Order of the leech

The old dog might not have learned any new tricks, but that doesn't mean that it can't improve on what it already figured out. When Napalm Death started, it was one of the fastest guns in the west, whereas the intermediate era of the group ushered in slower tempos but higher levels of intensity. Order of the Leech eschews the relative experimentation of the preceding Enemy of the Music Business, and instead it artfully combines the reckless alacrity of the band's youth with the lessons in extremities it mastered with age into a record that's the best of both worlds -- blazingly fast, yet chock-full of interesting ideas. Danny Herrera has to be considered one of the best drummers the genre's produced, as his performance here is nothing short of Dave Lombardo-esque in its power; meanwhile, Barney Greenway's vocals are overpowering as he returns to the band's roots of biting political and social commentary throughout the record, which shifts into fifth gear right out of the box with "Continuing War on Stupidity" and doesn't slow down for a second. ~ Brian O'Neill