On July 1, 1987, NAPALM DEATH released their debut album Scum through Earache Records, detonating a sonic bomb that gave birth to an entirely new genre. Recorded across two separate sessions by two almost entirely different lineups — drummer Mick Harris the sole constant — the record compressed 28 songs into roughly 33 minutes of relentless aggression born at the crossroads of extreme metal and anarcho-punk. Track 12, You Suffer, clocks in at 1.316 seconds and is certified by Guinness World Records as the shortest song ever recorded. Anchored by Bill Steer's serrated guitars, Lee Dorrian's feral vocals, and Harris's pioneering blast beats, Scum codified grindcore as a formal genre and sent shockwaves through the underground. DJ John Peel championed the record on BBC Radio 1 after receiving only eight promo copies, and Scum climbed to No. 4 on the UK Independent Albums chart. Few debuts in the history of heavy music have so violently and completely spawned an entire genre.
