Delve into the grinding sonic landscape of a track that tore through the early 90s metal scene.
The Song
"If The Truth Be Known" is a seminal track by British extreme metal pioneers Napalm Death, featured on their third studio album, Harmony Corruption, released on July 1, 1990. The song showcases the band's influential blend of death metal and grindcore, characterized by its blistering speed, guttural vocals, and politically charged lyrics. Lyrically, the song tackles themes of self-righteous judgment and hypocrisy, urging critical thought before condemnation: "If the truth be known, you desire to judge unchallenged, and revel in the according attention."
The track's production was handled by Scott Burns and Napalm Death themselves, and it was recorded and mixed at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida – a studio synonymous with the nascent death metal sound of the era. This collaboration helped solidify the album's powerful, crushing sound, which became a benchmark for many extreme metal bands that followed.
The Artist
Napalm Death formed in Meriden, England, in 1981, initially as a hardcore punk band, before evolving into one of the most significant and genre-defining acts in grindcore and death metal. Their early releases, particularly their debut Scum (1987), established them as innovators of extreme music. Over the decades, the band has undergone numerous lineup changes, with bassist Shane Embury being the longest-serving member.
Known for their unrelenting musical aggression and uncompromising lyrical stance, Napalm Death has consistently used their platform to address social, political, and philosophical issues. Their blend of ferocity and intellect has earned them a dedicated global fanbase and cemented their status as influential figures in the extreme music underground.
Chart Performance
Given the extreme nature of Napalm Death's music, mainstream chart performance for "If The Truth Be Known" or its parent album Harmony Corruption was not a primary focus, nor did it achieve significant placements on general charts. Extreme metal typically operates outside mainstream radio and sales metrics.
However, the album Harmony Corruption itself was crucial in establishing Napalm Death's presence within the burgeoning death metal scene, particularly following the rise of SoundScan in the early 90s which allowed for more accurate tracking of niche genres like metal. While specific chart data for this single is scarce, the album's impact was felt more in its foundational influence on the genre rather than conventional chart success.
Cultural Impact
"If The Truth Be Known" and the Harmony Corruption album represent a pivotal moment in the evolution of extreme metal. It marked a stylistic shift for Napalm Death towards a more death metal-influenced sound, especially with the addition of Mark "Barney" Greenway on vocals and Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris on guitars. This period saw the band refine their brutal sound, directly impacting countless bands in the death metal and grindcore scenes.
The album's heavier, more polished (for the genre) production, alongside its aggressive lyrical content, resonated deeply with a growing audience seeking music that pushed boundaries both sonically and thematically. It helped popularize the grindcore/death metal hybrid, inspiring a new wave of bands to explore faster tempos, deeper growls, and intricate, brutal riffing. The phrase "if the truth be known" itself implies a revelation of underlying realities, a theme often explored in counter-culture music.
Fun Facts
- The title "If The Truth Be Known" was so impactful that a Singaporean death metal/grindcore band named themselves Truth Be Known after the Napalm Death song.
- Harmony Corruption was the first Napalm Death album to feature Mark "Barney" Greenway on vocals and Mitch Harris and Jesse Pintado on guitars, forming a lineup that would define much of the band's sound for years.
- The recording sessions at Morrisound Recording in Tampa placed Napalm Death at the epicenter of the emerging Florida death metal scene, where bands like Death, Morbid Angel, and Obituary were also shaping the genre.
- While a traditional conceptual music video for "If The Truth Be Known" is not widely circulated or known, the band has historically relied on live performance footage to represent their work.