UMUR
"Mass Appeal Madness" is an EP/mini-album release by UK grindcore/death metal act Napalm Death. The EP was released through Earache Records in 1991 and notably it´s the last release to feature drummer Mick Harris. Harris was the last musician left, who played on Napalm Death´s debut full-length studio album "Scum" (July 1987, Earache Records). Harris and bassist Shane Embury didn´t agree on the future musical direction of Napalm Death, with Harris pushing for the incorporation of more experimental musical ideas, while Embury wanted to keep the experiments within the band´s core grindcore/death metal style. Harris also had personal issues with both lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway and guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado.
The EP bridges the gap between Napalm Death´s third- and fourth full-length studio albums "Harmony Corruption" (July 1990, Earache Records) and "Utopia Banished" (June 1992, Earache Records).
"Mass Appeal Madness" features four tracks and a total playing time of 8:53 minutes. "Mass Appeal Madness" and "Pride Assassin" are new original compositions while "Unchallenged Hate" and "Social Sterility" are both re-recorded tracks from the "From Enslavement to Obliteration" (September 1988, Earache Records) album. The new compositions are in the death metal style of "Harmony Corruption", but the more raw and unpolished sounding production on "Mass Appeal Madness" still makes them sound quite different from the material on the preceding album release. Both "Pride Assassin" and "Mass Appeal Madness" could well have been written around the same time as the material on "Harmony Corruption".
"Unchallenged Hate" is one of the standout tracks on "From Enslavement to Obliteration" and it´s therefore fully warranted that Napalm Death have opted to re-record it with a sharper and more brutal sounding production (although the original is great too). "Social Sterility" also sounds great in this new version. It´s still a mid-paced grindcore track, but with Barney´s brutal death metal growling vocals it becomes a much more potent and aggressive track than the original. Upon conclusion "Mass Appeal Madness" is worth checking out if you´re a fan of "Harmony Corruption" but could have wished for a more raw and unpolished production job. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.