Napalm Death

    Napalm Death(!),Why is Napalm Death here? Surprisingly enough, Napalm Death shared close ties with the "Anarcho punk" scene before splitting and reforming into a new band that completely changed in sound and lost all of it's original members but helped start Grind-core(Dave from Verbal Warning heavily supported them). The project started in Birningham during May of 1981, with Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge after several attempts of playing in different bands during 1980 and writing/co-editing fanzines. Miles' fanzine was called "Twisted Nerve" and Nic co-edited another fanzine during 1980, resulting in five issues being issued by each of them(all with different names). Several names such as "Civil Defence", "The Mess", "Evasion" and "Undead Hatred" were used before the Name Napalm Death came along, and their inspiration came from the movement of bands that were created as a result of Crass.

     The first line-up which lasted between 1981 and 1982 consisted of Nicholas on vocals and bass, Simon Oppenheimer on guitar and Miles Ratledge on drums, and then later in August 1982 Simon left and was replaced by Darryl Fedeski who also left later that year during October. As a result, Graham Robertson join on bass, but moved to guitar, Nic moved to handle just the vocal duties, and Finbarr Quinn from Curfew joined as their new bassist and backing vocalist. Several gigs were played between 1982 and 1983 with bands such as Amebix, The Apostles and Antisect, and several demos were recorded including one titled "Kak" where their track "Crucifixion of Possessions" was pulled from Crass and released on Bullshit Detector Three as their vinyl debut. In 1984, after only seven gigs, Napalm Death split up, but reformed in 1985 with a new line-up which sounded more like Killing Joke and Amebix, and went on to play with bands such as Chumbawamba, Blyth Power, Icons of Filth, Concrete Sox and Decadence Within before going through even more line-up changes(eventually losing all their original members) and taking their sound into a different area that helped start Grindcore. Napalm Death continues to play to this day and has become very successful, but this post was only made to cover their early period.

"Crucifixion of Possessions"


Make the choice between wrong and right
The religion thrives - stand up and fight!
Their forefathers were false and blind
Leaving their mark on the skin of mankind
Pray to the gods and worship the goods
The lie carries on in pain and blood

The pain they bear is on their arms
The nails are now nailed in our palms
On their cross, we leave our sign
I've given yours, now you give mine
Material wealth is a physical curse
A pockmark on the skin of the earth

Hypocrite lies
Baby cries
Father dies
Why? Why? Why?

Hysterical laughter is no real action
I pledge no support to any mindless faction

Cry, cry, cry
Buy, buy, buy
Make the choice
Use your voice

They are the ones who affect the stigmata
I refuse to become a martyr.
Consume, consume - a capitalist obsession.
I refuse to become the crucifixion of possessions.

"The Glue Bag Song"

Defective intelligence - you sniffed glue:
You were bored, and had nothing to do.
A product of a wasted life: you are your only care.
Why did you live? Glue answers your prayer.

Glue bag stuck in your mind:
Too weak to reject - you were blind.
You try to escape from reality,
But you can't see that reality.

Now you're really drugged out:
No-one to help - you pass out,
Stench of glue embedded on your face:
Your candle is out: Goodbye Human Race.

Glue bag stuck in your mind:
Too weak to reject - you were blind.
You try to escape from reality,
But you can't see that reality.

Soon to come Downloads:

Kak(I only have two songs from this demo)
http://www.box.net/shared/5pqe7qa6ffxi4pxi9qg3

Verbal Warning

     Speaking of anarchist bands who lyrically attacked other anarchist punk bands ideas, Verbal Warning, who were originally named Dead Presleys, were hated and known for insulting bands such as Crass and Conflict and other punk individuals by making fun of them and annoyingly attacking the idea of an anarchist society with their insulting, anti-anarchist lyrics. Their lyrical assaults included such lyrics as "Anarchy Ain't the Answer!", "Part-time punks!", "Meat means murder and leather jackets, say yeah!(the band would back up Dave by saying yeah, yeah!)"and "Conflict - Crass, they're only rock 'n' roll bands! Their gigs caused their committed anarchist and pacifist punk audiences to become infuriated and their vocalist Dave would only take advantage of their vulnerability and only make them more violent and angry by making fun of them to the point where they would get the plug pulled on them or have to leave the stage because they would get assaulted or killed if they didn't. Verbal Warning began in Nottingham during 1979, and played their first gig on December 7th 1980 at Nottingham's Ad Lib Club with their first line-up consisting of Dave Smith on vocals, Paul on guitar, Colin on bass and Phil on drums. Dave was also a heavy early Napalm Death supporter.

     After their first gig, Phil was replaced on drums by Wayne, and Wayne eventually moved on as an additional vocalist, being replaced by Paul "Adolf" Clarke(a different Paul) on drums, and a second gig followed at the Trent Polytechnic on May 14th, 1981 where the band had to quickly leave the place because Dave had pulled a joke saying that he was glad that I.R.A. hunger striker Bobby had died which infuriated their Irish audience. Wayne left the band soon after, leaving behind the 'classic' Verbal Warning line-up of Dave on vocals, Adolf on drums, Paul on guitar, and Colin on bass which lead to a third gig  at the Beeston Community Centre(The Shed) on July 11th, 1981 with Potential Difference who's vocalist John would go on the sing for Verbal Warning in the future. More gigs followed where they played with such bands as The Apostles, Antisect, Icons of Filth, Instigators, Napalm Death, Flux of Pink Indians, Blasphemy, Black Anthem, Dirt, Disorder, Subhumans, Anti-System, Hagar the Womb, Conflict and Omega Tribe. On January 22nd, 1983, Verbal Warning played the infamous gig with Conflict and Omega Tribe where Conflict pulled the plug on them halfway through their set because their audience became too violent to control after Dave had unleashed a tremendously effective attack of anti-anarchist lyrics, resulting in the band having to stop playing and getting offstage(the gig has some very funny dialogue between the audience and Dave, including reactions to some of the lyrics from the first paragraph). The band split soon after a gig in 1984 with Lost Cherees at Nottinghams' Narrow Boat and reformed in 2005, but with a new lineup which has left Paul as the only original member left.

If anyone has any complete lyrics to any Verbal Warning songs, please post them in the comments. If people were not so close minded, they would find them funny! Verbal Warning were truly the "Anarcho Punk Trolls".


Soon to come Downloads:

Live at the Union Rowing Club January 22nd 1983
1981-1983 Compilation Tape