Napalm Death are a grindcore/death metal band from Birmingham, England. The band were formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1981 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge.
Although other groups had previously played fast and aggressive music, Napalm Death are credited with defining the Grindcore genre through their blend of hardcore punk and metal musical structures, aggressive playing, fast tempos, and deep guttural vocals. The group coined the term 'Grind' to describe the music they played with particular reference to the sound of American post-punk group Swans.
There are no original members left in the band. The early history of the band is one of constant member rotation: the group did not contain any original members by the time of the recording of the second side of their debut album Scum in 1987. Napalm Death are listed by Nielsen Soundscan as the seventh best-selling death metal band of all time.
Napalm Death were formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, in the United Kingdom, in December 1981 by Nic Bullen and Miles Ratledge while the duo were still in their early teenage years. The duo had been playing in amateur bands since 1980 as an extension of their fanzine writing, and went through many names (including "Civil Defence", "The Mess", "Evasion" and "Undead Hatred") before choosing Napalm Death at the beginning of 1982.
The original line-up of the group consisted of Nicholas Bullen on vocals and bass, Simon Oppenheimer on guitar, and Miles Ratledge on drums, and lasted from December 1981 to January 1982. Graham Robertson joined on bass in January 1982.