In vocalist Mark 'Barney' Greenway's own words, following
up 2005's highly acclaimed 'The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code' was
always going to be a daunting challenge for legendary extreme metal
act Napalm Death.
But with the release of 'Smear Campaign' (the band's twelfth
full length release) in 2006, the four-piece act (who, since 2002, have
comprised of vocalist Greenway, guitarist Mitch Harris, bassist Shane
Embury and drummer Danny Herrera) not only managed to surpass the high
standards set by 'The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code', but they also
created what is undoubtedly yet another modern day extreme/death metal
classic for themselves.
In the eleven months since the release of 'Smear Campaign',
Napalm Death has kept up a relentless tour schedule, which has seen
the band tour throughout the US and Europe, along with a host of dates
in their native UK. But even though the touring cycle for 'Smear Campaign'
is drawing to a close, Napalm Death have managed to squeeze in a long
overdue return to Australian shores in support of 'Diatribes'.
Prior to packing their band for the long flight, I caught
up with guitarist Mitch Harris at home in Birmingham (UK) to discuss
life on the road, the band's tentative plans to enter the studio for
their next full-length album and how the success of 'Smear Campaign'
continues to build momentum after a year since hitting the shelves.
"'Smear Campaign' did surprisingly well. I think
a lot of that had to do with the fact that straight off the bat, it
was a highly anticipated album, especially after 'The Code Is Red…
Long Live The Code' did really well. Because a lot of people liked that
album, they were eager to see what the next step for the band was. So
straight away, people were satisfied with the album. I know that we
were really happy with the way it turned out. Everything from the production,
the writing process, the songs and the whole vibe of the thing came
really naturally, not to mention rather quickly."
In a conversation I had with Greenway on the release of
Smear Campaign', he was quoted as saying, "I've always kind of
spread myself in terms of claiming our new album were the best, especially
'The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code' and 'Utopia Banished' (1992).
But definitively, I think this one is the best album that we've ever
done." It's a sentiment that Harris seems to wholeheartedly agree
with too.
"I totally agree. I've liked all of the albums we've
done. Personally, as a whole, I think the album is very strong. Not
that any of our previous albums were anything less than what we originally
set out to achieve, but I think 'Smear Campaign' is something more than
simply sounding one-dimensional. It shows signs of progression from
other things that we've achieved over the years, and it rounds all those
ideas into one powerful package."
As mentioned earlier, Napalm Death has been likened to
road warriors since the release of 'Smear Campaign', and according to
Harris, life on the road has been a positive experience.
"Everything's been really well actually. We were
waiting for Century Media Records to officially release 'Smear Campaign',
so we actually decided to go out on the road well before its release.
So really, we've been out on the road for around the last eighteen months,
with only a couple of months off within that time. In that time, everything's
been really positive. We've been out with a few interesting bands this
time around too, such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Hatebreed, Kreator,
Obituary, Moonspell, Behemoth, Vader and Finntroll. There's been lots
of interesting packages, so we've been playing to lots of interesting
crowds of people. We have a lot of good friends out there, both in the
bands and in the crowds, so everything's been really cool."
This is somewhat of a change of pace for the band who
are enjoying the opportunity to find time for themselves at home, especially
for Harris.
"Right now we're kind of on tour here in the UK.
We've been playing for a week, and then we've been having a week off.
It doesn't feel like the end of the tour because you get to go home
every night. You arrive at the venue in the early afternoon, load in,
do a sound-check, play the show and go home for the night. That's quite
a change for us. We did have a few months off because my wife (Veronika
Harris) had our baby boy Everest (Harris) earlier in the year. It has
sort of mellowed out since December 2006, and we've been home back and
forth since then, so that's been OK."
It's been eleven years since Napalm Death have played
in Australia, but according to Harris, the band will more than make
up for their lengthy absence with a set list that will encompass quite
a bit of their vast twenty five year history.
"We're really looking forward to making it to Australia
again. It's been a long awaited trip, and a place we've been trying
to get to for something like the last ten years. Hopefully it's a little
closer to summer when we get there, but either way, I'll be just happy
to play for the fans. At this point, Napalm Death plays with more energy
that they've ever had in the past. The fans can expect a varied set
that will feature most of the albums that we've made in our career,
which will include lots of classics and short blasters that will totally
be in your face. Basically we'll play the tracks that are our own favourites
to play. We'll also play around five songs off the new album, so it'll
be a friendly, happy and good night out really for everyone. And I mean
everyone, because if you're hesitant, it's because you're either: a)
Afraid of what might happen to you at the show, b) You don't like that
kind of music, or c) You've never heard this kind of music. I would
say that if you've never heard us before, then I would say that Napalm
Death is one of those bands where the first time you see us, it's probably
going to be one of the best times you'll ever have. Of course, it does
get better when you become mare familiar with the songs, but there's
some kind of natural energy that happens between the crowd and the band.
I think it would be of interest to anyone with an open mind. As far
as getting hurt at the show, I think you'll be fine if you hang over
to the side of the stage, or by the bar or the sound desk. You don't
have to get involved in the crowd participation bit. But getting involved
doesn't mean you're going to get hurt either! (Laughs) Most of the people
that come to a Napalm Death show are very open-minded easy-going people.
If you're not into this style of music, it's worth seeing anyway because
Napalm Death is a band that kind of influenced a lot of other bands
that all play different kind of genres of music today. So by checking
that out live, you might find some something in common with something
you're heard somewhere else. It's just going to be a good night out.
Hopefully you'll be fine the morning after! (Laughs)"
Although Napalm Death have released several albums since
their last visit, I mentioned to Harris that I would be more happy to
hear them perform 'Smear Campaign' in its entirety live, along with
a few classics. As silly as the idea sounds, it's something the band
has already done before, and something they are unlikely to do again
anytime soon.
"We actually did that at the 'The Code Is Red…
Long Live The Code' pre-release party for Century Media Records. That
was really tempting because you got to see if there were other songs
that you really liked apart from the obvious ones. But unfortunately,
you can't do that on tour because people get fed up hearing all the
new stuff all the time. Their attention span isn't all that great really,
or in some cases they don't have the new album, so really it's not fair
on the fans. But having said that, it would be a great way of promoting
the album. Unfortunately, we only play around five or six of the new
songs, and some of them have only been played a couple of times since
recording them in the studio. So in all honesty, some of them tend to
sound a little ropey! (Laughs) It only takes a couple of rehearsals
to brush up the performance. Having said that, it's easily overdone
though. I've witnessed that myself."
One of the more interesting destinations Napalm Death
are heading to following their Australian tour is to China where the
band is scheduled to play four dates (Hong Kong, Shen Zhen, Shanghai
and Peking).
"That should be really interesting. That's real unchartered
territory. I know that our stuff has been released there on cassette
for years, so there should be some sort of fan base there definitely.
But really, who knows what it's going to be like? It might be like when
we went to Russia for the first time in the early '90's. China is still
a communist country with a huge population so I'm sure there's a metal
scene there. It should be really interesting so I'm looking forward
to that. There are a whole lot of political aspects about playing there
as well that I find interesting. The differences between our cultures,
the way of life we both lead and everything associated with that is
totally different. Lyrically, Napalm Death is a band that should interest
them I think. We'll see what happens. I'm expecting anywhere between
four hundred and four thousand people at the shows. Who knows? (Laughs)
And the tickets are probably like fifty cents to get in. The more the
merrier I say."
Following China, the band turns their sights towards a
South American tour. At least as far as their website is concerned.
"Yeah. A lot of that has still to be confirmed on
the website and most people know as much as I do about it! (Laughs)
Sometimes looking on the website is the easiest way for us to know where
we go next because it's nearly always the most up to date list of upcoming
gigs we have. But you know, things change and don't pan out, and sometimes
you have other things that you need to plan around. Instead of bugging
the agency all the time, sometimes it's easier to look on the website
because it's quicker. It sounds silly, but it's true! (Laughs)"
With all the touring that Napalm Death have up their sleeves,
it would seem that Harris won't have much time for his other musical
endeavours, let alone contributing to ex-Sepultura brothers Igor and
Max Cavalera's new act 'The Cavalera Conspiracy', regardless of what
the brothers have mentioned in recent times.
"I don't think that's happening. There was talk about
it but I seriously can't see that happening. It's something that dates-wise
probably wouldn't work out anyway. I've been speaking to Max (Cavalera)
for some time about working together. It just didn't work out this summer
and I don't know if it will ever happen. We're still talking about working
together, but the brothers are working together now, and I don't know
if it will happen at this point. There are lots of songs sitting there
ready to go but it's just a question of whether we'll ever be able to
find the time. I'm working with three different bands at the moment
and trying to coordinate three different schedules is not easy. And
with Napalm Death booked months in advance, I really can't see taking
off and helping Max make an album in a week. I think we'll need at least
two weeks! (Laughs)"
Given the short amount of time between releases, I had
to ask Harris whether Napalm Death had started thinking about a follow-up
to 'Smear Campaign'. While the answer was anything but definitive, it
would seem that fans won't have to wait too long for something new from
the band.
"Well we're talking about working on new material
around October/November, and there's still quite a few songs floating
around from the last album. I don't know, but we had a real splurge
of material while making the last album. The only reason they weren't
used is because there wasn't enough room on the last album. There's
some really good stuff there. It's a shame they weren't used but they
will show their face at some point. A lot of people were surprised by
the short amount of times between albums, and it's frowned upon by the
industry to release albums too close together. To us, that's pretty
ridiculous. We're a band that's always put out an album every year.
But it's the press and the industry that moan that we just put out an
album last year, and that they've already had a feature on us in the
last twelve months, so they are quick to say that we shouldn't rush
the new album out. The funny thing is that we're not rushing anything
out. It's just the rest of the world that can't keep up with us! (Laughs)
So, we're going to take it easy this time around and make a good strong
album. Who knows when it's going to be recorded? Maybe we'll try a different
process. On the last album, we rehearsed for three weeks, and we were
all ready to head in the studio, so it all came out naturally. We don't
want to drag things out if it's all ready to go. We just do what we
want. But really, to be honest, there are so many tour dates coming
up, we're just content to stay touring for a while. There's no rush
to get back into the studio. It's not like we're going to be sitting
around doing nothing. If we're ready to record, we're going into the
studio whether anyone likes it or not. It's just one of those things.
We'll just have to see how it goes. We've been so busy of late that
we haven't had time to focus on a new album just yet. But rest assured,
we'll be out with a new album sooner rather than later."
I would like to thank Mitch Harris for his generous
time, and Andrew Haug at Century Media Records for making the interview
possible.
For more information on Napalm Death, check out - http://www.napalmdeath.org/
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
