20/07/2006

 

Samir : How are you?

I’m very good, thank you. The sun is really shining intensely outside, although that’s probably not a good sign regarding global warming.

Samir: First, could we start with a small band presentation ?

Napalm started in 1981 in the style of an anarchist punk band, and then got musically faster and faster with more metal influences toward the release of the debut ‘Scum’ album in 1987. Although the line-up has changed several times up until the present day, the band style and philosophy on the twelve albums since then has pretty much remained the same: to make extreme music, but never to just stagnate musically. The theme of the band is equality, peace and free-thinking to put it simply.

Samir : What's the meaning of your band's name?

The name was an anti-war statement, which carries through for us today. The Napalm bomb was a particularly despicable weapon that US troops were originally using to clear forest cover in Vietnam. Except, of course, it kills and maims people also. They still use this fucking shit now.

Samir: is it true that you had been in morroco this year to participate in festival b.j.m?

We were supposed to. We tried everything to try and be there, but it came up on a vital studio date for the next Napalm Death album.

Samir : Why Century Media?

We went with them because a) we knew many people who worked at the label for many years and b) they just generally have a really good reputation for looking after the bands and generally being upfront about things. They actually displayed a genuine enthusiasm to work with the band in the long term, not just to tempt us in with a load of money and have to deal but nothing but bullshit after that. After almost having done two albums with them now, I still feel it was the right choice.

Samir: How do you see the music industry these days?

I’ve become a bit disconnected with it in the wider context. What matters to me is what’s best for Napalm without us or anyone else getting burned. There are so many out there who are dying to fuck the next person over and I can smell that a mile off…
Any band that wants to get out there and do their thing and cut through the bullshit has my support.

Samir : What about the new trends going on with metalcore?

Perhaps you’re expecting me to get up and criticize it, but that really doesn’t achieve anything. If someone’s into doing their band thing and they’re totally enthusiastic, then go for it. Some of the macho stuff around that scene is a turn-off, but then again you get that in a lot of places even if it isn’t so visible. Sneering at other peoples bands in deference to mine is something I just don’t want to be a part of.

Samir: When you sing about animal rights in your songs, what's the message for your fans?

For people just to be aware of the whole cruelty process of the industry, then make their minds up. I don’t want to attack people physically over it – I would rather people come to the realization themselves. Personally, I just think it’s crazy that humans are a complex machine, yet we can’t move along without treating others on earth with compassion. Animal exploitation is ever so slightly backwards-thinking.

Samir: What has changed and what has stayed the same in the death metal genre since you released SCUM?



In the general extreme music scene there are just tons of new bands and labels and everything else. Back in the ‘Scum’ days only a few people cared about putting records out by such bands. Better opportunities nowadays, then, but also some really stupid competitive ways of going about things out there. You have to be much more aware of the consequences of what you do with your band these days if you don’t want to fuck everything up.

Samir: what can you tell us about "The Code Is Red...Long Live The Code (2005)" ? and What's the idea behind the title of the album?

It was a very timely album not too long after September 11th and the incursions into Iraq / Afghanistan etc. – about the fear and paranoia and how we were being led to believe that there was somehow a terrorist around every corner – in other words, in a constant state of code red alert. It was a very disturbing path to be going down when they were talking about imprisonments without evidence and conviction of people based on mere suspicion. After the fact, we’ve seen people shot in the street for no reason, houses raided and all sorts of stuff.
As far as the recording process, I don’t remember so much because it was quite a time ago now. However, we just did the new album there, ‘Smear Campaign’, which is coming out in September. The studio itself was really cool because it’s so isolated – not even any shops around there or anything.

Samir: I think a lot of people identify grindcore as sort of the punk version of metal.

Ok, I guess maybe that’s some sort of description. Cool. When Mickey Harris the old ND drummer came up with it, he just meant it as music taken to the extreme – slowest, fastest or whatever. I’m not too fussy over how people define musical terms.

Samir: Can you tell me more about "Fear, Emptiness, Despair"? What is your feeling about it?


It was a difficult step because some quite radically new ideas were being brought into the band, and some of us thought they were too different and that we weren’t ready for them. Looking back, it actually makes a lot more sense to me now and I think it’s quite a cool album in several ways. The vocals were still a nightmare to record though, just because of the extremely ‘dry’ atmosphere in the studio. I did not enjoy struggling with that, but ultimately it was all a good learning experience.

Samir : What's is the next step for your and the band?

We have that new album, ‘Smear Campaign’ coming out in September. Then we’re looking to tour the USA with Hatebreed, then go to Japan and the Far East briefly, then come back to Europe for an extensive tour at the end of the year. Very busy, as usual.

Samir : What's tour best memory with the band?

Hmm, there have been several. Going to Russia in 1991, right in the week when the Soviet Union was disbanding was a real experience. People just looked so confused there at the time. Then, going to Japan is always such a colourful experience. Going to South America always throws up many different flavours. There are lots more, many of which I can’t remember right now.

Samir : Do you follow the evolution of the grind core scene nowadays ?

Some of it. I’m so busy doing stuff for ND that things do tend to pass me by unfortunately. Best band out there for me is a band called Das Oath – totally crazy stuff but with a sort of Killing joke edge to them. They’re the best kind of band because they don’tt fuck up the intensity of delivery.

Samir: How long do you see Napalm continuing?

As it’s been going on for this long, who can tell? Someone first asked me that right after ‘Harmony Corruption’ is 1990 and here I am now…
We’ll just keep doing it until we get bored or feel that we can’t write good albums anymore, or do intense live shows.

Samir: Well, also there’s a new type of artificial imposition called "stoner rock" much overvalued by some critics to my view… Can I have your ideas?? Do you follow any of those stoner rock "stars"??

I’ll try this…but I don’t really know who you are referring to, so maybe I won’t.

Samir : Thank you very much for precious time, last words are yours !

Many apologies to all your readers for not making the Morocco date you mentioned at the start. There was some confusion over it being cancelled late on, but it was always our intention to keep that particular date free for the album. Hopefully we will be able to come over soon.

Peace to all your readers and hope you got something from the questions and answers. Cheers!

Albums :


Punk Is A Rotting Corpse Demo, 1982
Kak Demo, 1983
Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare Demo, 1983
Hatred Surge Demo, 1985
Scum Demo, 1986
From Enslavement To Obliteration Demo, 1986
Scum Full-length, 1987
The Curse EP, 1988
From Enslavement To Obliteration Full-length, 1988
Napalm Death/S.O.B. Split, 1989
Live EP EP, 1989
Mentally Murdered EP, 1989
Split with Electro Hippies Single, 1989
The Peel Sessions Live album, 1989
Suffer The Children EP, 1990
Harmony Corruption Full-length, 1990
Live Corruption Video/VHS, 1990
Mass Appeal Madness EP, 1991
Malignant Trait Single, 1992
Utopia Banished Full-length, 1992
The World Keeps Turning EP, 1992
Death By Manipulation Best of/Compilation, 1992
Live Corruption Live album, 1993
Nazi Punks Fuck Off Single, 1993
Fear, Emptiness, Despair Full-length, 1994
Hung Single, 1995
Greed Killing EP, 1995 [1 review, 35%]
Cursed to Tour Split, 1996
In Tongues We Speak Split, 1996
Diatribes Full-length, 1996
Inside The Torn Apart Full-length, 1997
Breed To Breathe EP, 1997
Bootlegged In Japan Live album, 1998
Words From The Exit Wound Full-length, 1998
Leaders Not Followers EP, 1999
The Complete BBC Sessions Live album, 2000
Enemy Of The Music Business Full-length, 2000
The DVD DVD, 2001
Order of the Leech Full-length, 2002
Noise For Music's Sake Best of/Compilation, 2003
Punishment In Capitals DVD, 2003
Punishment In Capitals Live album, 2003
Leaders Not Followers Part.II Full-length, 2004
Tsunami Benefit CD-Single Split, 2005
The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code Full-length, 2005
Smear Campaign Full-length, 2006


Links :

http://www.enemyofthemusicbusiness.com/

http://www.myspace.com/napalmdeath

Members :

Mark "Barney" Greenway - Vocals
Mitch Harris - Guitar
Shane Embury - Bass
Danny Herrera - Drums