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{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox album
{{Infobox album
| name = Fear, Emptiness, Despair
| name = Fear, Emptiness, Despair
| type = studio
| type = studio
| artist = [[Napalm Death]]
| artist = [[Napalm Death]]
| cover = Fear, Emptiness, Despair.jpg
| cover = Fear, Emptiness, Despair.jpg
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|1994|5|31}}
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|1994|5|9}}
| recorded = October–December 1993
| recorded = {{Start date|1993|10}}–{{End date|1993|11}} <br/> {{Start date|1993|11}}–{{End date|1993|12}}
| studio = Parr St. Studios, [[Liverpool]], [[England]] <br/> Jacob Studios, [[Surrey]], England
| studio = Parr St. Studios, [[Liverpool]], [[England]] <br /> Jacob Studios, [[Surrey]], England
| genre = [[Death metal]]<ref name=Allmusic/>
| genre = [[Death metal]]<ref name=Allmusic/>
| length = {{Duration|m=38|s=53}}
| length = {{Duration|m=38|s=53}}
| label = [[Earache Records|Earache]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| label = {{flatlist|
* [[Earache Records|Earache]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| producer = Pete Coleman, Napalm Death
| prev_title = [[Nazi Punks Fuck Off (Napalm Death)|Nazi Punks Fuck Off]]
⚫
| prev_year = 1993
⚫
| next_title = [[Greed Killing]]
⚫
| next_year = 1995
}}
}}
| producer = {{flatlist|
⚫
{{Album ratings
* Pete Coleman
⚫
| rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
* Napalm Death
⚫
}}
| prev_title = [[Utopia Banished]]
⚫
| prev_year = 1992
⚫
| next_title = [[Greed Killing]]
⚫
| next_year = 1995
}}
⚫
{{Music ratings
⚫
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=Allmusic/>
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=Allmusic/>
| rev2 = ''MetalReviews''
| rev2 = ''[[The Boston Phoenix]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{sfn|Carioli|1994}}
| rev2Score = 86/100<ref name="metalreviewsrev">{{cite web |url=http://www.metalreviews.com/reviews/album/5087 |title=Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair |author=Goat |work=MetalReviews |accessdate=18 October 2014}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
| rev3score = 8/10{{sfn|Popoff|2007|p=306}}
| rev4 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{sfn|Larkin|2007|p=1016}}
| rev5 = ''[[Kerrang!]]''
| rev5score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{sfn|Arnopp|1994}}
| rev6 = [[Metal.de]]
| rev6score = 9/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Matthias |date=1 March 2007 |title=Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair Review |url=https://www.metal.de/reviews/napalm-death-fear-emptiness-despair-7926/ |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=[[metal.de]]}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]''
| rev7score = 9/10<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kühnemund |first=Götz |date=28 April 1994 |title=Fear, Emptiness, Despair |url=https://www.rockhard.de/reviews/napalm-death-fear-emptiness-despair |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]] |language=de-DE |type=Vol. 84}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev8score = 6/10{{sfn|Norris|1995|p=265}}
| rev9 = ''[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]]''
| rev9score = 5/10{{sfn|Russell|1994}}
| noprose = yes
| noprose = yes
}}
}}


'''''Fear, Emptiness, Despair''''' is the fifth studio album by British [[grindcore]] band [[Napalm Death]], released on 31 May 1994. Napalm Death's inclusion on the ''[[Mortal Kombat (soundtrack)|Mortal Kombat]]'' soundtrack brought significant exposure to the band and this album, alongside the fact that the band's label [[Earache Records|Earache]] had formed a partnership with [[Columbia Records]] which allowed the album to disseminate to a wider audience.<ref>https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/12/13/rank-defile-shane-embury-orders-napalm-deaths-albums-worst-best/</ref> ''[[Raw (music magazine)|RAW]]'' magazine listed ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' as one of the essential album of the 1990s.
'''''Fear, Emptiness, Despair''''' is the fifth studio album by British [[grindcore]] band [[Napalm Death]], released on 9 May 1994.{{Sfn|Arnopp|1994}} Napalm Death's inclusion on the ''[[Mortal Kombat (soundtrack)|Mortal Kombat]]'' soundtrack brought significant exposure to the band and this album, alongside the fact that the band's label [[Earache Records|Earache]] had formed a partnership with [[Columbia Records]] which allowed the album to disseminate to a wider audience.<ref name="decibelmagazine.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/12/13/rank-defile-shane-embury-orders-napalm-deaths-albums-worst-best/|title=Rank and Defile: Shane Embury Orders Napalm Death’s Albums from Worst to Best|date=13 December 2017|website=Decibel Magazine|access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref> ''[[Raw (music magazine)|RAW]]'' magazine listed ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' as one of the essential album of the 1990s.{{Sfn|Johnson|1995|p=37}}


In a 2017 interview, bassist [[Shane Embury]] listed the album as his least favourite of Napalm Death's [[Napalm Death discography|discography]], citing the division between the vocalist [[Barney Greenway]] and the remainder of the band, and the high corporate influence over the band during the album's production as factors that undermined the final result.<ref>https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/12/13/rank-defile-shane-embury-orders-napalm-deaths-albums-worst-best/</ref>
In a 2017 interview, bassist [[Shane Embury]] listed the album as his least favourite of Napalm Death's [[Napalm Death discography|discography]], citing the division between the vocalist [[Barney Greenway]] and the remainder of the band, and the high corporate influence over the band during the album's production as factors that undermined the final result.<ref name="decibelmagazine.com"/>


==Musical style==
==Musical style==
⚫
Originally titled ''Under Rule'',<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.earache.com/bands/napalm_death/napalm_death.html|title= NAPALM DEATH|publisher= [[Earache Records]]|access-date= 13 October 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110927000049/http://www.earache.com/bands/napalm_death/napalm_death.html|archive-date= 27 September 2011|url-status= dead}}</ref> the album represented a stylistic transition for Napalm Death.<ref name="Decibel Magazine">{{cite web|url= http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/decibrity-playlist-shane-embury-napalm-death|title= Decibrity Playlist: Shane Embury (Napalm Death)|date= 23 February 2012|publisher= Decibel Magazine|access-date= 24 June 2017}}</ref> ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' maintained the complex music structures of their previous albums ''[[Utopia Banished]]'' and ''[[Harmony Corruption]]'',<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|url= {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r204477|pure_url=yes}}|title= ((( Fear Emptiness Despair > Overview )))|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date= 13 October 2008}}</ref> but there was a greater emphasis placed on incorporating elements of groove into the band's style, resulting in a wider use of mid-paced music.{{sfn|Mudrian|2016|p=222}} The group experimented a new compositional style: they started off with the [[drum beat]]s and then layered the [[guitar riff]]s atop of the drum patterns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RK |date=May 1994 |title=Interview with Napalm Death |url=https://www.karsmakers.nl/metal-e-zine/napalmd.htm |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=karsmakers.nl}}</ref> Bassist [[Shane Embury]] claims that [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]] and their album ''[[Strap It On]]'' influenced the band's style on this album. Other [[alternative rock]] groups that shaped Napalm Death's music during this transitional period were [[Soundgarden]], [[Jane's Addiction]] and [[Sonic Youth]], plus old favorites such as [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]] and [[Death (metal band)|Death]].<ref name="Decibel Magazine"/>

⚫
Originally titled ''Under Rule'',<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.earache.com/bands/napalm_death/napalm_death.html|title= NAPALM DEATH|author=|date=|publisher= [[Earache Records]]|accessdate= 13 October 2008}}</ref> the album represented a stylistic transition for Napalm Death.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/decibrity-playlist-shane-embury-napalm-death|title= Decibrity Playlist: Shane Embury (Napalm Death)|date= 2012-02-23|publisher= [http://decibelmagazine.com Decibel Magazine]|accessdate= 2017-06-24}}</ref> ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' maintained the complex music structures of their previous albums ''[[Utopia Banished]]'' and ''[[Harmony Corruption]]'',<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|url= {{Allmusic|class=album|id=r204477|pure_url=yes}}|title= ((( Fear Emptiness Despair > Overview )))|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|date=|publisher= [[Allmusic]]|accessdate= 13 October 2008}}</ref> but there was a greater emphasis placed on incorporating elements of groove into the band's style, resulting in a wider use of mid-paced music.<ref>Mudrian, Albert (2004). ''Choosing Death: the Improbable History of Death Metal and Grincore''. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House. Page 194.</ref> The group experimented a new compostional style: they started off with the [[drum beat|drum beats]] and then layered the [[guitar riff|guitar riffs]] atop of the drum patterns [https://www.karsmakers.nl/metal-e-zine/napalmd.htm]. Bassist [[Shane Embury]] claims that [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]] and their album ''[[Strap It On]]'' influenced the band's style on this album. Other [[alternative rock]] groups that shaped Napalm Death's music during this transitional period were [[Soundgarden]], [[Jane's Addiction]] and [[Sonic Youth]], plus old favorites such as [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]] and [[Death (metal band)|Death]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/decibrity-playlist-shane-embury-napalm-death|title= Decibrity Playlist: Shane Embury (Napalm Death)|date= 2012-02-23|publisher= [http://decibelmagazine.com Decibel Magazine]|accessdate= 2017-06-24}}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
In its first week of release ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' reached #22 in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s [[Top Heatseekers|Heatseekers]] chart.<ref>Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart. ''Billboard'', June 18 1994. Page 20.</ref> The inclusion of "Twist the Knife (Slowly)" in the ''Mortal Kombat'' soundtrack brought the band further acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/napalm+death|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124023920/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/napalm+death|dead-url=yes|archive-date=24 November 2009|title=Artists :: NAPALM DEATH|publisher=[[MusicMight]]|accessdate=14 October 2008|df=dmy-all}} </ref> The soundtrack scored a Top 10 position on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1995-09-09/billboard-200 |title=Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=14 October 2008}}</ref> and went [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]] in less than a year.<ref name="RIAA_Certificate">{{cite web|title=Search Results for Mortal Kombat|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=mortal+kombat|accessdate=April 12, 2017}}</ref> In the August 1995 edition of RAW ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' was featured in the magazine's 90 essential albums of the nineties.<ref>{{cite web|title=RAW's 90 Essential Albums For The 90s|date= August 1995|publisher=[[Raw (music magazine)|RAW]]|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/raw.htm|accessdate=June 24, 2017}}</ref>
In its first week of release ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' reached No. 22 in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'''s [[Top Heatseekers|Heatseekers]] chart.<ref>Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart. ''Billboard'', 18 June 1994. Page 20.</ref> The inclusion of "Twist the Knife (Slowly)" in the ''Mortal Kombat'' soundtrack brought the band further acclaim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/napalm+death|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124023920/http://www.musicmight.com/artist/united+kingdom/west+midlands/birmingham/napalm+death|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 November 2009|title=Artists :: NAPALM DEATH|publisher=[[MusicMight]]|access-date=14 October 2008}}</ref> The soundtrack scored a Top 10 position on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1995-09-09/billboard-200 |title=Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=14 October 2008}}</ref> and went [[Music recording sales certification|platinum]] in less than a year.<ref name="RIAA_Certificate">{{cite web|title=Search Results for Mortal Kombat|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of America]]|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=mortal+kombat|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref> In 1995, ''[[Raw (music magazine)|RAW]]'' featured the album in its list of the 90 essential albums of the 1990s.{{Sfn|Johnson|1995|p=37}} In 2011, it was included in ''Kerrang!''{{'s}} list of the "666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die!".{{Sfn|Travers|2011}}

In 2013, Andrew Earles of ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' ranked ''Fear, Emptiness, Despair'' at number 29 in their list of the "40 Weirdest Post-''[[Nevermind (album)|Nevermind]]'' Major Label Albums".<ref name="Earles">{{cite web |last1=Earles |first1=Andrew |title=Blame Nirvana: The 40 Weirdest Post-'Nevermind' Major-Label Albums |url=http://www.spin.com/articles/blame-nirvana-40-weirdest-post-nevermind-major-label-albums?slide=12 |website=Spin |access-date=August 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111083724/http://www.spin.com/articles/blame-nirvana-40-weirdest-post-nevermind-major-label-albums?slide=12 |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |page=12 |date=January 8, 2013}}</ref> He believed the "overlooked [[extreme metal|extreme-metal]] classic" was recorded at the "experimental highpoint" of the band, noting that it is famous for featuring no original band members. He continued that the album "was the band's grand gesture of cycling through riffs that remotely nodded to [[art punk|art-punks]] like [[Sonic Youth]] and [[Swans (band)|Swans]]. But with Columbia's marketing muscle focused on [[Entombed (band)|Entombed]], Napalm Death's only venture into major-label territory alienated long-time metalheads and failed to net new fans on the [[alternative rock|alterna-kid]] axis".<ref name="Earles" />


==Track listing==
==Track listing==
Line 83: Line 104:
| music11 = Pintado
| music11 = Pintado
| length11 = 3:42
| length11 = 3:42
⚫
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Digipak CD bonus tracks
| title12 = Truth Drug
| lyrics12 = Greenway
| music12 = Embury
| length12 = 3:51
| title13 = Living in Denial
| lyrics13 = Embury
| music13 = Pintado
| length13 = 3:02
}}
}}


Line 99: Line 109:


===Napalm Death===
===Napalm Death===
*[[Mark Greenway|Mark "Barney" Greenway]] – [[Singing|vocals]]
*[[Mark Greenway|Mark "Barney" Greenway]] – [[Death growl|vocals]]
⚫
*[[Jesse Pintado]] – [[guitar]]
⚫
*[[Mitch Harris]] – [[guitar]]
*[[Shane Embury]] – [[Bass guitar|bass]], random guitar noise
*[[Shane Embury]] – [[Bass guitar|bass]], random guitar noise
⚫
*[[Jesse Pintado]] – [[Electric guitar|guitar]]
⚫
*[[Mitch Harris]] – guitar
*[[Danny Herrera (musician)|Danny Herrera]] – [[Drum kit|drums]]
*[[Danny Herrera (musician)|Danny Herrera]] – [[Drum kit|drums]]


Line 116: Line 126:
! Peak position
! Peak position
|-
|-
| {{Album chart|Germany3|78|M|title=Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair|url=http://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-30837|work=Offizielle Deutsche Charts|location=Germany|refname=germanchart|accessdate=24 September 2015}}
{{Album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|22|artist=Napalm Death|id=276990|refname=billboardheatseekerschart|access-date=28 August 2019}}
|-
| {{Album chart|Germany3|78|M|title=Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair|url=http://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-30837|work=Offizielle Deutsche Charts|location=Germany|refname=germanchart|access-date=24 September 2015}}
|}
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite magazine |last=Arnopp |first=Jason |author-link=Jason Arnopp |date=April 23, 1994 |title=Rekordz |magazine=[[Kerrang!]] |publisher=[[EMAP]] |page=44 |pages= |issue=491}}
* {{Cite news |last=Carioli |first=Carly |date=September 9, 1994 |title=Off The Record |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_september-9-15-1994_23_36/page/n107 |newspaper=[[The Boston Phoenix]] |type=Arts |language=English |volume=23 |issue=36 |page=40 |access-date=22 January 2024 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Russell |first=Graham |date=June 1994 |title=Reviews: Rock |magazine=[[Vox (magazine)|Vox]] |publisher=[[TI Media|IPC]] |page=92 |issue=45}}
* {{Cite magazine |date=July 19, 1995 |editor-last=Johnson |editor-first=Howard |title=90 for the '90s: The Essential Albums |magazine=[[Raw (music magazine)|Raw]] |publisher=[[EMAP]] |issue=180 |pages=35–37, 44–47}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Larkin|editor-first=Colin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|isbn=978-0857125958|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |pages=1015–1016|chapter=Napalm Death}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mudrian |first=Albert |title=Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore |title-link=Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore |publisher=[[Bazillion Points]] |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-935950-16-5 |edition=3rd paperback |location=US |publication-place=US |publication-date=2023 |type=Revised and Expanded Edition}}
* {{cite book|chapter=Napalm Death|first=Chris|last=Norris|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor2-first=Craig|editor2-last=Marks|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=265–266}}
* {{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2007 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]] |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Paul |date=November 2011 |title=Napalm Death: Also Recommended |journal=[[Kerrang!]]: 666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die! |publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]] |page=79}}


{{Napalm Death}}
{{Napalm Death}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Napalm Death albums]]
[[Category:Napalm Death albums]]
[[Category:1994 albums]]
[[Category:1994 albums]]
[[Category:Earache Records albums]]
[[Category:Earache Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Parr Street Studios]]

Latest revision as of 22:26, 29 August 2024

Fear, Emptiness, Despair
Studio album by
Napalm Death
Released9 May 1994 (1994-05-09)
RecordedOctober–December 1993
StudioParr St. Studios, Liverpool, England
Jacob Studios, Surrey, England
GenreDeath metal[1]
Length38:53
Label
Producer
  • Pete Coleman
  • Napalm Death
Napalm Death chronology
Utopia Banished
(1992) 		Fear, Emptiness, Despair
(1994) 		Greed Killing
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Boston Phoenix[2]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Kerrang![5]
Metal.de9/10[6]
Rock Hard9/10[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[8]
Vox5/10[9]

Fear, Emptiness, Despair is the fifth studio album by British grindcore band Napalm Death, released on 9 May 1994.[5] Napalm Death's inclusion on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack brought significant exposure to the band and this album, alongside the fact that the band's label Earache had formed a partnership with Columbia Records which allowed the album to disseminate to a wider audience.[10] RAW magazine listed Fear, Emptiness, Despair as one of the essential album of the 1990s.[11]

In a 2017 interview, bassist Shane Embury listed the album as his least favourite of Napalm Death's discography, citing the division between the vocalist Barney Greenway and the remainder of the band, and the high corporate influence over the band during the album's production as factors that undermined the final result.[10]

Musical style

[edit]

Originally titled Under Rule,[12] the album represented a stylistic transition for Napalm Death.[13] Fear, Emptiness, Despair maintained the complex music structures of their previous albums Utopia Banished and Harmony Corruption,[1] but there was a greater emphasis placed on incorporating elements of groove into the band's style, resulting in a wider use of mid-paced music.[14] The group experimented a new compositional style: they started off with the drum beats and then layered the guitar riffs atop of the drum patterns.[15] Bassist Shane Embury claims that Helmet and their album Strap It On influenced the band's style on this album. Other alternative rock groups that shaped Napalm Death's music during this transitional period were Soundgarden, Jane's Addiction and Sonic Youth, plus old favorites such as Discharge and Death.[13]

Reception

[edit]

In its first week of release Fear, Emptiness, Despair reached No. 22 in Billboard's Heatseekers chart.[16] The inclusion of "Twist the Knife (Slowly)" in the Mortal Kombat soundtrack brought the band further acclaim.[17] The soundtrack scored a Top 10 position on the Billboard 200 chart,[18] and went platinum in less than a year.[19] In 1995, RAW featured the album in its list of the 90 essential albums of the 1990s.[11] In 2011, it was included in Kerrang!'s list of the "666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die!".[20]

In 2013, Andrew Earles of Spin ranked Fear, Emptiness, Despair at number 29 in their list of the "40 Weirdest Post-Nevermind Major Label Albums".[21] He believed the "overlooked extreme-metal classic" was recorded at the "experimental highpoint" of the band, noting that it is famous for featuring no original band members. He continued that the album "was the band's grand gesture of cycling through riffs that remotely nodded to art-punks like Sonic Youth and Swans. But with Columbia's marketing muscle focused on Entombed, Napalm Death's only venture into major-label territory alienated long-time metalheads and failed to net new fans on the alterna-kid axis".[21]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Twist the Knife (Slowly)"Shane EmburyMitch Harris2:52
2."Hung"Embury, Mark GreenwayHarris, Embury3:49
3."Remain Nameless"EmburyJesse Pintado3:33
4."Plague Rages"EmburyEmbury3:51
5."More than Meets the Eye"GreenwayEmbury3:55
6."Primed Time"GreenwayHarris, Embury3:28
7."State of Mind"EmburyEmbury3:32
8."Armageddon X 7"GreenwayHarris3:16
9."Retching on the Dirt"GreenwayEmbury, Harris2:59
10."Fasting on Deception"EmburyPintado3:48
11."Throwaway"GreenwayPintado3:42

Personnel

[edit]

Napalm Death

[edit]

Production personnel

[edit]

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (1994) Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 22
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 78

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason. "( Fear Emptiness Despair > Overview )". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  2. ^ Carioli 1994.
  3. ^ Popoff 2007, p. 306.
  4. ^ Larkin 2007, p. 1016.
  5. ^ a b Arnopp 1994.
  6. ^ Matthias (1 March 2007). "Napalm Death - Fear, Emptiness, Despair Review". metal.de. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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Bibliography

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