Review by Daniel for Napalm Death - Mass Appeal Madness (1991)

I have an admission to make. The early Napalm Death releases have never floated my boat as much as they have for others. I've always respected them for what they represent & can honestly say that I've found them to be universally appealing but I've never found them to be records that I feel like coming back to time & time again, despite having been introduced to them very early on in their career & during my more formative years. I'd probably had a good year or two with Napalm Death by the time 1991's short "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. appeared as I'd bought all three of their albums prior to its release so I'd certainly given them a fair chance but I wouldn't find myself enticed into laying out my hard-earned money for "Mass Appeal Madness", instead recording all of the songs individually off the radio over the first few weeks following its release. I remember having a bit of fun thrashing around my room to them too but I can't say that the (mass) appeal was long-lasting & I haven't returned to it in many years now. Given that I've recently revisited all of Napalm Death's earlier records in months gone by, it'd be remiss of me to overlook this one if only for some perspective.

"Mass Appeal Madness" is a four-song affair that was dedicated to the memory of recently deceased Atheist bass player Roger Patterson & includes two brand new songs in the title track & "Pride Assassin" as well as two re-recordings of songs taken from Napalm Death's 1988 sophomore album "From Enslavement To Obliteration" ("Unchallenged Hate" & "Social Sterility") which was their best full-length to the time in my opinion. It would also be the last Napalm Death release to feature legendary drummer Mick "Human Tornado" Harris who would leave to focus on mainly non-metal projects like Scorn moving forwards. That fact alone makes the E.P. somewhat of a turning point for the band given the impact that Harris had had on the Napalm Death sound that he'd virtually single-handedly defined on those early grindcore releases.

The short nine-minute duration means that "Mass Appeal Madness" is all over before you know it & this makes repeat listens very easy to accommodate. Unsurprisingly, the newer material takes on a slightly different stylistic format than the re-recordings with the title track & "Pride Assassin" being the more significant pieces which define the sound that "Mass Appeal Madness" will be remembered for. Both of those tracks take on a deathgrind sound that's not too dissimilar to that which we heard on the last album "Harmony Corruption" &, to a lesser extent, 1989's "Mentally Murdered" EP. The re-recorded tracks maintain their original grindcore sound only they've been given a slightly more deathly edge by the production & the vocals of former Benediction front man Mark "Barney" Greenway who had only recently joined the band for 1990's "Harmony Corruption" album. The change in approach between the two pairs of songs is subtle enough to pass the casual listener by without causing too much disruption but it also gives "Mass Appeal Madness" the opportunity to appeal to both the diehard grindcore fans as well as those that need a bit of death in their grind to add a touch more darkness. As a point of reference, I'd suggest that the E.P. sounds kinda like Terrorizer & Lock Up style deathgrind meets Terrorizer & Repulsion style grindcore.

The quality of the material is all more than decent with the four tracks possessing a solid consistency that makes it hard to pick out any clear highlights. If pushed I'd probably suggest that the title track would be my favourite, perhaps because it's the most lengthy & death metal-infused inclusion. There's not much between the four songs mind you so I can't see too many people losing interest along the way, particularly given the extremely short duration of the release as a whole. It's interesting that there's not all that many blast beat sections though which is a little unusual for Napalm Death & was a sign of things to come on future releases that saw them starting to expand their sound in a number of interesting ways over the next few years. I have to say that I do miss the blasting a bit & find "Mass Appeal Madness" to be at its best when it's at its most extreme. I guess I just don't think Napalm Death are as good at creating captivating tremolo-picked death metal riffs as some of the more premium death metal bands on the scene at the time & their groovier moments aren't really that well aligned with my taste profile.

Nonetheless, it's hard to be too critical of yet another respectable extreme metal release from one of the more important players in the underground & I can't deny that I've enjoyed the trip down memory lane even if I don't find myself recalling every single second of these tracks like I have with some of the other early 90's releases I've been revisiting of late. I tend to think that my higher scores for Napalm Death releases are still to come as I get stuck into their next few releases but it won't surprise me if I never quite get there. Deathgrind nuts should probably give "Mass Appeal Madness" a listen or two but I wouldn't expect to find your next holy grail.