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)
Breed to Breathe
Napalm Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Science strays
Walk the path of servitude
Grown unknown malignant code
Misconceived the passion whole
Misconceived the passion whole
Amongst us issues preset
Determined goals which are set
Love: a crime of serverance
Are we free to feel!?
Do we hurt to heel!?
Whose life to steal!?
Whose life to steal!?
Awareness fails the public eye
Primate morals sell the lie
2,2 - symbolic bait
A process - bound genetic fate
The selfish feed - breed to breed
The lyrics of Napalm Death Delta 9's "Breed to Breathe" tackle the theme of humanity being divorced from its own nature, and the adverse consequences of scientific advancement. The first verse speaks of humanity walking the path of servitude and growing unknown malignant code, which could be interpreted as technology or scientific progress that has gone out of control. The line "misconceived the passion whole" implies that humanity has lost touch with its own emotions and values, and has become detached from the very essence that makes us human.
The second verse focuses on the injustices perpetuated by humanity upon itself. The phrase "born against the innocent" could be seen as a reference to the concept of original sin, where from birth we are guilty and flawed, or as an indictment of societal flaws that are inherent in our existence. The lines "love: a crime of serverance" could be interpreted as a warning against the dangers of being too attached to things or people or the idea of love, as it could potentially lead to corruption or servitude.
The chorus is a series of provocative questions aimed at the listener, making them think about the price of their existence. "Are we free to feel? Do we hurt to heel?" could be understood as asking if our emotions are genuine or if they are forced upon us by societal pressures. Additionally, "Whose life to steal?" implies that there are always consequences to the decisions we make.
Line by Line Meaning
Divorced humanity
Humanity is divided and disconnected from each other.
Science strays
Science has lost its way and has caused problems.
Walk the path of servitude
People are blindly following a path of servitude without questioning it.
Grown unknown malignant code
An unknown and destructive element has taken root and been growing.
Misconceived the passion whole
Society's overall mission has been misunderstood and misinterpreted.
Born against the innocent
Innocent people are born into challenging situations.
Amongst us issues preset
Problems exist around us that have already been predetermined for us.
Determined goals which are set
Certain goals are imposed on us regardless of our individual desires.
Love: a crime of serverance
The act of love has been shunned and transformed into a punishable crime.
Are we free to feel!?
Is it okay for us to express our feelings without fear of being judged or punished?
Do we hurt to heel!?
Do we have to cause pain and suffering to heal or redeem ourselves?
Whose life to steal!?
Who has the right to take someone else's life?
Whose life to steal!?
Who has the right to take someone else's life?
Awareness fails the public eye
The public is not aware of what is happening around them.
Primate morals sell the lie
Society's moral standards are animalistic and flawed.
2,2 - symbolic bait
An encoded message designed to manipulate people.
A process - bound genetic fate
Our genetic fate is predetermined by a process outside of our control.
The selfish feed - breed to breed
Self-centered people continue to reproduce, perpetuating the same selfish and destructive cycle.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHANE THOMAS EMBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@duducheization
Best Napalm Death song, their best album !
@-Roisin-Dubh
no!
@MarcusAsenlund
easily one of their better records. Scum is a great album but not the greatest Napalm Death album.
@Sergey_Matskevich_82
Love this song. When I do heavy bench press reps or heavy squats it helps to spit pain and fear away and do the job right)))
@cundinamarca8
Like new. Song never gets old. Brand new you're retro.
@themadmgtow5196
takes me back to the summer of 97/98 Top of my playlist on my mixtape
@silvioferraz3446
Até há alguns meses, havia, aqui, no YouTube, uma versão do clip dessa música com cenas fortes, sem censura... pena que tiraram e agora eu não consigo encontrar em nenhum rincão da internet ☹☹
@cheapenstein
I really like Napalm Death's 90s era much more than their early Grindcore days honestly, seems most hated all these albums of this era
@blechtic
It's probably death vs. grind thing.
@motorcitymthrfkr
@blechtic yeah I think that's probably the issue, I'm glad that they stuck making the music they wanted to regardless of criticism