27 years of grindcore ultra-violence, 27 years of being one of the hardest working, hardest touring bands on this miserable planet, NAPALM DEATH's conviction, energy and belief in spontaneous, outspoken yet extreme music is far from being watered down. Time Waits For No Slave, the band;s 13th studio album (excluding the cover album Leaders Not Followers Pt.2) marks no exception, as long as this is a world gone wrong, NAPALM DEATH will be utilizing their artistic arsenal to attack those in charge, no matter if their fanaticism stems from a political, religious or simply greedy motivation.
On Time Waits For No Slave the legendary fathers of grindcore explore fundamental aspects of our so-called modern life and point out that ideas of servitude are still existent in the allegedly tolerant, liberal society we live in. Despite the old cliché that "we are living in the 21st century" for one thing, women are still sneered at, treated like second-class citizens and viewed in some quarters as baby machines rather than beings in their own right. Giving up our own ideals, wishes and desires to fit into the all too tight conventions still prevalent today might be a very general sounding subject, but the question is: if our freedom is true to the meaning of the word, this is something that affects us all!
Once again, NAPALM DEATH's concerns are realised through intense, devastatingly brutal songs that venture into groovier, neckbreaking mid-tempo passages to allow the listener to take a breath before vicious blast beats pummel you out of existence. The new material was arranged in intensive rehearsals in a trusty old lock-up room at Robannas rehearsal studio in Birmingham. Soon after, the band roared into the studio. The new effort was engineered and recorded by Russ Russell and produced by Russ Russell and Napalm Death at Foel Studios, Llanfair Caereinon, Wales. Further recording, overall production and album mixing / mastering was finally hammered out at Parlour Studios, Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. A special treat is included on the limited edition of the album as the bonus track "Omnipresent Knife In Your Back" sees bassist Embury also handling the guitars, Mitch Harris switching from guitars to drums and drummer Danny Herrera on bass.
While NAPALM DEATH is a prominent example on how to put words into action and has taken part in several benefit-based activities in the past, vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway is also engaged in fighting for musicians' rights through the Musician's Union (a UK-based trade union) and strives for fairness for music followers via the same organisation. Renowned for their ceaseless touring activities and stellar live performances, following the album's release NAPALM DEATH will be promoting Time Waits For No Slave live worldwide - remaining at the helm of today's extreme music scene and humbly yet ferociously solidifying their legendary status once again!
