The band is recognized as pioneers of the grindcore genre, blending elements of crust punk and death metal. They are known for their noise-filled sound, characterized by distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdrive bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals consisting of incomprehensible growls or high-pitched shrieks. Their songs are exceptionally short, often featuring sociopolitical lyrics. Napalm Death gained substantial influence in the global metal community with the release of their debut album "Scum" in 1987, which was issued by Earache Records. Notably, their track "You Suffer" holds the Guinness World Record for the shortest recorded song, lasting a mere 1.316 seconds.
Over the years, Napalm Death has released sixteen studio albums and is recognized by Nielsen SoundScan as the seventh-best-selling death metal band in the United States.
Studio albums
Scum (1987)
From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988)
Harmony Corruption (1990)
Utopia Banished (1992)
Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994)
Diatribes (1996)
Inside the Torn Apart (1997)
Words from the Exit Wound (1998)
Enemy of the Music Business (2000)
Order of the Leech (2002)
The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code (2005)
Smear Campaign (2006)
Time Waits for No Slave (2009)
Utilitarian (2012)
Apex Predator - Easy Meat (2015)
Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)
Awake
Napalm Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From here on the pain begins.
We're maggots, cast in the sea of struggle
Bait for the big fish.
Crawl, forever crawling,
Faith holds no answers,
Ravenous - they greedily suck away your will to even argue.
A belief in something better,
Downtrodden hopes still linger,
Faces bear the same shallow fear of forgotten prosperity.
Powers change.
The promise of reward,
Declarations false and in just,
Tame insecurity.
A dreamlike notion that life eases by.
Cushioning the blow of impending reality,
Aimlessness is flogging us - awake!
The lyrics to Napalm Death's song "Awake" describe the struggles of a society that believes in a better future, but is continuously held back by those in power who use false promises of rewards and declarations to maintain their control. The opening lines "Thought trained to succeed. From here on the pain begins" suggest the mindset of individuals who have been taught to strive for success in a society that is inherently uneven and where the odds are stacked against them. They are maggots in the sea of struggle and bait for those in power who will do anything to maintain their control and dominance.
The second verse describes the constant struggle and how people are forever crawling, with no answers or faith to hold on to. The lines "Ravenous - they greedily suck away your will to even argue" show how those in power silence people to keep them in line. The lyrics go on to describe the hope that people still hold on to and how they wish for something better, but the fear of forgotten prosperity is etched on their faces.
The final verse is a call to awareness and action. It talks about how powers change, but the promises of rewards remain false, leading to insecurity and aimlessness. The lyrics urge people to wake up and realize that the dreamlike notion of an easy life is only temporary, and the reality is that they must fight for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Thought trained to succeed.
We have been conditioned to think that success is the ultimate goal and we strive for it.
From here on the pain begins.
After chasing success, we realize that the path is not easy and pain and challenges await.
We're maggots, cast in the sea of struggle
We are insignificant beings trying to survive in a world full of struggles and hardships.
Bait for the big fish.
We are easily exploited and manipulated by those in power who are like big fish in the sea of struggle.
Crawl, forever crawling,
Despite our efforts for success, we are still struggling and crawling through life.
Faith holds no answers,
Having faith in something is not enough to answer life's questions and problems.
Ravenous - they greedily suck away your will to even argue.
Those in power are greedy and manipulating and do not care about our opinions or arguments, ultimately taking away our motivation to fight for change.
A belief in something better,
Despite everything, we still hold on to the belief that there is something better for us in the future.
Downtrodden hopes still linger,
Our hopes and dreams are slowly fading due to the struggles and hardships we face every day.
Faces bear the same shallow fear of forgotten prosperity.
We all share the same fear of losing the prosperity and success our previous generations enjoyed before us.
Powers change.
Those in power constantly change, and their promises of change and reward are often false and unjust.
The promise of reward,
The idea that we will be rewarded for our efforts and struggles keeps us going.
Declarations false and in just,
Those in power make false and unjust promises, leading to further disappointment and hopelessness.
Tame insecurity.
We try to control our fears and insecurities, but they often control us instead.
A dreamlike notion that life eases by.
We have the illusion that life will eventually become easier and less challenging.
Cushioning the blow of impending reality,
We try to ignore the hardships we face and create an illusion of comfort to cope with the harshness of reality.
Aimlessness is flogging us - awake!
Our lack of direction and purpose in life is causing us pain, thus we must wake up and realize how aimless we truly are.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MITCHELL HARRIS, SHANE THOMAS EMBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dr.Jekyll&Mr.Jackass
“We are their cattle … We are being bred for slavery”. - They Live (1988)
Rusty Kuntz
Yep, a movie perhaps more relative now than in 1988. The themes of Media manipulation, the masses easily deceived, easily distracted by consumerism & what's happening on the periphery.
Brandon Benne
Badass song. Great as always. Good job guys 👍
Incruento
Thought trained to succeed.
From here on the pain begins.
We're maggots, cast in the sea of struggle -
Bait for the big fish.
Crawl, forever crawling,
Faith holds no answers,
Ravenous - they greedily suck away your will to even argue.
A belief in something better,
Downtrodden hopes still linger,
Faces bear the same shallow fear of forgotten prosperity.
Powers change.
The promise of reward,
Declarations false and injust,
Tame insecurity.
A dreamlike notion that life eases by.
Cushioning the blow of impending reality,
Aimlessness is flogging us - awake!
Phrygian Dominant
That's more like it! None of this Pop crap on an Earache Ĺabel.
Leonardo Costa
Shane embury The KING
VEKTOR1999
This song was written by Mitch Harris
RANDY TREMARI
!!!!!!!!!!!XXX
Paola Rodriguez
😈
alejandropublicitari
thankssssss