Suffer The Children

One of the great things I’ve always liked and admired about Napalm Death is their wide range of appeal. Everyone from crusties and grinders to the tried and true metalheads like ‘em. There’s a little something for everyone in their grindy, metallic assault. Ideology plays a big role in their universal appeal, too. Firmly planted in working class ideals, they’ve regularly tackled political and social topics, always clinging to a central theme of being anti-oppression.

It was upon this realization that I began to understand the appeal of their classic song “Suffer The Children”. At first glance this song is rather unassuming to be considered such a “classic” – I usually glazed right by it, hence my curiosity of its prolificacy. Frankly, my attitude was, “What’s the big deal?” It’s not their fastest song, and it’s hardly their heaviest. However, since it’s release in 1990 (and even slightly before its official release), this song has been a constant in the band’s live set. It’s also been covered by many inspired acts (four of which are included on this mix) several times over. What I came to understand is that this song is a celebration of Napalm Death’s whole musical spectrum and also their ideology. There are thrashy parts, blastbeats, punky crossover, heavy grooves and more – all made complete with the song’s lyrical topic: exposing religious hypocrisy and oppression, all of which any metalhead can raise the horns to.

Originally appearing on Napalm Death’s third album, Harmony Corruption, this Scott Burns produced gem is also notable for being the first album that Barney Greenway performed on, as well as guitarists Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado, and was the last record with famed drummer (and blastbeat progenitor) Mick Harris. This was also the first widely available album in the U.S., further cementing its authoritative position in Napalm Death’s catalog and setlist. When you place all of these points together, the song’s significance becomes quite clear.

7-inch crust has a good recap detailing the few incarnations the song was released on, including accompanying tracks on each. Check it out here.

This mix shows how the song grew over time, and by “grow” I really mean got faster and faster over the years – being played live even before its official release. It also features four covers of “Suffer The Children”, ranging from fairly similar, thrashy deathmetal (Aborted, Benighted) to crusty grind (Rotten Sound) and cold, calculating, overly-produced metal (Decapitated). So, in honor of the godfathers of grindcore, here is a mix dedicated to a cornerstone of their catalog: Suffer The Children

Cryogenic Husk #12 – Suffer The Children