earache, the almost branded metal label they’ve become over the years.
But Scum is far from a piece of history, it still sounds as fiery and tower block grim as it did all those years ago when I first heard it on vinyl. It’s lost none of its power, aggression or ugliness, and I can now admire it as a piece of art in its own right above and beyond been a good brutal, adrenalin fired beating. Basically for those who don’t know the album- it’s just over half-an-hour & twenty eight tracks long that mix together ragged edge of harcore punk, metallic elements and still some of the fastest drum work ever played- hell Mick Harris invented the blast beat. Making the first Grindcore album and still one of the most extreme albums around today.
So why reissue something that most will already have? Well I’m sure there’s still a few that haven’t heard it and of course it’s important to celebrate its twenty birthday too and show how important and fresh it still is. But the main buying point for most will be the documentary about the album, which is rather excellent lasting near on 50 mins. It consist of lots of interview footage with Mick Harris : going back to the Mermaid- the notorious pub they played in their early days, re-visting Rich bitch- the studios where both sides of the scum were recorded, and loads more interesting and informative banter about the early days of Napalm Death ect. We also have contribution's from respected metal journalist like Malcolm Dome, and a few others interesting input. All making a very rewarding film, that’s easily worth re-buying this again for those who already have and those who don’t a must have. Only bit of disappointment I guess is you don’t hear from the other members of the band, but Harris is more than adequate, since he was the power behind keeping the band together in its early years.
A must buy if you already have it or not. A worthy celebration of one of the great extreme albums of all time, whose anger towards muilt-national companies seems even more apt today than ever.