1001 Albums Generator ←
Scum by Napalm Death

Scum

Napalm Death

1987
2.08
Rating
21867
Votes
1
41%
2
27%
3
18%
4
9%
5
4%
Distribution
Genres: Metal Styles: Death Metal, Thrash, Hardcore, Grindcore

Reviews (page 2 of 8)

There are three complete songs on this album and 25 that are a riff with some growling. The three are actually really good. It's just too bad they forgot to finish making it. Do you think they play the 26 second songs at their concerts? Best track: Siege of Power

There is worse than this on this list.

A little grindcore goes a long way. I admire the drumming.

A bit much

I know little about grindcore. I'd never listen to this voluntarily out of prejudice. But then I still play Crass records. I was quite intrigued by the two sides, two bands approach. Spotify messed this up slightly. Are there actually any coherent lyrics? A get up and go morning album. Not one for lovers late at night. Can't but help think there might be some melodies trying to break through.

The beauty of 1,001 is that it exposes you to artists that you probably would never listen to in your lifetime. Good or bad, its always educational. The other day it was Frank Sinatra, today its Napalm Death. I have to give these guys credit for their commitment to the craft. They've certainly carved out a unique niche for themselves with grindcore. This was an absolute and brutal assault on the senses but that's their point innit? I'd love to meet someone who listens to this for recreational purposes though, just to understand what's going through their head.

I was expecting to despise it but I’ve heard worse

2 for effort and the sheer number of songs, none of which i can say i am taken by

It is some kind of evil algorithm that would give me Napalm Death immediately after giving me Curtis Mayfield. Okay, hey! I was fully expecting to hate it, but it's fine. Having been 16 when this album came out, it was probably pretty mind blowing at the time. I would not have been into it, but I would have respected it. Scum really doesn't deserve the title of worst reviewed album on this site, not by a long shot. But I can see how this album, this whole genre really, is going to be polarizing. Musically the album is pretty solid. Rhythm section is fierce, guitars are blistering. It's not for everyone, really it's not for most people. I don't love the guttural vocals, but I would say I prefer Nik Napalm's voice to Lee Dorrian's. The lyrics are pretty standard punk-thrash-metal lyrics. You know, power, fascism, conformity, corporate corruption, bleakness, etc. The things a certain type of disaffected young people have been moshing to for decades. The second half (the B-side) really accelerates and amps up from what you hear on the A-side. It's a little harder to listen to, if that's possible. This is very intense music that is hard on the ears. I'm giving it 2 stars, but really it's closer to a 3. One star deducted for the fact that now I have an earache. Fave songs: Siege of Power, Control, Born on Your Knees

After listening I truly do understand why this made the list Because it defined the point where music becomes just noise. And for those of you who quit early note that it does get better... Because by the halfway point you are quite literally deaf. 1/5 please spare me

I have not hated a 1001 Album this much for a long time

This could be the worst album we have had

You suffer. I suffer. We suffer. But why? Because this album is fucking awful! It took me longer to write this review than it took those guys to write all the songs. But I have to put up with it, because my dog ​​is a huge fan of this album. He barked the lyrics all afternoon today.

Second time around for these and still the same routine. Thud thud thud (drums), crunch crunch crunch (guitar/bass - unable to distinguish), grunt grunt grunt (vocals) and the occasional wailing lead guitar. And put on repeat. Fortunately this album only comes in at around 30 mins

This album is a series of 1-minute long songs filled with fast drums, a blaring guitar, and grunting. The guitar work probably could've been cool somewhere else, but the sound of this band all together is very abrasive, heavy, and unpleasant. Whatever the singer (grunter?) is saying is completely unintelligible. On a positive note, listening to this album expanded my musical horizons, because I never would've listened to it on my own. And isn't that what this website is all about? Also I like the cover art. This is still a 1/5 album though.

There's no denying this is pure crap, but I still found it easier to listen to than Clapton.

The debut that launched a thousand migraines. Split between two lineups, Scum is less an album than a barrage—28 tracks of grindcore’s primal scream, all buzzsaw guitars, jackhammer drums, and vocals that alternate between retching, barking, and unintelligible growling (the latter delivered by two separate frontmen, though you'd be forgiven for thinking it's just one very angry drainpipe). Side one almost flirts with structure—“Scum” even rides a groove for a few seconds before imploding. Side two abandons all pretense, collapsing into a blur of 30-second tantrums. Political in theory, but good luck parsing any lyrics without a lyric sheet and a forensic linguist. If you think music should hurt a little, maybe this is your Kind of Blue. If not, consider it the sonic equivalent of an industrial accident.

This is definitely the worst album I’ve listened to so far. I think this is what a hell would sound like. You can’t convince me the vocalist says actual words. Just noise and screams. No.

I love metal. I love old-school punk. And I especially love the anti-establishment, middle-finger-to-the-system attitude that came with early punk. I can respect what Napalm Death was trying to do with Scum — pushing boundaries, pioneering grindcore, doing something nobody else was doing at the time. But man... this album just sounds like straight-up noise. The songs are so fast and chaotic they barely register before they're over, and when they do stick around for more than 30 seconds, it’s just a wall of blast beats, distortion, and guttural shouting that never lets up. I tried to give it a fair shot, but even my eight-year-old asked, “Why are we listening to dogs barking?” And honestly, I didn’t have a good answer.

Just when I think I’m enjoying a riff, I notice it’s a note for note Metallica ripoff played slightly faster. Did not like

my electric toothbrush makes better music

28 songs in 33 minutes? What is this, music made for the 2020's Spotify Algo? Napalm Death is truly ahead of their time.

Jesus Christ what did I just listen to?

This was beautiful. I listened whilst having a relaxing bath and it lulled me gently to sleep. As the murky bathwater slinked down my oesophagus I felt the warm embrace of heaven's kiss. I saw the great beyond, divine mysteries unfurling unto me with unfathomable lucidity. Jesus was there riding a rainbow centaur with a Napalm Death neck tattoo. It was really something. Three days later I awoke in the ICU ward at the Krankenhaus Dresden-Friedrichstadt, to the smiling faces of my friends Ray and Nigel, sitting loyally at my bedside. They'd brought with them their transsexual goth friend who just sat silently in the corner eating a Happy Meal (the toy and all); quite the character. Best bath ever. 1.3/5

1 star for 'You Suffer' which is self-aware and merciful enough to acknowledge the listener's experience of the album.

1000 albums + 1 cruel joke called Scum by Napalm Death.

01) Multinational Corporations - 1,0 02) Instinct of Survival - 1,0 03) The Kill - 1,0 04) Scum - 1,0 05) Caught... in a Dream - 1,0 06) Polluted Minds - 1,0 07) Sacrificed - 1,0 08) Siege of Power - 1,0 09) Control - 1,0 10) Born on Your Knees - 1,0 11) Human Garbage - 1,0 12) You Suffer - 10,0 13) Life? - 1,0 14) Prison Without Walls - 1,0 15) Point of No Return - 1,0 16) Negative Approach - 1,0 17) Success? - 1,0 18) Deceiver - 1,0 19) C.S. - 1,0 20) Parasites - 1,0 21) Pseudo Youth - 1,0 22) Divine Death - 1,0 23) As the Machine Rolls On - 1,0 24) Common Enemy - 1,0 25) Moral Crusade - 1,0 26) Stigmatized - 1,0 27) M.A.D. - 1,0 28) Dragnet - 1,0 TOTAL: 1,32 (13/100) Current ranking: 367/367 Hahahahaha... What kind of crap is this? This sounds like listening to my dog ​​barking at some noise in the background. Except my beagle has a more pleasant bark than the vocalist in question. The best song is song number 12, it goes straight to my playlist and deserves the highest rating! Why? Because it lasts exactly 1,316 seconds. The album is only 33 minutes long, you should give it a listen, you will have a good laugh, I promise!

So with 15 albums left I finally got to listen to this, at one time the lowest rated album. Proof that this 1001 is purely comprised of incredibly niche genre groups and nothing to do with the 'best' albums. The Genres are so marginal it's amusing. I hope this stays on the chart but at the same time it's poor stuff.

Noise, just noise

I've recently started falling asleep to a white noise machine, which is great because it distracts from the whine of my tinnitus. This helps distract from the whine of my thoughts. Some of the lyrics attempt to be address consumerist culture, whilst also glorifying death and pain in the typical (sigh) angst-ridden way that (yawn) heavy metal typically does. I'm not sure how anyone knows the lyrics without subtitles, mind. Take Caught ... In A Dream as an example, "Surrounding spectacle to occupy curiosity, Nullifies the need to face reality, Forms of escapism and entertainment, Occupy and disable thought." That's alright that is, but it sounded like, "Hrghbgt hrghbgthrghbgthrghb rghbgt hrghbgt hrghbgt! Hrghbgt hrghbgthrchbgthrghbgthrghbgt hrghbgt hrghbgt! Hrghbgt hrghbgthrghbgthrdbgthrghbgt hrghbgt hrghbgt, Hrghbgt hrghbgthrhh bgthrg gthrgh hrghbgt hrghbgt!" It would be a lot funnier if it wasn't painful to listen to.

The sound of dogs being beaten. Deserves 0 stars.

Just noise. Shite.

What scares me is that there are supposedly three albums in this generator worse than this one.

As I checked to see when the first song would finally end, I realized I was already on track eight...

It's always fascinating when you are thoroughly entertained by something, but equally can't stand anything about it. Respect. 0 stars, but a higher 0 stars than Limp Bizkit. 0/5

No, no, no. 1

Music for people who wear cilice belts

Hahahahahahaha… oh it’s not a joke? Oops

Highlight of this album is a couple of songs around the middle that made me think "hm, maybe this isn't so bad", before promptly being remembered exactly why I wasn't enjoying this. It sounds like Motorhead if Lemmy was slightly more incomprehensible.

Thoughts before listening: You know, sometimes I open this app in the morning and I know it's going to be a good day because I get to listen to a nice pleasant album all day...and then other times you realize that you'll have to suffer through Napalm Death. Being into heavier music in the 90s, I was aware of bands like Napalm Death who had been around for a few years putting out extreme metal albums, but I just always assumed it was going to be too over the top for me. Something tells me I was right. Review: So some of this music is good. Cool metal riffs that are played at a fast pace similar to hardcore punk or industrial, both of which are genres I can stand in moderation. However, where this band loses me is when the vocals start. This style of growled, incoherent singing is just such a major turn off for me. At least it means I can't understand the lyrics. I'm sure this is a revered album to fans of this style of metal, but I'm not in that demographic. 1-star

The one good thing I can say about this: I was late for work this morning and listening to this on my bike made me cycle faster and get there on time. Other than that: hated every second.

I can believe that there is something worthwhile buried under the noise, as hinted at by the surprising surf rock rhythm in "Scum", but I won't be around to figure out what that is. This album is quintessentially what turns me off metal, and is everything I don't like in music. I can't think of a mood where this is anything but exhausting to me.

I saw the name of the band, the name of the album, and the cover and was immediately filled with dread. Then I saw the incredibly short lengths of each song and thought, “Oh that’s not so bad. If I don’t like a song, it won’t last very long and maybe I’ll like the next one.” Yeah, no. That was a nice thought but it doesn’t apply here. I won’t say a whole lot here. How anyone can begin to understand what the fuck the lyrics are is beyond me. They clearly have a message but it gets completely lost because he sounds like he’s mumbling while constipated. At one point one of them sounds like Animal from the muppets. All the songs blend together because of their similar sound and short lengths. I can appreciate the musicianship but that’s about it. There’s a track called “You Suffer.” Yes, yes I did. First ever one star (though I would change a couple retroactively). Oof. Standout Tracks: Siege of Power

Finally some Metal! But this album should not be on this list. I don't understand why this record. Perhaps they are on here ironically: "this record is so important. This is how you DON'T record an album." Seriously, it is so muffled and hard to hear what is going on. It sounds like they recorded everything off the floor but put the mic in a box, in a separate room. The vocals are why people either make fun of metal or have a negative view on metal vocals. Aside from some cool riffs. This record is a dud. I get it, the drummer can do blast beats. Yippee. But what else? It's so boring. Perhaps it was pushing the envelope in the late 80s. Apparently this record was recorded in 2 separate sessions with basically two separate bands. The only member that remained the same was Sir Blast Beats on the drums. I'd have left the first session too. And never return. Due to how shit this record is.

33 minutes of what the fuck the saddest part is this wasn't too bad when there was no vocals, there's some great guitar work (SOMETIMES....), that sounds great put together with the drums (e.g. the tracks, Scum and Human Garbage would've been great without the vocals) i understand that grindcore is supposed to be very loud and layered and abrasive, but that also makes it hard to listen to! metal already is a largely inaccessible genre, in part due to new age metalheads who love to hate! but also because of the oversaturation and intense branching into subgenres, and it seems kind of counterproductive to put an album like this on a MUST LISTEN list the potential is there, kill the guy who's yelling over everything! i will say that i appreciate not being bored for a second of this album, i guess? i don't have a point of reference, as i'm not a grindcore fanatic, but i assume Napalm Death achieved whatever the hell they set out to do here, so good for them, but it is NOT for me 1/5

Lots of noise for no reason. There were brief moments of clarity. Lyrically, couldn't understand a thing. Sometimes you connect to the lyrics or you connect with the music. Very difficult to make a connection with either.

1.5. I don't really like/get blast beats or grindcore in general.

There are brief glimpses in here of cohesive riffs like on the title track Scum, but it's just so muddy throughout. I cannot connect with singing like this, even though I know it's the desired effect. 1.5/5

I have no problems with really heavy music. Watain is one of my favorite bands. With that being said: this was shit. It sounds either like a demo or a parody. The A-side was slightly better but still not an album I enjoyed.

what a load of shite 1/5

This nonmusic is why noise cancelling was invented

Omg finally. Been waiting 3 years for this one. 1

The only enjoyment I got from this was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend and then reading the review of how the only enjoyment they got from the album was reading the review about the brothers in Dresden and their lovely and talented tattooed friend.

This is even worse than K-Pop.

Terrible - just noice.

Whatever this purports to be, I want nothing to do with it.

This is a HARD no for me. There is nothing here for my ears. Despite the fact that the album made me laugh a couple of times, I have zero interest in it.

Now I know what those poor bastards in Guantanamo went through! Just as bad or worse than jazz

nope 🤢

🤢🤮

The longest 33 minutes of my life. Who enjoys listening to this form of "music"? Absolute shit. It's so bold to say that the two sides of this album have different sounds - hardcore punk and extreme metal or whatever. That's a huge no, my dudes. The whole thing sounds like the experience of being put through a meat grinder. What did I do to deserve having to listen to this album? Put me out of my misery, will you??!

Still blood on the counter from banging my head. Not a fan.

I like metal but yeah.....this was not that great.

not sure why this is one of the “greatest albums of all time”. genuinely hurt my ears, had to take a break halfway through because it was just that bad.

Its a wall of noise coming for you. Prepare to be decimated.

Garbage. Didn’t even make playlist

My favorite song was “you suffer,” because it was the shortest amount of time I had to listen to this.

Not my vibe

Why is this on the list?

Not for me I’m afraid!

Cet album aété enregistré dans des conditions très particulières. En effet, le chanteur du groupe Naplam Death est en proie à de graves soucis d'agressivité. C'est pour cette raison que les membres du groupe Napalam Death on decidé de l'enfermer dans une petite cage du studio, et de le baillonner en lui disposant un os entre les dents. Malheureusement, cela ne suffira pas à calmer le forcené, que l'on entendra hurler à travers son baillon de fortune dès la troisième piste. Le projet est ruiné, mais les Napalm Death décideront quand même de le publier, nous offrant ce morceau d'histoire. Merci messieurs.

I'm pretty sure that i would have coped not listening to this before i die....

vapid.

I’m just not interested in metal

I tried to listen but could only take a few songs.

Not for me

Nah thanks 2/10

I wreszcie doczekalem sie Scuma, wiec chyba najnizej ocenianego albumu generatora wedlug rankingu popularnosci, tym razem zgodze sie z opinia wiekszosci, ze jest to material z gatunku tych gdzie posluchac mozna ironicznie, ale jesli rozwazasz kontemplacje na trzezwo, to cos jest z toba nie tak, plyta jest debiutanckim krazkiem bandy napalm death pochodzacej z wyspiarskich west midlandsow, az jestem ciekaw co pan ukladacz listy odnotowal w ksiazce na temat tego albumu, bo czegos tak niszowego jeszcze nie grali, a przeciez juz przewijal sie junkyard z australii, ale przynajmniej czlowiek poznal nowy gatunek, mianowicie grindcore, bedacy fuzja ciezkiego metalu z hardkorowym punkiem, birac z obu najbardziej hardkorowe elementy i tworzy z nich radio friendly piosenki dla calej rodziny, na tym 33 minutowym albumie upchnieto 28 trakow, wiec srednia dlugosc utworow to okolo minuty, ale przy takim charataniu gitarowo drumowym przyprawionym calkowicie niezrozumialymi wokalami growlowanymi sprawia wrazenie metnej calosci, ktora moglaby byc nagrana za jednym razem, wiec nie mam pojecia o czym traktuje lirycznie, co posmialem z growlowania w stylu kaczora donalda to moje, ale drugi raz bym chyba sie nie zmusil do przesluchania tej plyty, podobno pierwsza i druga strone graja dwa rozne sklady muzykow, jedynie drumy sa stale, ale jakos tego nie slychac, bo poza momentami jak tytulowy scum czy siege of power muzykowanie zamiena sie w zwykla napierdalanke, jak w speed metalu, tylko zamiast precyzji i wymyslnych kompozycji jest chaos, ktory moglby byc motywem swietnym przewodnim nagrania

what in the world

Uniformly rubbish

so bad

Noise for the sake of noise, lacks intelligence and every track sounds identical lacking any ideas. This genre can be challenging but this album is unlistenable and offers no reward

This is tricky, because I have huge respect for any band that can cram 28 tracks into 33 minutes. I'm also convinced that Napalm Death have absolutely nailed whatever the hell it was they were trying to achieve here. Plus, I had a smile on my face throughout most of it, *particularly* enjoying You Suffer. Would probably be a great live experience, until my eardrums exploded. But then again, there aren't really even any decent riffs. Ultimately, it's a 1.5, or '1' for short. If not now, when...?!

First and last time I'm ever going to listen to grindcore. The music is... alright, but the vocals... oh boy. If I wanted to listen to growling I'd just sit in my lounge room listening to my dog growl at everything he sees outside the window. It's unfortunate that I have to actually rate it out of 5 stars because i wouldn't give it one if I could.

Yeah, nah.

Couldn't get through it, not sure how people do it

The profound and thought-provoking artistry of songs like "The Kill" and especially "You Suffer" left me physically yearning for more. My only regret is that I can never go back and experience it again for the first time. But alas we cannot be melancholy that it has passed, only thankful that we were able to be blessed with this masterpiece at all. The rabid Chihuahua on "success?" Was a nice surprise though!

*sigh* I mean, there are some parts of the 🎵 music 🎵 that are good. Some. But I just can't on the vocals. I already hate growling style but this is just too much. I knew what I was getting into and yet still... That's two albums in two weeks that have really tried the commitment I made to actually listen to these all the way through.

Couldn’t finish it. I’m not a fan at all of this type of heavy music.

disgusting

I'm not listening to this trash. I tried, for a minute or two, but I haven't done anything wrong to deserve such punishment. This album was released around the time I was getting into harder music, exploring metal and hard rock. It made me question everything, maybe I should just stick to the crap pop stuff. I'm sure it's only on this list as a reminder that other music can be really good.

Not nearly as good as I expected. Which was bad.

Ostres, a mi el grindcore m'atabala. No l'he pogut escoltar sencer. No és lo meu...

Dios mío cómo te podía gustar el grindcore...

Je ne vois pas le but de cette album. Musique difficille a digerer meme si j’aime le metal. Ca se rapproche de rien vraiment que j’aime. J’imagine qu’il faut l’avoir ecouter dans sa vie pour voir ce qu’est ce style... 1*

Mierda inaudible

Snel opgegeven

Not my type of music at all. Can normally find something within it I like, but not in this case.

nope. not for me

this is terrible

Hardcore metal, grindcore, uden melodi, voldsomt

I tend to associate the more extreme forms of metal with a vocalist shrieking and making guttural noises while a guitarist and drummer produce a wall of atonal noise, like if Merzbow used acoustic instruments. For the first three minutes or so of this album, these guys proved me wrong, but for the rest of it they mostly proved me right. Best song: Instinct of Survival, because it had an actual melody and came before I tuned everything out.

Hell yeah, belt sand my fucking skin off Napalm Death. An album only for irreparably noise warped minds and people who go to cozy leftist coffee shops, Napalm Death deliver regardless. Full disclosure: I've seen them live (more than once), I own a shirt of theirs, and I'm wearing it in celebration of having an excuse to listen to this thing. And while I don't think this is their best album, I do think it is a conclusive mission statement for grindcore as an entire genre. If someone asks you what the genre is, you could read some paragraphs off Wikipedia or just play them this. Although, if you are wondering what grindcore is, and that isn't a satisfactory answer, I think of it as the base principles of punk and extreme metal, fused together, and driven to their logical extremes. It's all 300 BPM blasts (I'm fairly certain that they invented new drum techniques to record this), 40 second songs, tar pit bass tone, and insane vocals delivering surprisingly well constructed anti-capitalist tirades. It's sheer *excess* as a glorious artform. So much so that after side A was recorded, the *entire* band left, except for driving force and drummer Mick Harris. Then everyone else was replaced. Consequently, this may be the only album ever to prominently feature two *entire*, *discreet*, iconic lineups. To be honest, the entire genre's something of an acquired taste, but there really isn't much out there like it. I think there are more iconic songs on side A. Instinct Of Survival, Scum, and Siege Of Power are some obvious standouts, mostly out of virtue of being more than 2 minutes long, but they are some of the more obvious moments of great song writing and dynamism here. Instinct Of Survival has a surprisingly catchy, Scum is built around the interplay of grind sections and an absolute *classic* doom punk riff with one of the most fucked bass tones ever recorded. And Seige Of Power is a more solid establishment of the link to an emergent Death Metal Scene that would be expounded upon in the genre's future by bands like Pig Destroyer, Carcass and other classics including Napalm Death themselves. But even past these, on future listens, some of the less obvious highlights start popping out, on this listen I found myself really into Polluted Minds, Sacrificed, and Human Garbage, but the longer you spend with this thing, the more the writing clicks as you start hearing past the noise, and the consistency at the heart here is really remarkable. I'd also like to shout out the legendary, immortal, ~ 1 second long You Suffer, something that feels like a real statement here, which would feel like a joke anywhere else. Side B doesn't have nearly as many truly iconic songs, but the slight experimentation of it already started expanding the boundaries of a genre that Napalm Death were basically inventing on the fly. Also, this side really pushes the formula to it's limits, with the *vast* majority of these songs coming in at less than a minute, and the longest at a monumental 94 seconds. The breakneck pace and redlined intensity are honestly a treat on their own, but much like on side A, you slowly start appreciating the songs here too. There is an impressive efficiency to the writing, and I think it's part of the reason they were able to try new things here, like different effects, and more dynamic vocals, and creative guitar work; if you don't like a song, just wait like 20 seconds. On this listen I found myself really enjoying Life?, Point Of No Return, Success, C.S., Parasites, Moral Crusade, Stigmatized, and Dragnet. But, much like Side A, you slowly realize just how consistent the songs here are as you break through the noise, and honestly, it's just a matter of what leaps out at the moment. This also, consequently means that it feels like there's plenty to keep discovering on Scum: through sheer density alone (28 songs in 33 minutes). If you held me at gunpoint, you could probably get me to admit that this isn't perfect, and that Napalm Death have better (or at least more immediate) albums. But it's one that's a 5 to me. It's *incredibly* enjoyable for the type of album it is, *and* it's utterly, *improbably* successful at it's goal. There wasn't like a period of figuring it out, grindcore emerged fully formed from Napalm Death's head before we even *really* figured out death metal. It's like when you learn that the parachute was invented before the plane. And if you liked this, and think it's as exhilarating as I do, I would urge you to dig into the genre a little (Pig Destroyer, Nasum, Discordance Axis, Brutal Truth, and Terrorizer are a good place to start), But it all started here. Scum is a very particular kind of classic, for a very particular kind of person, but if it *is* for you, there is no substitute.

Sometimes art is not meant to be beautiful, or even enjoyable by most people. Sometimes art is meant to challenge, or even violate your sensibilities. Napalm Death accomplished this gloriously here, and if one is able to get past the horrifying noise they generate, the skill demonstrated becomes apparent, and the message hidden in the "music" is loud and clear. This album is bold and unapologetically hostile to corporate greed, government corruption and societal apathy.

Reading the reviews for this has reminded me that most people’s level of exposure to heavy music is minimal because this is so much more accessible and melodic than I expected. Most of the A side would fit into any hardcore or metalcore set I’ve seen in the past couple of years. Not to mention that most of the riffs wouldn’t feel out of place on an Iron Maiden album, they’re just shorter. It doesn’t have to be for everyone, but while metal and hardcore are frequently two sides of the same scene today, it doesn’t take much digging to learn how significant this album was on bridging the previously massive gap between them. That alone earns the album’s spot on this list. Update: Just listened to Converge’s new album right after and the influence can’t be denied!

This is a wild one. 28 tracks and 33 minutes long. Only 3 songs over 2 minutes. It kicks ass for what it is and the drums are awesome, but if I'm going to listen to extreme metal I'll pick Bolt Thrower Realm of Chaos over this any day. Listen to World Eater and tell me I'm wrong.

Seminal stuff

Scum es un manifiesto estético radical y una obra de arte atemporal que revolucionó los límites de la música extrema, demostrando por qué ha envejecido bien como el pilar fundamental del Grindcore. Lejos de ser un caos sin sentido, el álbum es una muestra de genialidad disruptiva que rompió esquemas al dinamitar las nociones convencionales de melodía, estructura y duración. A través de ráfagas sónicas ultracortas y una distorsión abrasiva, el disco se erige como un potente llamado a la conciencia social que vomita su descontento contra la alienación y las estructuras del sistema. A nivel técnico, la velocidad sobrehumana de la batería y el zumbido industrial de las guitarras no desdibujan la ejecución; bajo la superficie late un ensamble apasionado y profundamente conectado en su rabia interpretativa, donde la furia instrumental y los gritos guturales se entretejen muy bien para sostener la tensión. Es un trabajo conmovedor, crudo y real en su brutalidad, cuya inmensa descarga de adrenalina y honestidad política lo vuelven una pieza de gran versatilidad, ideal para múltiples usos que van desde la alta intensidad del ejercicio y el enfoque dinámico en el manejo en carretera, hasta detonar una profunda reflexión solitaria sobre las fronteras del arte.

Отакої!!! Крутяк)

#380 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ I'm going to give full stars to this one, just to spite those "is this even music" cunts that are bound to be present in the reviews. I see you. In the 80's when my musical taste was expanding from hard rock and heavy metal towards more and more extreme expression, I eventually came upon noise (or noise core), which is what stuff like this was called back then. I was already into punk and hardcore and this band just blew me up. Napalm Death, and especially the b-side of this album and their later "FETO" album, exploded my sense of what music is and gave me an inkling what music can be outside widely accepted parameters. Atonal sounds, hyper fast (and slow) tempos and genres such as harsh noise are a good examples of what I mean by that. I love chaos. Music like this takes quite a lot of understanding in a music-theoretical context to open up. It's also good to know what it takes to play stuff like this. Most people don't have that knowledge. Bands like Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror, to some extent Carcass as well, are some of the reasons why my taste in music is what it is and as varied as it is. "You suffer but why" indeed. 5/5

If you have violent thoughts and feelings about capitalism, this music is for you. From the amazing cover art to the relentless sound, it scratches the itch that comes each time I get any news about politics in my country or elsewhere. The only thing I don't really get is the singing. I read the lyrics as I listened and they are pretty good, so it feels like a waste when the song titles are most of the context for their anger that you're gonna get. That being said, the complete disconnect between what I read and what I heard and the unhinged growling made me laugh a lot.

Better than expected. This is actually a "double" album, with the A and B sides being recorded in different years by almost totally different groups and which I would rate 5.5/3.5, averaging to 4.5, rounding up to 5 Pros: - def 95th percentile deepest lyrics I have heard in a punk or really any song ("Control") - this is the fastest that it is possible for music to go? - it is a beautiful punk/metal Rorschach test, with punk rockers splitting to A and metal heads B. I was amazed by how different the two sides feel with relatively minor differences (e.g., the evil demon voice on B, which turned me off some of those tracks)

I was hoping for Anal Cunt but this will do...I guess... 🙄

Quality Quality Quality

Mick Harris says it's a 5, no bullocks, no circus.

Interesting...

Gotta listen to ND more, shits a ripper

This is the best record you’ve posted yet. The initial release from the grind core gods, Napalm Death. This record crushes! Every single track. Super fast blistering speed, especially Mick’s drums.

A milestone in brutality and attitude. Also technically quite versatile.

Sounds like the inside of a blender having a panic attack, which is exactly what it should sound like. Short, brutal, and way more focused than most albums that last ten times longer.

People define "heavy" in different ways however if you want to define it as "playing heavy, fast and dissonance" as possible this is the album for you. It's the heaviest album when it came out. Couldn't fit into Hardcore/Punk or Death Metal instead creating a genre of it's own. 28 songs 33 minutes of visceral assault of the senses. It's the benchmark for Stenchcore(Grindcore/Crust) against which all will be judged within the genre. The production, the atmosphere, the timing and lore; everything just works. Your Suffer is the stand out track. Ridiculously short, primitive, early grindcore does it's thing. Best tracks: Multi Corporations, Human Garbage, You Suffer, Divine Death, M.A.D

5 Napalm Death according to “all music” invented “grind corp”, a brutal assault on your ears but also calming. The kind of calming you might get when you put your head into a riverbank, or swim a brisk mile avoiding demon alligators ready to chomp on you. But it’s calming, yes it is especially good for that morning rush.

I am right and you are wrong

Obnoxious, loud and played as fast as possible. 28 furious songs in 33 minutes. Side A and side B are essentially two different bands (only the drummer is the same), recorded a year apart and with very different sounds. I love it! You might not, but I bet it’ll make you feel something. 5/5

Must have listened to this at the right time in my life cause I loved it. Just wish the songs were a tad longer. Like, I’ll be headbanging away and the song will abruptly end. Happened a few too many times to piss me off. Actually you know what, it added to the rage. 5 stars.

Okay okay okay okay. This rules but I’m trying to be rational about it. There’s something extremely admirable and that I appreciate when a band has a 30 great thirty second idea and they don’t force it into being a 2-4 minute song when it should just be that one riff and you can call it a day. This album does that like 20 times. 28 songs in 33 minutes might be my ideal track list to time ratio. Could I tell you the difference between any of these songs off the name alone? Absolutely not. But the attitude of this thing rules even if the vocals are pretty monotonous. Really the vocals are the only thing on this record that I don’t love but he does change it up every once in a while which is appreciated. Feeling a very light 5 here.

Well, friends. Welcome to grindcore.

The funniest album we’ve gotten on this list. Absolutely unlistenable but I loved every second of it. This band seems to consist of a werewolf on vocals, Goro on drums and an anthropomorphic guitar being tortured. The only lyric I understood was “You’re gonna die” and I was like… well duh dude. No notes. Awful!

Although not a perfect album, it does ultimately capture the way many feel about computers, current politics, and kimchi that has gone bad. I can truthfully say that through musical inception, this album fully captures everything I feel about it while I am listening to it! Superb!

If your work starts an entire subgenre, credit needs to be given for that. I can imagine people giving this harsh reviews, but in the world of extreme metal, this album is just so significant.

This isn't my favorite album. But I had added multiple tracks from this album to my liked playlist before today. Added one more this time. It's awful in the best way.

I get why this has a generally low score. You prefer the 'medical' grindcore of CARCASS or the horror influence that REPULSION had... but just because NAPALM DEATH is political you don't have to write them off. This album is the epitome of youth or atleast what it should be. Relentless, non conformist, concerned and angry about the world's problems, loud and abrassive. Very much as punk as they are metal. Nothing gave me as much joy as having a reason to pluck this one out of my collection and trying to keep up with the lyrics.

Honestly, this just sounds silly. I kept picturing Animal from The Muppets while listening. It's not actually all that bad, it's just waaaaaay over the top. I'll keep this album in mind the next time I need to make myself laugh. edit 10/28/25: it's grown on me, it really has. I've added Scum to my library and bumped up my star rating accordingly.

Vocals are impressive. Band that started it all.

One of my favorite metal-adjacent albums of all time, this was just an excuse to revisit. I think a 5 is a little too generous but 4 doesn't do it justice. Purchased the vinyl before it even finished. Absolutely rips.

Loud, brutal, disgusting, relentless. The riffs on this thing go hard as fuck. I'm used to a lot of wild short songs thanks to all the screamo/emo stuff i love, so didn't phase me at all. Big fan

What. I can't believe this is on the list.

You'll cowards don't even smoke napalm. What's up with that?

Wow yes, I felt like I was back at The Brewery! They definitely inspired a lot of bands I listened to in high school/college. The vocals are great, I liked them better than many grindcore bands - maybe because they are quieter and blended with the rest. I would appreciate more variety in vocals though (they did bring some into the second half after "Life?"). Favorites: - Instinct of Survival has a lot of nice little two-steps - Scum - Siege of Death, you could almost understand the lyrics 😂 and I liked the guitar solo at the end - Born on Your Knees - Human Garbage, nice a lil breakdown and long two-step 😍 - You Suffer was HILARIOUS - M.A.D. offered a nice break from the blast beats I'm torn between a 4-5 because I wouldn't listen to this genre often but for what it is, their skills are tight and they are very influential.

Ah the memories, haven't listened to this in a while, forgotten how much I loved this album and scene, thanks ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This wasn't actually that bad. I enjoyed a lot of the music and, on a second listen, the vocals didn't have the annoying quality that my first impression thought. It's an awkward and deliberately difficult album, but one where I think would benefit from repeat listens - if you have the stomach for it! So, I'm re-rating this almost a year later. Out of all the albums I've discovered because of this list, Scum is the one I've listened to most. I think it deserves bumping up to a 5. Distinctly different and worth perservering with.

$5 punk shows, 1-minute songs, and Napalm Death. They burn through songs like a cocaine-fueled chainsaw though a 1/2" piece of plywood. Good stuff.

An album from the 80s that still sounds properly extreme today is quite the achievement. Condensed pissed-offness on a record, doing everything just because they can, and still surprisingly groovy lots of the time. Godawful mixing and drums that sound like they were recorded on dustbins in an alley (this is a positive thing). But the best part about listening to this has to be fantasising about the perplexed reviews I'm going to find asking wtf this is😂

++: Multinational Corporations, Instinct of Survival, The Kill, Scum, Caught... in a Dream, Polluted Minds, Sacrificed, Siege of Power, Control, Born on Your Knees, Human Garbage, You Suffer, Life?, Prison Without Walls, Point of No Return, Negative Approach, Success?, Deceiver, C.S., Parasites, Pseudo Youth, Divine Death, As the Machine Rolls On, Common Enemy, Moral Crusade, Stigmatized, M.A.D., Dragnet 9,7/10

Anyone dismissing this music as "angry noise" is missing the point. Poignant and philosophical lyrics juxtaposed by absolutely brutally simplistic music. This album turns 40 in a couple years. Sad to say that the world has just gotten worse. Fuck Thatcher. Fuck Reagan. Those of us lucky enough to be born too late are inheriting a dying and broken world. This album was ahead of it's time and seminal for tons of acts.

Nice album, the lyrics are even somewhat meaningful, though not audible in music.

This one isn't for everyone

HardAF

An album that is actually not an album! Still this thing is one of the best things ever.

I’ve come to enjoy hardcore music more and more as I’ve aged (the reverse of many people) and I actually really enjoyed this album. On a separate note, I can definitely see why conservatives hate this now that I’ve read the lyrics. Some SUPER pointed language at consumerism, imperialism, capitalism, and modern laziness and greed. ESPECIALLY considering it came out in the 80’s.

It's a 7/10 for me, but I have to give it five stars. This pushes metal music to the extreme. You need to hear it to believe it. This is very much an album that everybody should experience at least once. Sheer brutality and madness. I love it.

Excruciatingly horrible/awesome music AKA Grindcore. I love it, I love the brutality and total disregard for anything that anyone at the time would have considered musical. I love the artwork and I love what some of these musicians went on to accomplish, especially Bill Steer (listen to Carcass).

I listened to this while playing Mad Max and it fit pretty well. This is abrasive, nasty grindcore before there even was such a thing. It isn't the best ND album but listening to it again I have to say it isn't as bad as most reviews will say it is. My neighbours probably hate me because I liked it so much I also listened to the Full Dynamic range version to see if I noticed a difference. I didn't but this is a great album.

More grindcore and less boomer rock please and thank you. This album rules, and is only like... the 6th or 7th best Napalm Death record. The review section for this one is awesome, ya'll are a bunch of full on dweebs

WHAT IS HE SAYING

Absolute pioneers in what they did... 1987!? I saw them a few months back in Berlin and they put on amazing show with great political messages. As a whole, I wasn't expecting to this to be as listenable as it is and not only did I enjoy it, this deserves a way higher average. Justice for Napalm Death!

Multinacional corportions ❤️

Best of the best!

The best grind album ever? Maybe. Despite having two different lineups together, it’s an incredibly cohesive work that continues to sound as brutal and brilliant as ever. A

Lol that was fun

10/10 - death metal is just too good

Fun album. Not really catchy or very lyrically complex, but still liked it.

I wouldn't normally give this five stars, it's a four star album, but this is my go f*ck yourself to all the neanderthals downvoting it. Christ, if only some of the Who, Paul Weller, Eagles, Sade, U2, Black Crowes and Clapton shite on here had the decency to keep it under a minute a song.

It's always fascinating hearing the birth of a genre. Such a crazy album. Certainly not for everyone, but a must listen in my book.

I've been waiting for this. I've heard it many times but I just want to give it a 5 to boost its overall rating, though I know it won't really do much for it. I can completely understand why most people would hate this, but for those of us who like this kind of music this is pretty great and important to the evolution of "extreme" music. Long live Napalm Death

Skull ripping filth of the best variety

Yeah this rocks. Wild.

Classic. One of the definitive grindcore albums.

This album is great and definitely doesn't deserve to be the lowest rated album on this website. I liked the first half more than the second, but it was good all the way through. 4.5/5

Love me some classic metal

You Suffer is the musical equivalent of an exclamation point and it’s fantastic. This album is just relentless. Explosive speeds and volume yet clear enough that you can still hear all the instruments. Deciphering the vocals is another story. Awesome album. Favorites were Instinct Of Survival, Scum, Siege Of Power, Human Garbage, You Suffer, Success?, and C.S.

To jest peak totalny

Not boring.

Light 4.0. Definitivamente um álbum memorável, que fundamentou bem o Deathgrind

Napalm Death is a classic band. Pioneers of deathgrind. That being said, time has passed them by. There's better stuff than this out there nowadays, as there should be.

I know grindcore is not going to be for everyone but this is not nearly as punishing as the ratings would suggest. But I get it, I probably would have hated this album too before I started giving metal a serious chance. Nobody has to like it, but it deserves a fair shot because I think its insanity is pretty fun to listen to

The GOATs. The journey the have been on through their career is incredible, and the debut is a really cool starting point. I personally enjoy the later deviations a bit more but you have to respect this.

Back when i was a bartender in Dresden, my friend had told me about napalm death and i decided that i would play scum for all of my customers. While that was going on i saw two drunk young men walk into the accessible bathroom with a fully tattooed goth whore and they started to have a spitbogging contest inside while a guy in a wheelchair was patiently waiting to use the toilet. I felt bad for the guy.

Very interesting. I have not listened to much grindcore but a lot of hardcore. I really appreciated the guitar work and the drums in particular. They are very raw and add a lot. The vocals are a lot but I get the energy behind them.

Wow! Surprise addition!

I laughed when I saw this pop up. I look forward to the comments on this one!

Sounds like ninth grade. Which on the surface is great. But when you dig deep into the bullying and all the beatings, it gets to be much darker. Good thing I have Napalm Death to get me through those lonely hours on the mend.

I like to imagine he’s singing: 🎶I see skies of blue, red roses too…🎶 This was good in a frightening sort of way

This record is so critical and ahead of its time that it feels like Napalm Death traveled through time to steal it from a band that's currently active, and then trashed the fidelity and fucked with the levels a little to make it seem like they didn't recursively copy their own homework. A two part epoxy of CD skip guitar riffs paired with the rhythmic aggression of the most evocative hardcore and early death metal bands holds together a record that shouldn't hold together for 33 minutes. As an engineer in 1987, how do you even approach recording music that sounds like this? The guitars are disgusting, and each track is a homunculus with a distinct smell. Everything sounds like shit. At times, the song's arrangements notice that the tone sounds like shit, gets fed up with the deal, and decides it wants to sound like shit too. The tightness of the tracks goes from the lumbering but steady tank tread powerful enough to crush even the most steadfast doubter to a coiled, directionless mess of steel only capable of jingling lifelessly. Once this rare runt song finally dies of uselessness, the record continues like it never happened. I'm willing to play ball. There's something to be said (by me) about how this record sells all that needs to be sold in the grindcore marketplace of ideas. I often wonder, why do new bands keep trying to create what this record already is? Great albums are more than the sum of their parts, and the difference of Scum's sum seems to be ball lightning strong enough to power almost 40 years of cultlike respect. I truly feel like this band turned on a chain reaction of imitation and homage that will last long after they're dead. Maybe you don't believe me but Magrudergrind used the same crayons to craft their instant classic in 2012.

finally some real music

Solid album but not every track was great.

I didn't really expect a grindcore album to be on this list. It's also very funny that only the drummer actually played on this full album - all the other guys were different on tracks 1-12 and 13-28. There's also a funny story about Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror trading vocalists back and forth twice in the mid-90s, though neither of those guys are on this album. Lots of songs, but mostly very short. Honestly I kinda dig it. Cool riffs. The vocals aren't my preference, but I'm OK with that style every now and then. I do slightly prefer the lineup from the first half of the album.

You gotta love the smell of Napalm Death in the morning. This really is a tale of two halves with the first side more punk adjacent and the second side more metal adjacent. I’m at a point where I can’t really distinguish the two different vocalists but definitely can pick out the increased velocity of the drumming and the drop in tuning giving side 2 a distinct sound - the sound of early grindcore heavily indebted to Deep Wound, the progenitors of the genre comprised of Lou Barlow and J Mascis. Where Napalm Debt differ is the lean into the metal with a mix of Blastbeats and noise punctuated by bass and cymbals. The distortion is interesting because it does not sound like it’s all pedal driven but rather some amp leverage into the sound. I get that this is a narrow genre and death growl vocals are not everyone’s idea of a good time. However, as a sonic experiment, it was definitely a huge step forward taking metal ideas - Think Sabbath and Motörhead and speeding them the fuck up - a lot. Speed was the idea, much like early Husker Du. It is also really limiting musically but pretty powerful if you are in the pit getting hammered by sound. 4/5

Olé, OLÉ!

i had very low expectations but honestly this was great. love the anti-capitalist lyrics. love a comrade.

I like Metal and got this album when it came out.

Actually kind of into this when they lock into a groove. Like the screechy evil guitars.

Fast drums

Onhan tää nyt oikeesti aika koomista :D Vokaalit kuullostaa joltain alien kieleltä ja välillä Aku Ankalta roid rageissa. Huvittaa kun moni kappale on kysymys. Ja kappaleet on sopivan lyhyitä ja ytimekkäitä. Tässä on kyllä meininkiä ja on näissä kappaleissa hyviä riffejäkin. Ei nää oo pelkkää sahaamista. Kyllä ihan pelkästään tän viihdearvo on 4 tähteä :D Parhaat: Success?, Scum, You Suffer (:D), Stigmatized

Hilariously relentless, it really is borderline unlistenable nonsense, but I LOVE that it exists. I remember listening to John Peel's late night BBC Radio One show in the 80s as a young teenager and hearing occasional 20 second bursts (i.e. two or three whole songs) of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, etc, and just being utterly thrilled by it. That sense of, 'whoah, what just happened?', still remains after all these years, which is pretty great, but a whole album? I'm fine, thanks... Oh, go on then. By way of a footnote, fast forward a few years and check out Napalm Death's cover version of To Go Off And Things by Cardiacs on YouTube. Magnificent.

Shit rips. It's like drinking from a fire hose, but once you get in the zone this is a suprisingly cohesive, enjoyable album.

This early example of extreme metal dubbed Grindcore has its roots in hardcore punk, which had been in a weird self-annhilating cycle of repeating the same forms, thematically and musically for 5 or more years. Over time, the shock factor of punk faded merely due to exposure. So, to counter the complacency of audiences burned out on weak clones of the same thing, some bands cranked up the attitude and the noise. In fact, there was a certain segment of the punk community who took it upon themselves to viscerally express the pain and anger that was driving them insane. Faster. Louder. Screaming about things that shouldn't even happen. Also, they JUST DON'T CARE. Add to this the nihilism of the late cold war and you get music like Scum from Napalm Death: entirely appropriate for the time, and launching new forms of music. Mostly unlistenable and torturous (and that is the point: we're being tortured), it's an artistic statement giving a voice to a subculture that demands attention. Not everyone listens to music for the same reason. Surprised to see this on the list, it's a good example of extreme music in its early form.

I wasn’t sure about this at first but got into it - that said I’m down with harder, heavier stuff but can see this may not be everyone’s piece of cake. Great musicially even if you can’t understand the lyrics

🤘🤪🤘

Frank Sinatra to this was crazy lol I love this app. This album was actually really good I loved it

Jolly good fun - too many negative reviews

I see metal, I rate 5 I hear grindcore I yell yay! Metal is not for everyone and this album is proof

Listened to this a while back. Pretty good album! Very based, and very extreme. Love how each song is a short sharp shock to the system to get their point across about how capitalism is killing us all. 9/10

I used to hang out in a shitty bar that had a metal club upstairs. We would be shooting darts or bullshiting and the band of the day would start and it was always loud overdriven guitars and some dude screaming lyrics that you didn't understand into the mic. We would always joke, oh they are doing covers, or oh man this is my favorite song! After a while we could pick up different songs but never the lyrics. A few times we would go up and listen to see if we could understand them that way. Never could. So this album brings me nostalgic feelings to that shitty bar. I do enjoy the music but unless I have a lyric sheet I have no clue what dude is saying most times. It's good metal though, fast, hard, unyielding to the listener. The kind of metal that makes my old ass want to see if I can still handle the pit. Knowing full well a few of the kids in there would pick me up laughing when I get knocked on my ass. If someone was new to metal I would suggest this as a decent death metal example or grind metal too. Yeah the metal genres are ridiculous, but so much fun to listen and try and pick out the differences.

Great and truly a classic, I don't know if I care for all 28 songs because a lot of it sounds the same but I don't know it's for sure a classic and a pillar of grind/hardcore/whatever for a reason. Cool that it's on this list.

If you haven't seen Andrew W.K. air drumming Harmony Corruption you haven't really lived. Will I listen to again: 65%

The reviews for this one had me prepared for MUCH worse than this. Reading the reviews was really fun. Especially about the two dudes in Dresden. Good Lord. On a side note - I feel like some people see these albums as a creative writing challenge as much as a musical one. And that's cool. Anyways. This is one of the worst-rated albums on here? Amazing! The first few songs just kind of breeze by. Then I looked at the tracklisting - there are 28 songs! Most of them seem to be a minute or less. Digging into the history of the album, the A side is one set of musicians and the B side is another? What? Who does that? And they apparently sound different..... Let's see - Oh yes. Yeah. The blast beat "gimmick" they used (relatively) sparingly in the first half is the basis of every song in the second. I found the first half more engaging. So much of my rating system is based on whether or not the musicians have a vision for their music, and how well they express that vision. Napalm Death (in two different incarnations presented here) absolutely has a sound and an idea, and they do it well. It isn't something I want to listen to all the time - but - I get it. FOUR STARS

grindcore isnt for everyone and that's okay

Started off like “hell no” but by the end I was like “hell yeah”. Didn’t understand a single word but I think I was just in the right mood for the genre tonight!

4 out of 5. Great album to listen to of you need to get some work done.

Now I know where hardcore came from.

Finally some heavy shit, brother

I was dreading this...

Good Songs: Instinct of Survival, Scum, Caught In A Dream, Polluted Minds, Siege of Power, Control, Born On Your Knees, Human Garbage, You Suffer, Prison Without Walls, Point of No Return, Negative Approach, Success, Deceiver, CS, Parasites, Pseudo Youth, Divine Death, As The Machine Rolls On, Moral Crusade, MAD, Dragnet Mid Songs: Multinational Corporations, The Kill, Sacrificed, Life, Common Enemy, Stigmatized Bad Songs:

This was pretty aggressive for the late 80s. Enjoyed it.

Isn’t my bag. But. I quietly enjoyed it don’t tell Anyone.

Takuuvarmaa räimettä alusta loppuun.

This album is great. I need to run to this asap.

This is simultaneously the very first grindcore album and the epitome of the genre. It's pretty much exclusively fueled by raw anger towards god knows what half the time. They really let their rage guide the album, too. Nobody else was making half-second songs where they just shout "YEEEUUUGGGHH" and then move on. It doesn't take a PhD in data analytics to tell that this album is generally hated on this site, but I'd call it one of the rare examples of a genre-founding album also being really good.

Scum (the album) = Yum yum yum. How does that one song go? 🎵Yummy, yummy, yummy, I’ve not Napalm Death in my tummy🎵 This was my first time hearing this album, but I’m a fan of one of the band members (Justin Broadrick) on the first half of the album. I enjoy two of his later bands: Godflesh, Jesu.

I love heavy metal and I love short ass albums, so this was already a winner before I hit play. And thankfully, it only earned more points as I listened. It's wild to hear the differences between the two halves: the first half is more rooted in punk, with an almost cheeky swing in the step of some of the tracks. But then you hit the second half and it's just pummellingly heavy. To me the biggest difference is in the drumming, especially apparent since it was the same drummer for both halves. Mick Harris is almost playfully laid back in some of the first half passages, sticking to more traditional rhythms. Even the blast beats are straightforward. On half two however, there's an intricacy and technicality in the mix, which serves the overall heavier-ness (lol) much better. Killer record.

"Scum" is the debut studio album by English grindcore band Napalm Death. Grindcore and crust punk are the Wiki-listed genres. A definition of grindcore is an extreme fusion of heavy metal and hardcore punk. Oh, yeah, that fits. The two sides of the album were recorded by two different line-ups a year apart with drummer Mick Harris being the only musician in both incarnations. The themes of the album were politically left-wing diatribes ( capitalism, environment, Britain's ruling elite). The other musicians for Side A included Nicholas "Nik Napalm" Bullen (vocals, bass) and Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals) and for Side B included Lee Dorian (vocals), Jim Whitely (bass) and Bill Steer (guitars). Commercially, the album reached #4 on the UK indie charts and, critically, it is considered a formative release in the grindcore genre. The adventure begins with "Multinational Corporations." Cymbals, a grinding guitar and guttural yells and talking repeating the song's name. We're off to an interesting start. "Instinct of Survival" has thrash guitar riffs and start-stop drums. This kicks in fast. I have no idea what he's singing about, if you want to call it that. Hey, the self-titled "Scum" starts out slower with a sludgy/grungy guitar, a la Black Sabbath. That's short-lived as the speed cranks up. The longest song "Siege of Power" clocks in at an amazing 3:59. This gives the band time to change speeds and we get an actual guitar solo. Yes, a guitar solo. I didn't think that was actually possible. I liked this song. The last song on Side A, "Suffer," is the world's shortest song at 1.3 seconds and is a scream of "You suffer, but why?" Side B opens even faster with the guitar and drums. And, lead singer Lee Dorian is also harsher than Nicholas Bullen. Dorian adds an animal-sound that takes this guttural singing to the next level. The animal element to Dorian's vocals peak on "Pseudo Youth" where he sounds like a trapped animal. This is super fast. A driving guitar trying desperately for a melody highlights "Divine Death." Ah, guitarist Bill Steer gave up and the speed takes over. He's saved by Death. More of the grinding guitar appears in "M.a.d." That's an acronym for mutually assured destruction which describes when two countries wipe each other out. The name of this music is fast, faster and even more faster. This is all about speed. 28 songs in 33 minutes. Don't look too hard for a melody. Singer Bullen was hard to understand but Dorian takes it next level adding the animal element on Side B. There are semblances of Black Sabbath and Motörhead in the guitar riffs on Side A. Those are gone on Side B in favor of speed. I liked this album to an extant probably since I knew what to expect and I've heard similar extreme metal before. So, if you're into thrash heavy metal, hardcore punk, extreme music or just speed, look no further.

Pretty good album, enjoyed it.

Scum is a pretty tame metal record by today’s standards, but for the late 80’s this was actually pretty fucking heavy. Fun deep guttural vocals, blast beats, and frantic pacing are the only things this record has in common with traditional death metal. The guitars are almost more of a hardcore or punk sound than anything, at times they almost verge into a post-hardcore tone. This is a fun listen, it’s exactly as quick as it needs to be, but it’s not what I’m looking for when I’m in the mood to listen to death metal. 3.5*

Jeg læste lidt med på teksterne som jeg lyttede. Moderat overrasket over at Napalm Death har RATM-level venstreorienterede tekster?? Anyways det er sgu et fedt album. Lyder meget forud for sin tid

This brings back memories of walking around on a festival and discovering a band that's playing on a stage next to where you're getting food I really liked the first half and the second one became good as well. Good music for exercising Favorite track: You Suffer

Silly boys.

Shakespeare once said Brevity is the soul of wit. If that’s true, Napalm Death is the wittiest band of all time. If it takes you more than 58 seconds to get your point across you need to go back to songwriting school.

Look, I know that I am not the target audience for this. But it really doesn't mean that I can't appreciate and recognize the technical artistry that it takes to make music metal.

Angry as hell and sexy guitar tones. Like it or not it's one of its genres finest. Last couple of songs is a bit much "let's just play fast"

Scum is definitely one of the most odd albums on this list and that gives it a unique charm that not a lot of other albums have. This album has a very interesting structure with it being 28 songs but a lot of them are extremely short with one being only 5 seconds long. The general songs are also out of the ordinary with it having your typical thrash/death metal beats but with some incredibly fast drumming and vocals which almost make it sound like the vocalist is barking like a dog. This album can get a little samey and easy to lose track of due to being so short but i still love this album's charm and the more conventional thrash/death metal parts do sound really great so i'm giving this album a 3.5. Best Song: Scum Worst Song: Multinational Corporations

Shreds. I like the barking ruff ruffery of the vocals here.

great album. sick. whenever I go to grindcore shows I'm always mesmerized by the drums, this (genre-defining) album is no exception.

In the same way that high end restaurants will offer a palate cleanser (like a sorbet) between courses to help reset your taste buds, this is the kind of album that resets your ears away from the mainstream music that overpowers this list. Enough with the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Pavement, Oasis et al - here's some primitive rage. As Hobbes put it - "Nasty, brutish and short." I listened to it, enjoyed it, and will now enjoy an hour of silence.

I’ve never listened to a napalm death record ever. Very aware of the band though. 28 songs in 33 minutes. This definitely the early days of death metal and blast beats.

HAHAHAH JAAAA UFBDAS HANI MI GFREUT ich finds immerno crazy, dass öpper 1987 so heavy musig gmacht het bi scum findi erchenntmer halt echt en gwüsse groove etc. wo aber denn eifach durs chaos und d blast beats zerstört wird polluted minds isch dumm gange damn siege of power isch actually es lied gsi sochli hett echt denkt dass es mier wird weniger gfalle, bin mitere 2er-erwartige da innegange aber ich hans album au nonie am stuck glost, bis jz fühlis easy hahahah han nanie chönne vill mit grindcore ahfange aber da woni no meh d wurzle chan usseghöre, cheggis glaub besser? ach ich lieb you suffer, ich weiss no wo ich das imene youtube video zu obskure metal-/hardcorelieder s erst mal ghört han und s eifach so funny gfunde han, was für dummi musig me chan mache OMG bidem gitarre solo vo parasites sind gad 50 regeböge glichzitig dur min chopf gschosse finds halt schad lahtmer d musig nie schnuufe aber genau das isch ja au u.a. de sinn vom ganze glaub ich bin aber allgemein überrascht, wie guet s mier gfalle het, glaub es git es 4i (ellei, wills vlt ohni napalm death keis cattle decapitation git)

Mon carnet de bord du projet "1001 Albums" m'amène aujourd'hui sur un terrain miné, un véritable champ de bataille sonore. On quitte les mélodies évidentes et les structures confortables pour plonger tête la première dans le chaos pur, le bruit érigé en art, la violence musicale comme unique moyen d'expression. Mesdames et messieurs, bienvenue en enfer : nous allons parler de "Scum" de Napalm Death. Ca y est, je la vois venir la question à 10.000 euros et d'ailleurs je l'entends arriver avec ses gros sabots... "Mais qu'est-ce qu'il fout avec ce truc de bourrins ?". La réponse est simple : ce disque est dans le livre et si ce disque est dans le livre, c'est qu'il a son importance et une importance capitale, même. Et puis, entre nous, un peu de brutalité pure n'a jamais fait de mal à personne, surtout quand on a grandi dans les années 70 et 80, où la musique se devait aussi d'être un bon coup de pied au cul. J'avais 17 ans, j'écoutais The Cure, the The, Echo & The Bunnymen, peut-être un peu d'AC/DC pour faire le dur. Et puis, un jour, par les méandres des échanges de cassettes et des fanzines photocopiés, "Scum" est arrivé. Je ne vais pas vous mentir, la première écoute fut un choc, pas un choc agréable, non. Un parpaing dans la gueule, une agression, trente-trois minutes, vingt-huit morceaux. Une blague ? Non, une révolution. Ce disque, c'est l'acte de naissance officiel du grindcore. Un nom barbare pour une musique qui l'est tout autant : des morceaux ultra-courts, des "blast beats" à la batterie (Mick Harris, ce putain de métronome fou), des guitares accordées si bas qu'on dirait une tronçonneuse asthmatique et un chant qui oscille entre l'aboiement d'un chien enragé et le gargouillis d'un évier qui se vide. On est loin, très loin de "Boys Don't Cry". Le plus fascinant avec "Scum", et c'est là que l'analyse devient intéressante au-delà du simple "ça fait du bruit", c'est sa nature schizophrène. Ce n'est pas un album, ce sont deux mini-albums, enregistrés par deux formations quasi-différentes, collés ensemble par la force des choses. D'un côté, la face A, enregistrée en 86. C'est la frange punk, crust, hardcore de Napalm Death. On y retrouve Nicholas Bullen, Mick Harris et un certain Justin Broadrick à la guitare. Oui, LE Justin Broadrick qui allait, peu de temps après, nous terroriser avec Godflesh. Cette face est crade, politique, anarchiste dans l'âme. C'est un torrent de boue sonore qui charrie des slogans anti-capitalistes et anti-système. C'est brut, c'est primal, ça sent la bière tiède et le squat. De l'autre, la face B. Broadrick et Bullen sont partis. Lee Dorrian (futur Cathedral) est au chant, Bill Steer (futur Carcass) à la guitare. Seul le batteur Mick Harris reste, comme un pilier au milieu du chaos. Et là, le son change car on bascule dans autre chose. Le punk est toujours là, mais le metal, le death metal naissant, pointe le bout de son nez hideux. C'est plus lourd, plus structuré (un bien grand mot pour ce bordel), et ça pose les bases de tout ce qui suivra. "Scum" est donc un document historique. C'est la photo d'un instant T, celui où le punk hardcore, à force de vouloir être plus rapide et plus méchant, a muté en un monstre incontrôlable. C'est un disque charnière, un pont rouillé et dangereux entre deux mondes. Et les morceaux, alors ? En détailler chaque piste serait un non-sens et contraire à ma ligne éditoriale. On retiendra évidemment le légendaire "You Suffer". 1,316 secondes. Record du monde de la chanson la plus courte. Le temps d'éternuer et c'est fini. C'est devenu une blague, un gimmick, mais c'est surtout le symbole ultime de la démarche de Napalm Death : aller à l'essentiel, condenser la rage en un flash, un spasme. Le reste est à l'avenant : "Scum", "Siege of Power", "Deceiver"... des titres comme des coups de poing, des explosions de haine qui durent rarement plus de deux minutes. 4 sur 5, voilà c'est tombé. Je suis peut être en dehors de mes docs mais putain il mérite un 4 sur 5. Pourquoi pas 5 ? Parce que "Scum" n'est pas un album que l'on écoute pour le plaisir. C'est une expérience, une épreuve, un rite de passage. On ne met pas "Scum" en fond sonore pour préparer le dîner. On l'écoute fort, seul, et on en ressort changé. Lessivé, mais changé. Et puis, il y a la suite. Pour moi, qui ai passé des années à user les disques de Godflesh, de Scorn ou de Painkiller, "Scum" est une pièce maîtresse. C'est le Big Bang d'où tout est parti. Entendre la guitare abrasive de Broadrick sur la face A, c'est déjà entendre les prémices du son industriel et déshumanisé de Godflesh. Suivre le jeu de batterie démentiel de Mick Harris, c'est comprendre d'où viendront les rythmiques froides et dub de Scorn, ou la furie free-jazz de Painkiller avec ce malade de John Zorn (un autre de mes héros). Cet album n'est donc pas seulement une borne dans l'histoire du metal extrême. C'est un carrefour, une pépinière de talents qui allaient chacun, à leur manière, dynamiter la musique des années 90. Et rien que pour ça, sa place dans les "1001 albums" est tout sauf usurpée. C'est une purge, une catharsis, un putain de grand nettoyage nécessaire. Pas pour toutes les oreilles, c'est certain. Mais pour celles qui osent, la récompense est à la hauteur du choc.

This album is awesome. I'd never listened to Napalm Death before, but had heard of them. Listening to this on my way into the office this morning, I came in ready to rip the fucking head off some spreadsheets. Every track thrashes with intensity, melody and rhythm. The drummer is an absolutely maniac and kicks ass. The vocals mesh perfectly with the percussion and guitars and all these elements really complement each other. I can't believe this came out in the 80s; it sounds harder than most metal that's out today. This album represents part of why I enjoy this project so much.

Hell yeah

Yes, yes,,,good,,,,

This shit kicks TOO much ass!!!

One of the more influential metal albums of all time, what's it doing so far down in the ratings? It's fucking grindcore what that's too good for you people? This album mostly rips, but the weirdest thing is that the 2 halfs are practically completely different bands, as most of the first half guys left leaving just the drummer remaining I believe. It definitely sort of "devolves" in the 2nd half, having mostly super short songs, but it's still pretty cool

3.5 I'll start this by saying my previous album was the fucking Culture Club. If people are complaining that Scum shouldn't be on this list then there's about 500 of other ones that are even less deserving. On to the album itself. I view this as two albums, two bands really. The first side is very, very good. I'm not a big grindcore fan but I can appreciate the importance of this. You can tell you're listening to something special, that kickstarted a movement. The second half is less good, the shrieks less convincing, the music less varied, it just falls a bit flatter. I'd say a 4 and a 3 respectively. Rounding up to bring the average up overall, because not liking something doesn't mean it shouldn't be the worst rated album on this list.

Classic grind core. Pretty good.

1. Multinational Corporations - decent 7 2. Instinct of Survival - strong 7 3. The Kill - too short N/A 4. Scum - 10 5. Caught... In a Dream - light 7 6. Polluted Minds - too short N/A 7. Sacrificed - decent 6 8. Siege of Power - strong 8 9. Control - light 7 10. Born on Your Knees - light 8 11. Human Garbage - decent 7 12. You Suffer - too short N/A 13. Life? - too short N/A 14. Prison Without Walls - too short N/A 15. Point of No Return - too short N/A 16. Negative Approach - too short N/A 17. Success? - light 7 18. Deceiver - too short N/A 19. C.S. - strong 7 20. Parasites - too short N/A 21. Pseudo Youth - too short N/A 22. Divine Death - decent 7 23. As the Machine Rolls Only - too short N/A 24. Common Enemy - too short N/A 25. Moral Crusade - light 6 26. Stigmatized - light 7 27. M.A.D. - light 7 28. Dragnet - light 7 Favourite 3 Tracks - 1. Scum 2. Siege of Power 3. Born On Your Knees - NOTE RATINGS ARE FROM A FIRST LISTEN - SCORE - 7.2/10

Not my go-to genre and I’m. It allowed to listen to music like this in the house but there is interesting stuff happening here.

Good. Sometimes hard to distinguish songs, but super fun to listen to. The drumming is off the hook.

maybe i just like it because i'm a contrarian but i do like it even though it STRESSES me out

klasyk

okay so i probably gave this an unfair advantage by listening to it at the gym

The album cover is cool. And speaking of music well, the instrumentation is exactly what I like, fast and aggressive, distroded and noisy. However, speaking of the vocals, I have to say although I do live screams in songs, there is just too much of those in here; at least sing *something*. Or simply just make an instrumental album already! I like the album in general, it's a 3.5/5.

This was the album the algorithm decided to assign to me on Christmas Day… it was fun!

No idea what the fuck they're saying lol but goddamn this album goes hard \m/ Makes me wanna break stuff TIL the drummer on this record helped coin the term 'grindcore'

PEDRADA. papo reto nada melhor do que um grindcore de leve pela manhã pra animar o dia

While not a fan of grind core in general preferring more traditional metal and punk this is the best it has to offer. The best the genre has to offer is still not worth 5 stars however.

Ha, it's great this is on this list. An absolute classic in pillar in grindcore. Never my favorite but it has a place.

Not an album I’d listen to often but one I understand the impact of and don’t hate

Extremely abrasive, but I managed to enjoy it after giving it a few spins. I prefer the first half of the record as it's more distinct and the sound is more akin to hardcore punk than metal. The album cover is great.

Великий альбом You Suffer>Любая песня The Beatles 8/10

An awesome swell of noise and chaos, that still somehow sounds like music.

I get it. Most will not try to because it is too challenging.

Expected this to be hard work, but got to the end wanting more.

decent

OK it's not the easiest album to listen to, but the truth is it's an impressive album: despite the apparent chaos, it's far from a mess (actually you can't play at this speed and being messy, else it would only be a maelstrom), it's actually pretty diverse (all things considered), and you should definitely read the lyrics (yeah, I won't lie, it's hard to hear them). Face A and B are quite different (basically performed by different musicians) and I prefer the sound of the first side, but they're honestly both strong. And it's the right length to avoid to be bored. It's so refreshing, it's hard to think that this album is closed to 40 years old!

yeah, that was fun. i never really listened to them properly back then, though i was for sure aware of them. i probably wouldn't have cared for them much then, and i really don't care one way or the other now. i do appreciate just how far outside the 1987 mold they are here. props to that.

The beginning of grindcore, and I love grindcore.

I like the music but the singing is the funniest here. Why do they even write lyrics? They could just shout lalalalalala or woooouuurrragh!

Mindblowing in its time, and the themes of the record are still very relevant today.

Innovative for its time

As a metalhead I feel very comfortable in saying that this is utterly ridiculous, but it's so unique I have to rate it.

Extreme, heavy, influential, based 😎🤘

A full on assault and I mean that in the best way. This is like adrenochrome for ears. Can’t say this is something I am always in the mood for, but it’s great for what it is.

I liked it I just would’ve liked to have been able to know what they were saying a little better.

Grindcore. Historical importance aside, this album is pretty messy. Sometimes in the good sense, sometimes bad. It's fast, heavy, chaotic, noisy, aggressive, and even political. I love grindcore usually, this was no exception. I really did like most of this album, but it lacks any kind of focus. I get that both halves have different members and one is basically a demo and blah blah blah. But it really slumps after the first half for me. It got a bit too samey and production differences were not in a direction I liked. However, the whole album is kickass blas beats and loud shitty vocals and fast riffing. It rules even when it loses focus. Might revisit, I should listen to their other stuff some time. 4/5

I don't think I'm just being contrarian when I say that I actually really enjoyed this. Imagine most bands max out at a 10 - Napalm Death seems to start all of their songs at 10 and then amp it up from there. Pure adrenalien for your ears.

Very angry and powerful, couldnt understand a word tho if there was any

These are the complete lyrics for the first song on the album. How can anybody not love it? Multinational corporations Genocide of the starving nations I'm not sure this is what he's actually singing, but these are from a lyric site. So yeah, the cookie monster vocals are kind of campy, but the band rocks.