Napalm Death is a grindcore/death metal band formed in the village of Meriden near Birmingham, England in 1982 by Nicholas Bullen and Miles Ratledge. The group are generally acknowledged to have been the first group to invent the grindcore genre, a fusion of thrash metal and hardcore punk. However, the band progressed from these beginnings after their first two albums and became a death metal sounding band. There are no original members left in the band. Indeed, the early history of the band is one of constant member rotation - by the second side of their debut album Scum, they did not contain any original members.
Members of Napalm Death have moved on to form bands such as Carcass, Godflesh, Cathedral, and Scorn. Additionally, band members have formed numerous side projects, including Painkiller, Brujeria, Lock Up, Meathook Seed, Defecation, Teeth of Lions Rule the Divine and Jesu.
Although Napalm Death was the first band who actually coined the word "Grindcore" to classify and define the type of music that they played, others had previously played very similar music. Groups such as Siege, Larm, Heresy and Cryptic Slaughter were also playing a similar fast and brutal style of music. However, Napalm Death cemented the fusion of punk aggression, high velocity tempo, metallic production and deep guttural vocals that later became synonymous with the "Grindcore" genre.