Album
Fear, Emptiness, Despair
Fear, Emptiness, Despair is the fifth studio album by the British grindcore band Napalm Death, released in 1994 on Earache Records. It arrived at an unusual moment for the band. Their appearance on the Mortal Kombat soundtrack brought them a good deal of exposure, and Earache's partnership with Columbia Records helped the record reach a wider audience than the group's earlier work had.
It sits in the middle of their long career, after Utopia Banished and before Diatribes, and it has an interesting reputation. RAW magazine named it one of the essential albums of the 1990s, yet bassist Shane Embury later called it his least favourite of their records. In a 2017 interview he pointed to the split between vocalist Barney Greenway and the rest of the band, and to heavy corporate influence during the recording. That tension makes it a fascinating listen for anyone following the band's story.
Fear, Emptiness, Despair: tracklist and credits
11 tracks · 39:02Tracklist
- 1Twist the Knife (Slowly)Mitch Harris and Shane Embury2:53
- 2HungEmbury, Harris, Greenway3:50
- 3Remain NamelessJesse Pintado and Shane Embury3:35
- 4Plague RagesShane Embury3:51
- 5More Than Meets the EyeShane Embury and Barney Greenway3:58
- 6Primed TimeEmbury, Harris, Greenway3:30
- 7State of MindShane Embury3:32
- 8Armageddon X 7Mitch Harris and Barney Greenway3:16
- 9Retching on the DirtEmbury, Harris, Greenway3:02
- 10Fasting on DeceptionJesse Pintado and Shane Embury3:51
- 11ThrowawayJesse Pintado and Barney Greenway3:43
- Produced by
- Pete Coleman, Shane Embury, Barney Greenway, Mitch Harris, Danny Herrera, Jesse Pintado, Napalm Death
- Recorded at
- Parr St. Studios, Liverpool, England, Jacob Studios, Surrey, England
- Recorded
- October–December 1993
- Labels
- Earache Records, Earache, Columbia
- Length
- 39:02
Singles
- “Hung” · 25 April 1994
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
48.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
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Scum
1987
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1988
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1988
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1989
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1989
Harmony Corruption
1990
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1990
Live Corruption
1991
Mass Appeal Madness
1991
Death by Manipulation
1991
Utopia Banished
1992
The World Keeps Turning EP
1992
Nazi Punks Fuck Off
1993
Greed Killing
1995
Diatribes
1996
In Tongues We Speak
1997
Inside the Torn Apart
1997
Breed to Breathe
1997
Bootlegged in Japan
1998
Words From the Exit Wound
1998
Leaders Not Followers
1999
The Complete Radio One Sessions
2000
Enemy of the Music Business
2000
Order of the Leech
2002
Punishment in Capitals
2002
Noise for Music’s Sake
2003
Leaders Not Followers: Part 2
2004
The Code Is Red… Long Live the Code
2005
Smear Campaign
2006
Time Waits for No Slave
2009
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2012
Converge / Napalm Death
2012
Napalm Death / Insect Warfare
2013
Apex Predator – Easy Meat
2015
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2015
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2018
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2018
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2020
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date sources disagree on the year (1994, 2014)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 31 May 1994 | ignored lone early release dated 1994-04-25 |
| Wikipedia infobox | 2 May 1994 | |
| Wikidata | 2014 | |
| US release | 31 May 1994 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1994 | earliest UK or European date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615110910 | other |
| 1994 | US | Columbia | 074646436127 | other |
| March 1994 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615110927 | original |
| March 1994 | XE | Earache Records | 5018615110996 | original |
| March 1994 | GB | Earache Records | 5018615110927 | original |
| 25 April 1994 | JP | TOY’S FACTORY | 4988061886725 | other |
| 31 May 1994 | US | Columbia | 074646436141 | other |
| 2002 | RU | Soyuz Music | 4601250316079 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |