Grindcore heavy hitters Napalm Death released the second single ‘Amoral‘ of their upcoming sixteenth album Thores of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism. The new record is due on 18th September 2020 via Century Media and is their first LP since Apex Predator – Easy Meat (2015) thus ending the longest gap between releases in their discography so far.
‘Amoral‘ marks a slight shift back to Napalm Death’s earlier post-punk material with moderately experimental industrial vibe, more reminiscent of Killing Joke and Ministry than debut single ‘Backclash Just Because‘ which came earlier in July. Less brutal and considerably slower but maintaining the band’s signature intensity and energy, the track suceeds in sounding fresh and unique in line with the widespread creative surge across the metal scene.
The minimalistic monochrome video was directed by Danish film-maker Michael Panduro and resembles the pencil sketch style of his previous work for Napalm Death’s ‘Smash a Single Digit’. As highlighed in Panduro’s official website, his style is “defined by a love for fleshy grotesqueries” – an apparent feature of both videos and a fitting visualization to the band’s distinctive sound.
Producer Russ Russel returns again as the main force behind Thores of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism‘s production, engineering, mixing and mastering, after working with Napalm Death for over twenty years since first joining forces for Enemy of the Music Business from 2000. The artwork for Thores of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism was created by another familiar name – Frode Sylthe of Friktion.com. The Danish designer is also creddited for creating the album covers for Napalm Death’s last two records Apex Predator – Easy Meat (2015) and Utilitarian (2012).
In an interview for Blabbermount, lead singer Mark Greenway descriped their upcoming album as a response to the “rapidly growing fear and paranoia being generated about everybody, from migrating people to people with fluid sexuality” and stated the main lyrical theme behind the tracks is “the other.” New album is available to pre-order along with limited edition mediabooks, posters and vinyl. Last week Napalm Death also launched a brand new online store with loads of exclusive merch available for international delivery.
Napalm Death are formed in 1981 in Meriden, UK and are creditted as the pioneers of the grindcore genre. With fifteenth albums in their discography ranging from crust punk to death metal, they have established themselves as one of the most influential extreme bands from the UK. Napalm Death are Mark Greenway (vocals), Shane Embury (bass), Danny Herrera (drums) and Mitch Harris (guitars) with current lineup playing together since the early 1990s.
Thores of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism’s track listing:
01. Fuck The Factoid
02. Backlash Just Because
03. That Curse Of Being In Thrall
04. Contagion
05. Joie De Ne Pas Vivre
06. Invigorating Clutch
07. Zero Gravitas Chamber
08. Fluxing Of The Muscle
09. Amoral
10. Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism
11. Acting In Gouged Faith
12. A Bellyful Of Salt And Spleen
