Live Review: Napalm Death, Carcass, Extortion

Perth’s power-violence professionals Extortion have never failed to please in the past, but this time around they set an even higher bar with a face-melting display, blast beat-driven madness interrupted only by the odd hommage to Swiss overlords Celtic Frost. A guest appearance by Napalm Death’s Mark “Barney” Greenway himself on the last track was merely the icing on the cake.

Carcass never put on a bad show but this outing was far flatter than last year’s triumphant return to Australia. The first three or four numbers suffered from muddy sound, but even when the quartet regained their sonic footing there was just something missing. Sure the likes of Genital Grinder, Incarnated Solvent Abuse and Heartwork were impressive, Jeff Walker’s banter was as wickedly funny as ever and the setlist was representative of the band’s entire career with even Swansong material getting a look in, but after the tour de force of their Metro show of last year, we were simply expecting more.  

There was nothing vaguely disappointing about Napalm Death. Not only did they blast off with deep catalogue classics I Abstain and Walls Of Confinement among others, they also offered up the absolute highlights of their latest LP, particularly Smash A Single Digit and Cesspits. Old-schoolers were also well treated with Scum, The Kill, Suffer The Children and Unchallenged Hate rearing their ugly heads. Even with Munky from Korn on guitar (well not really… you had to be there) in place of the unavailable Mitch Harris the boys didn’t lose a step. Barney of course proved why he is one of extreme music’s most enduring vocalists, his bellow as fresh as it was on Harmony Corruption. How a band that wasn’t meant to last past their first album has endured so many years is still mind-boggling. Napalm Death may be the grandfathers of grindcore but they remain the final word in extremity.