Purity Dilution

     When two Napalm Death members form their own side project, what other outcome could there be besides an album that rules hard? Mitch Harris and Mick Harris swap instruments to form Defecation, an undeniably heavy band that thankfully does not live up to its name. While this is a solid rendition of deathgrind, and while listening to what is, essentially, a condensed, more primal version of Napalm Death is a great novelty on its own, Purity Dilution ultimately left me wanting to run back to the real thing.

     Unintentional or not, the Napalm Death influence is readily apparent from the get go, right down to the album title and artwork itself. Purity Dilution mimics the literary devices of Napalm Death’s Harmony Corruption, Utopia Banished or Smear Campaign. Their songs are heavily reminiscent of Napalm Death as well, punkish scales set overtop grindcore or death metal drumming being their personal forte. One difference is that Mick Harris’ vocals are much lower than Barney’s. They sound more guttural and agonized. The opening growl of Recovery, for example, sounds like some wild animal crapping itself to death in the woods. These vocals, mixed with some crossover-ish riffs, gives the album a welcomed Disrupt-meets-Napalm Death kind of flavor at times.

     There is, however, a definite formulaic staleness to their music as well. Defecation loves to come in fast, do a slightly less fast death metal or thrash beat, slow it totally down, and then pick it up with some more grindcore or thrash. Once you crack this formula – and it becomes pretty obvious after a few songs – this album sadly loses all spontaneity. It’s one thing to be instrumentally proficient, which Mitch and Mick Harris certainly are, but keeping my attention is another skill that their songs can sometimes lack. There is plenty of speed and aggression, sure, but you know what’s really missing above all else? Double bass of any kind. Mick Harris is a great drummer, but he is better on guitar. I never heard him snare blast for longer than eight measures; he just doesn’t have the necessary stamina to really blast these songs into the stratosphere. Likewise for Mitch Harris. I didn’t hear any guitar work that warranted him getting up from behind the drum set, even though his vocals are excellent. The good news is that Purity Dilution is still an extremely well-produced, frantic thrash-fest. It's just not as good as Napalm Death by any means.