NAPALM DEATH (ENGLAND)

Napalm Death were formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, in May 1981 by Nic Bullen and Miles Ratledge while the duo were still in their early teenage years. The first stable line-up of the group consisted of Nicholas Bullen on vocals and bass, Simon Oppenheimer on guitar, and Miles Ratledge on drums, and lasted from December 1981 to January 1982. Graham Robertson joined on bass in January 1982. Simon Oppenheimer left the group in August 1982 and was replaced by Darryl Fedeski who left the group in October 1982: at this point, Graham Robertson began to play guitar and Finbarr Quinn (ex-Curfew) joined on bass and backing vocals. The group played concerts throughout 1982, and made 4 demo recordings in 1982 and 1983.  In July 1985, Napalm Death consisted of a 4-piece line-up of Miles Ratledge - drums, Bullen - vocals, bass and guitar, Graham Robertson - guitar and bass, and Damien Errington - guitar. In September 1985, Peter Shaw (ex-Autism) joined on bass. The 4-piece line-up recorded Hatred Surge (the band's 5th demo recording) on 23 October 1985 which the band made available at their concerts and by mail. Following the recording of the demo, Bullen and Broadrick wished to extend their exploration of a more extreme musical style which created a split in the group with Ratledge: as a result, the group splintered and Mick Harris (a local fan) was asked to join as drummer in December 1985. The trio - Bullen on vocals and bass, Broadrick on guitar and Harris on drums - The group recorded a 6th demo, From Enslavement to Obliteration, on 15 March 1986, which the group made available at their concerts and through mail, before making a 7th recording later that year, Scum, which was provisionally intended to form part of a split LP with the English hardcore band Atavistic on Manic Ears records. This recording later became the first side of the band's debut album Scum in 1987. With the departure of Broadrick and Bullen, the band had to look for new members. Guitarist Bill Steer played in a band based in Liverpool, called Carcass and given the affinity between the bands, he joined Napalm Death while still playing an active role in Carcass. The band asked a friend (Lee Dorrian) to join as vocalist due to his good relationship with the band (he had organised a number of concerts for the band), even though he had never been in a band before. This line-up recorded the B side of the Scum LP at Rich Bitch studios in May 1987, and the album was released through Earache Records. The band promptly lost another member just before they undertook a short tour after the release of Scum. Jim Whiteley left the group (to join Ripcord) and Shane Embury (former drummer of Unseen Terror) moved to bass.


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HATRED SURGE 1985 DEMO

Xeroxed covers that folded out revealing lyrics. Tapes varied

TRACK LISTING:
- What Man Can Do
- Instinct of Survival
- Abbatoir
- Control
- Sacrificed
- So Sad
- Caught in a Dream
- Private Death
- Cheswick Green (Live)

FROM ENSLAVEMENT TO OBLITERATION 1986 DEMO

Xeroxed covers which folded out. Tapes varied

TRACK LISTING:
- Multinational Corporations
- Instinct of Survival
- Unclean
- Sacrificed
- Siege of Power
- Caught... in a Dream
- What man can do
- Control
- Death by Manipulation
- Abattoir
- Private Death
- The Kill
- You Suffer

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