Editing Harmony Corruption

{{Short description|Album by Napalm Death}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Harmony Corruption
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Napalm Death]]
| cover        = Harmony Corruption.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 30 July 1990<ref>''Music Week- New Albums- 28 July 1990 issue, page 26''</ref>
| recorded     = April–May 1990<ref name="deathbymanipulation">{{cite AV media notes | title=[[Death by Manipulation]] | year=1991 | others=[[Napalm Death]] | type=liner notes | publisher=[[Earache Records|Earache]]/[[Relativity Records|Relativity]] | id=88561-1072-2}}</ref>
| venue        = 
| studio       = [[Morrisound Recording|Morrisound]], [[Tampa, Florida]], US
| genre        = [[Death metal]]
| length       = {{Duration|m=41|s=2}}
| label        = * [[Earache Records|Earache]]
* [[Combat Records|Combat]]
| producer     = * [[Scott Burns (record producer)|Scott Burns]]
* Napalm Death
| prev_title   = [[Mentally Murdered]]
| prev_year    = 1989
| next_title   = [[Mass Appeal Madness]]
| next_year    = 1991
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = Harmony Corruption
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Suffer the Children
 | single1date = 13 August 1990<ref>''Music Week- New Singles- 11 August 1990 issue, page 27''</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Harmony Corruption''''' is the third studio album by British [[grindcore]] band [[Napalm Death]], released in July 1990 on [[Earache Records]].

==Music==
''Harmony Corruption'' has been characterized by its "sluggish rhythms and a generally sludgy sound." According to music journalist T Coles, the album "makes a clear effort to be structured, naturally bringing their style closer to the bands in the [[Florida death metal|Florida scene]]" and introduces a "tighter architecture to their berserk style." Described as a stylistic "handbrake turn" for the band, the album represents a shift in genre from [[grindcore]] to "standard [[death metal]]", featuring technical [[riffs]] and deep low vocals. The tracks have been called "full-fledged songs [...] not start-stop eruptions of noise" and "straightforward death metal songs, not grindcore blasts."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2018-01-09 |title=Death Metal new releases {{!}} EW.com |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=http://ew.com/article/1991/01/25/death-metal-new-releases/ |access-date=2025-01-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064013/http://ew.com/article/1991/01/25/death-metal-new-releases/ |archive-date=9 January 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Coles |first1=T |title=Death Metal |date=2022 |publisher=McFarland |pages=61 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Harmony Corruption - Napalm Death {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/harmony-corruption-mw0000310655 |access-date=2024-12-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=Jonathan Horsley |date=2022-03-21 |title=The 30 heaviest guitar albums of all time |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/30-heaviest-guitar-albums-of-all-time |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=guitarworld}}</ref> 

Notably, it was recorded in the spring of 1990 at [[Morrisound Recording]] in [[Tampa, Florida]], where many classic death metal albums were recorded.<ref name="deathbymanipulation" /> Additionally, members of prominent Florida Death Metal bands [[Glen Benton]] (of [[Deicide (band)|Deicide]]) and [[John Tardy]] (of [[Obituary (band)|Obituary]]) were guest vocalists for the song "Unfit Earth". The album has been described as "more expansive" than its predecessors, which have been called "one- or two-minute grindcore blasts."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/07/01/the-chains-that-bind-us-napalm-deaths-harmony-corruption-turns-30/|title=Napalm Death's 'Harmony Corruption' Turns 30|date=1 July 2020 |access-date=2024-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Harmony Corruption - Napalm Death {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/harmony-corruption-mw0000310655 |access-date=2024-12-29 |language=en}}</ref>

The guitar work between Pintado and Harris has been described as "varied and intricate" compared to that of [[Bill Steer]], their predecessor in the band, whose style was described as a "frenzied, [[Distortion (music)|distorted]] blur."<ref>{{Citation |title=Harmony Corruption - Napalm Death {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/harmony-corruption-mw0000310655 |access-date=2024-12-29 |language=en}}</ref>

It is the first Napalm Death album to feature [[Barney Greenway|Mark "Barney" Greenway]] as the vocalist and Americans [[Mitch Harris]] and [[Jesse Pintado]] as guitarists, and the last with [[Mick Harris]] on drums.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Release==
''Harmony Corruption'' was the band's third UK chart entry, peaking at number 67. Richard Johnson, a member of [[Agoraphobic Nosebleed]], says that the wide distribution of ''Harmony Corruption'' ensured that it had a greater impact on the American grindcore scene than earlier Napalm Death efforts.<ref name=usgrind>Kevin Stewart-Panko, "Altered States," "Grindcore Special" part 2, ''Terrorizer'' #181, March 2009, p. 42-43.</ref>

The track "Suffer the Children" was released as single on vinyl and CD, which features the non-album tracks "Siege of Power" and "Harmony Corruption".<ref name="earachendsuffer">{{cite web |url=http://www.earache.com/catalogue/mosh024.php |title=Napalm Death 'Suffer the Children' |work=Earache.com |publisher=[[Earache Records|Earache]] |access-date=1 December 2014}}</ref> A [[Music video|video]] was made for "Suffer the Children".<ref name="bbsuffervideo">{{cite magazine |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=16 February 1991 |title=The Eye |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |location=New York |publisher=BPI Communications |volume=103 |issue=7 |page=56 |issn=0006-2510 |oclc=4086332}}</ref> Additionally, limited vinyl pressings included the bonus LP with a live performance recorded at I.C.A.<ref>{{Citation |title=Napalm Death - Harmony Corruption |date=August 1990 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/393669-Napalm-Death-Harmony-Corruption |language=en |access-date=2023-01-23}}</ref> 

The tracks from the ''[[Mentally Murdered]]'' EP,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Napalm_Death/Suffer_the_Children/17127|title=Napalm Death - Suffer the Children - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives}}</ref> are included at the end of early editions of the CD, though versions now in print feature only the standard eleven tracks.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

In 2012, Earache Records released a remastered edition, containing bonus tracks.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="allmusicrev">{{AllMusic |class=album |id=harmony-corruption-mw0000310655 |label=Napalm Death: ''Harmony Corruption'' > Overview |first=Jason |last=Birchmeier |accessdate=19 October 2014}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Martin Popoff|Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal]]''
| rev2score = 5/10<ref>{{cite book |last1=Popoff |first1=Martin |author-link1=Martin Popoff |title=The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties |publisher=[[Collector's Guide Publishing]] |year=2007 |location=[[Burlington, Ontario]], [[Canada]] |isbn=978-1-894959-62-9 |page=305}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev3score = {{Rating|1|5}}<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Larkin|editor-first=Colin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th concise|isbn=978-0857125958|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music |pages=1015–1016}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev4score = C<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist) |date=January 25, 1991 |title=Death Metal new releases |url=http://ew.com/article/1991/01/25/death-metal-new-releases/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109064013/http://ew.com/article/1991/01/25/death-metal-new-releases/ |archive-date=2018-01-09 |access-date=2023-12-27 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Select (magazine)|Select]]''
| rev5Score = {{rating|4|5|full=U+25A0.svg|empty=U+25A1.svg|rating=medal}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Perry |first=Neil |date=October 1990 |title=Masters Of Brutality |magazine=[[Select (magazine)|Select]] |issue=4 |page=116}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]''
| rev6score = 6/10<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Napalm Death|first=Chris|last=Norris|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor2-first=Craig|editor2-last=Marks|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=265–266}}</ref>
}}
The album was met with a polarized reception upon release and has continued to divide listeners. [[Decibel (Magazine)|Decibel]] described the album as, "a milestone in extreme music history."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2020/07/01/the-chains-that-bind-us-napalm-deaths-harmony-corruption-turns-30/|title=Napalm Death's 'Harmony Corruption' Turns 30|date=1 July 2020 |access-date=2024-09-28}}</ref> Conversely, [[AllMusic]] described the album as, "a bit of a novel album for the band, though one that's not especially remarkable in the big picture."<ref>{{Citation |title=Harmony Corruption - Napalm Death {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/harmony-corruption-mw0000310655 |access-date=2024-11-10}}</ref>

[[Shane Embury]] has said of the album's reception, "it turned a lot of people on to the band who I guess had never given us the time of day, but also turned old-school fans off. Being young at the time and seeing the reactions was kind of scary; as you get older, opinions matter less, but it captured the time. Over in the states it has the same nostalgia as Scum. We will always have to play 'Suffer the Children.'"<ref name=":0" />

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| title1           = Vision Conquest
| lyrics1          = Shane Embury
| music1           = Embury
| length1          = 2:42
| title2           = If the Truth Be Known
| lyrics2          = {{flatlist|
* Embury
* Mark Greenway
}}
| music2           = Embury
| length2          = 4:12
| title3           = Inner Incineration
| lyrics3          = Embury
| music3           = Jesse Pintado
| length3          = 2:57
| title4           = Malicious Intent
| lyrics4          = Embury
| music4           = Embury
| length4          = 3:26
| title5           = Unfit Earth
| lyrics5          = Greenway
| music5           = Mick Harris
| length5          = 5:03
| title6           = Circle of Hypocrisy
| lyrics6          = Greenway
| music6           = Mick Harris
| length6          = 3:15
| title7           = The Chains that Bind Us
| lyrics7          = {{flatlist|
* Embury
* Greenway
}}
| music7           = Mick Harris
| length7          = 4:08
| title8           = Mind Snare
| lyrics8          = Greenway
| music8           = Mitch Harris
| length8          = 3:42
| title9           = Extremity Retained
| lyrics9          = Greenway
| music9           = Mick Harris
| length9          = 2:01
| title10          = Suffer the Children
| lyrics10         = Greenway
| music10          = Mick Harris
| length10         = 4:21
}}
{{Track listing
| headline         = CD bonus track
| title11          = Hiding Behind
| lyrics11         = Greenway
| music11          = Mick Harris
| length11         = 5:15
}}

{{Track listing
| headline         = Live at the I.C.A. London 29 June 1990
| title1           = Rise Above
| lyrics1          = [[Lee Dorrian]]
| music1           = Embury
| length1          =
| title2           = Success?
| lyrics2          = [[Jim Whitely]]
| music2           =
| length2          =
| title3           = From Enslavement to Obliteration
| lyrics3          =
| music3           =
| length3          =
| title4           = Control
| lyrics4          = [[Justin Broadrick]]
| music4           = [[Justin Broadrick]]
| length4          =
| title5           = Walls of Confinement
| lyrics5          = Dorrian
| music5           = Mick Harris
| length5          =
| title6           = Instinct of Survival
| lyrics6          = Broadrick
| music6           = [[Justin Broadrick]]
| length6          =
| title7           = Siege of Power
| lyrics7          = Broadrick
| music7           =
| length7          =
| title8           = Avalanche Master Song
| note8            = [[Godflesh]] cover
| lyrics8          = Godflesh
| music8           = Godflesh
| length8          =
| title9           = You Suffer?
| lyrics9          = Broadrick
| music9           = Nick Bullen
| length9          =
| title10          = Deceiver
| lyrics10         = Whitely
| music10          =
| length10         =
}}

==Personnel==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Napalm Death===
* [[Barney Greenway|Mark "Barney" Greenway]] – [[Death growl|vocals]]
* [[Jesse Pintado]] – [[Electric guitar|guitar]]s
* [[Mitch Harris]] – guitars
* [[Shane Embury]] – [[Bass guitar|bass]]
* [[Mick Harris]] – [[Drum kit|drums]]
{{col-2}}

===Additional musicians===
* [[Glen Benton]] – backing vocals (5)
* [[John Tardy]] – backing vocals (5)

===Technical personnel===
* David Windmill – artwork
* Tim Hubbard – photography
* Noel Summerville – mastering
{{col-end}}

==Chart positions==
{| class = "wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" border="1"
! Chart (1990)
! Peak position
|-
| {{album chart | UK | 67 | artist=Napalm Death | refname=ukcharts | accessdate=11 October 2014}}
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Napalm Death}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1990 albums]]
[[Category:Napalm Death albums]]
[[Category:Earache Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Scott Burns (record producer)]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording]]