Grindcore legends Napalm Death, quite possibly the best band in the world, returned to Japan for another win.
Extreme the Dojo with Napalm Death, Merzbow and Growl of Clown at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on 27th April 2026
The choice of Growl of Clown, a young Mongolian deathcore band, as the opening act, is very Napalm Death. Giving interesting emerging bands a chance is something that Napalm Death is known for. I didn’t know what to expect, but meeting the Mongolian lads backstage before the gig, I knew the members of this unsigned band were going to make the most of this opportunity. Once on stage, they didn’t disappoint. The band, formed on a rural Mongolian cattle farm in 2014, performs modern, hard-hitting deathcore. They certainly won some new Japanese fans with this show.
Merzbow, a.k.a. Masami Akita, is a Japanese straight-edge legend in the harsh noise rock space. At an ear-shattering volume, Merzbow, dressed in a bucket hat and a Defiled t-shirt, created a lot of noise when he took over the stage. While not exactly my cup of tea, the Merzbow set was certainly an interesting and loud experience.
Minutes before the mighty British grindcore masters Napalm Death hit the stage, I asked Barney Greenway backstage if he had done his vocal warm-up. “Nah, I don’t need it. It doesn’t do anything for me”, came the answer.
When it was time for Napalm Death to kick off, the audience was more than ready. Napalm Death, quite possibly the best band in the world, always delivers, especially in Japan. This time was no different. The band’s longest-serving member, bassist and songwriter Shane Embury, was back on stage with the band for the first time in a year. He was ready. The audience was ready. Japan is like a second home to Shane, who has a Japanese wife and two kids. He wasn’t going to miss these Japanese shows, no matter what. He walked on stage to the audience’s cheer. They love this band and they certainly love Shane. Seeing him back on stage performing with his band mates Barney Greenway on vocals, John Cooke on guitar and Danny Herrera on drums was such a delight.
Napalm opened strongly with “Instinct of Survival” from the band’s 1987 debut album “Scum”. The fabulous setlist also featured songs such as “Narcissus”, “Amoral”, “Practice What You Preach”, “Mentally Murdered” and “Suffer the Children”. “Moral Crusade” is back in the setlist for this tour for the first time since the late ‘80s.
Throughout the gig, Barney ran back and forth across the stage in his trademark restless routine. This excellent Napalm Death show also included two cover songs: Dead Kennedys’ “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” and the less obvious but excellent choice “Incinerator” by Canadian punk band Slaughter.
Before it was all over, we, obviously, also got treated to “Scum” and “You Suffer”. Napalm Death finished off a terrific show with “Persona Non Grata” and “Smear Campaign”. This band always delivers. It was so good to see Shane Embury back on stage with them.
Hail the wonderful and charming chaos that is Napalm Death.
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AloJapan.com