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Napalm Death Lights Up The Electric Ballroom: The Campaign For Musical Destruction London Show Featuring Whiplash, The Varukers And Dopelord

Winter (at least after Christmas,) is a bloody horrible time to live in Britain. I mean, it's not the happiest place on Earth generally but the weather's at its worst, everyone's extra miserable and half the football matches get cancelled every week. There is one thing over the last few years that has made it worth getting through to the end of Winter, and that's Napalm Death's annual Campaign For Musical Destruction tour. Every year, the grindcore godfathers put together a hell of a lineup and decimate the eardrums of fans across the country. In the previous two years, the tour's London stop was held at the Electric in Brixton, where we recently visited, but this year, it was held in the famous Electric Ballroom, perhaps the best venue in Camden. So with the stage set, how was the show? Allow me to tell you.

The show began in one hell of a heavy fashion. Polish stoner/doom metal quartet Dopelord walked on stage and decided that those who attended weren't going to have a laid back night as they kicked off the night with "The Chosen One," the only selection from their latest album, "Songs For Satan." I'd heard quite a buzz about the four-piece and within seconds, I could see, and more importantly, hear what all the fuss was about. Dopelord are a perfect band to show any friends who mention they're thinking of checking out doom, as their music is skull crushingly heavy, with a great rock and roll fire burning underneath that makes it fun too.

Vocal duties are shared between bass player Piotr Zin, who stood front and centre, while guitarist Pawel Mioduchowski took the mic for the majority of the night, pulling some of the craziest facial expressions as he did so. The band also seemed to step up a gear when he first made his voice heard, as they unleashed "Hail Satan," a song that really commanded everyone's attention, before the sheer chaos of "Headless Decapitator." It was a relatively short set but "Reptile Sun" and "Doom Bastards" brought it to a close in spectacular fashion. They came, they saw, they ripped everyone's arsehole open like a cheap velcro wallet, then they left. Dopelord were honestly one of the best doom bands I've seen in a while and what a brilliant choice it was to have them open.

Given Napalm Death's roots in punk rock, it was only fitting that they share the spotlight with contemporaries from their early days, and once more, they chose well by picking The Varukers to come on tour. I've actually been wanting to see them for years, with "Soldier Boy" being one of my favourite punk tracks ever, and while I saw frontman Rat during his stint with Discharge, as well as supporting Ratos de Porao last year with The Vile, to finally see him with the band that he made his name with was something special.

As it turns out, the long wait proved to be totally worth it, as The Varukers let loose a fury of d-beat hardcore punk with "How Do You Sleep?," which got everything going perfectly. While the punks in the crowd knew, or had a good idea what to expect, the more metal side of the audience were blown away by the audio assault before them, as was proved by frequent cries of "Fucking hell!" and "This is awesome!" The quartet continued to exceed all expectations by blasting songs like "Die For Your Government," "Allegiance To None" and "I Don't Wanna Be A Victim," all of which went down spectacularly well (some people were still singing the last one of those three after they'd finished.)

Each member put in a hell of a shift too, and I really had to admire drummer Kevin Frost, who continued playing with everything he had, even when he was clearly knackered. The Varukers don't always get the respect they deserve from punks, much less metal fans, but I don't think anyone will have a bad word to say about them after witnessing this set and hopefully it'll go some way to putting their name back out there, because they have an incredible catalogue, they're tonnes of fun live and there's plenty of crossover appeal that should entice metal fans just as much as punks. All this and they didn't even play "Soldier Boy!" What a treat this set was.

Having had our arses kicked twice, there was still one more band to come before the main event. Surely lightning couldn't strike thrice could it? Oh yes it can! The eclectic lineup got even more intense with the introduction of New Jersey thrash metal veterans Whiplash. I was fortunate enough to see them on board 70000 Tons Of Metal in 2020 and I remembered them being good, not to mention, "Power And Pain" is an album which is essential for any self respecting thrash fan. As one might expect, this album was featured the most, including the first number, "Last Man Alive." Like Dopelord and The Varukers before them, Whiplash wasted no time in getting the crowd on their side and their musicianship was clear to see, with Tony Portaro's guitar work proving especially impressive.

It's an exciting time to see Whiplash, as "Thrashquake," their first new album since 2009's, "Unborn Again," will be released next week on March 6th, so they're clearly in an excited frame of mind. Bassist Will Winton has been a fantastic addition to the lineup and his precise playing held each song together like superglue, as they raged on with more old favourites like "The Burning Of Atlanta," "Red Bomb" and "Spit On Your Grave." Much like The Varukers, Whiplash also tends to get overlooked, but in a time where bands from thrash's glory days are at a crossroads, with some breaking up or becoming shells of their former selves, Whiplash are on the verge of becoming as popular as ever, if not moreso, and it's live performances like this juggernaut of a set which will do it. There were a few surprises in store too, such as the 2013 single, "Sword Meet Skull, Skull Meet Sword" and "Killing On Monroe Street," the sole cut from 1998's "Thrashback" record, before finishing with a flourish in the form of "Power Thrashing Death." Whiplash aren't just back on the scene, they're here to make sure their name isn't forgotten any time soon.

Most bands would be worried about following a great set, let alone three, but Napalm Death has never been most bands. Their setlist alone is proof enough of this, as they make sure to change it drastically with his tour, so as not to become stale for fans who regularly come to see them. They do this even at the cost of beloved staples and I think this may have been the first time I've not heard, "Silence Is Deafening" at a Napalm Death show. That's not to say that there aren't any classics given an airing of course, as the likes of "Suffer The Children" and "Scum" were there to whip fans up, alongside helpings from their latest album, "Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism" such as "Amoral."

Vocalist Barney Greenway was quick to dispel any fears that some fans may have had, owing to the absence of bassist Shane Embury, whose spot on the tour was being filled by Adam Clarkson of Corrupt Moral Altar, assuring the fans that Shane would be back when he's ready. It can't be an easy task, but Clarkson did a great job, bringing his own style to the band's sound and keeping it very thick. Napalm Death carried on pounding the Ballroom with tracks like "I Abstain," "Strong-Arm" and "Conservative Shithead," representing plenty of material from across their sixteen albums and several Extended Plays.

As anyone who's seen Napalm Death before knows, Barney always has plenty to say about the state of the world and societal woes, almost like metal's answer to Bono, except he's not a twat. His eloquence and oratory skill aren't sermons, but instead they compliment the songs, for example elaborating on the importance of dignity and worker's rights before "Smash A Single Digit," and of course, the anti-fascist rallying cry, sadly more needed now than it has been for decades, before their incomparable cover of the Dead Kennedys classic, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." This wasn't the only cover of the night either, as the band tore through "Politicians," from Italian hardcore veterans Raw Power, and there's also the small matters of "Dead" and "You Suffer," perhaps the only songs where the cheer lasts longer than the actual tracks. Once again, Napalm Death put together a stellar lineup and unleashed their own brand of sonic fury to send everyone home happy, which concluded on this night with the double barreled "Adversarial / Copulating Snakes" from the superb 2015 album, "Apex Predator - Easy Meat." Same time next year, lads? I hope so!