Napalm Death are cool. That’s a simple statement that should resound everytime the grindcore legends are brought up in any conversation and we’re not talking just about the music, but also on their strong conviction to help those in need.
Early this year, frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway, sent a letter to the president of Indonesia asking him to reconsider the death sentence given to two Australian drug smugglers caught bringing drug into the country. Now, the band have released “Earthwire,” an unreleased track from the Apex Predator – Easy Meat sessions, with the intention to raise funds for the victims of the earthquakes in Nepal. Barney explains on the following statement:
Having been fortunate to be invited to Kathmandu just over three years ago to play a gig, I remember fondly the unique, enriching experience that it gave us as a band. When you’re bouncing from continent to continent in short spaces of time, it might be very easy to become complacent to where you process all those continents through the same perceptive filter. I think you owe it those who receive you — and to yourself— to have a deeper sense of understanding.
Nepal, therefore, seemed not only a place of striking beauty, but also a tougher place for things that you would normally take for granted e.g. a stage to play on and a place for a concert festival. A wider viewing revealed such grim inequalities — in comparison to the wider world — as people living in holes at the side of the road, which then actually became one of the reference points for our current album, ‘Apex Predator — Easy Meat‘.
When the earthquake struck on the 25th April 2015, I recalled the general frailty of the buildings in Kathmandu (something which you see on several continents where deprivation makes everyday habitation a very hazardous experience) and could already imagine the consequences — I didn’t necessarily need to view the inevitable volume of TV / internet footage.
Shane, our bass player, was already thinking of what Napalm Death could do to alleviate things in our own small way and knowing that Bill Gould from Faith No More had been involved in the region, Shane was kindly directed by him to the DZI. We like the fact that the community has an overriding hand in deciding how to best use resources, and the spirit of independence that the DZI encourages is something that runs in parallel with the ethos of Napalm Death.
We therefore present an exclusive track from the aforementioned album session written by our guitarist, Mitch Harris — to raise funds for the work and resources required through the DZI. The lyrics can be interpreted in several different ways, but to me they signify acknowledging and embracing humanity beyond the relentless march of technology. Perhaps somewhat apt here.
Please give what you can to aid the rebuilding of people’s lives &— and bathe in the sonic extremity.
With thanks and in solidarity
Mark “Barney” Greenway for and on behalf of Napalm Death
You can also read the lyrics written by guitarist, Mitch Harris:
Vital organs of substance
Unified in social silence
Through mayhem and malice
Find the point of least resistance
The fracture is unquestionable
Disabling the sphere
Technology in its own infancy
Specifically adhered
And as the Earthwire centres in
Between the aftermath and second skin
Outside interference that stimulates our incoherence
Distinct frames of reference
To narrow down a choice of preference
The fracture is unquestionable
Inevitably steered
Technology in its own infancy to emphasize the fear
And as the Earthwire centres in
Between the aftermath and second skin
Nerve ending gateways to the grand design
Earthwire integrates the new lifeline
Tragedies like the earthquakes in Nepal can happen anywhere and what better way to help out a good cause than by getting a new Napalm Death song in the process? If you have a few bucks and want some grindcore, you can order the track here and feel better about yourself for doing something good for others.
[via Metalsucks.net]
