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Dalia-
From 'Scum' 1987 to today 'The code is red'. Could you please
describe with just a few words, if not only one word, this long career
of the legend Napalm Death, at the bottom line between two centuries?
Mark- It's been up and down
definately, but a lot of ups and the downs,
well unfortunate as they are, they happen. Yeah I mean we have always
just tried to make the best albums that we can, make them as intense as
we possibly can and always been straight up with our influences and
stuff. We've just kind survived really, where a lot of other bands have
fallen away or fallen apart, so you've got to be sort of fairly thankful
for that I think.
I've listened to "The Code is red..." and I think it's very impressive
because there are fifteen tracks with various length.
Yes!
This is a important feature in my opinion. They're made of
very ferocious thrash mixed with hardcore, punk, but they show much
maturity.
OK! Thank you for that!
So, I have two considerations. The first one
concerns the aggressive assault and mentality of the music. Do you think
your music is something for men alone and not
exactly for women?
No, no, no, no, no
For me...maybe it's cause I'm a woman. I listen to extreme metal
but...
Not that extreme! No, I think its personal taste more than anything.
I mean, certainly oh god! would I never set out to do music just
for that reason. I mean as a person, I am very pro-equality. I am
completely sort of... I believe that ...when men and women should be
equal and I certainly wouldn't never make music just to alienate women.
I know you're not suggesting that per side, but what I'm saying is
that it's the aggressive thing, it's the contrast between the aggressive
music and the lyrics which are actually quite, quite er... not soft but
the lyrics are very about... peace and against war and about tolerance
and equality as we were talking about. So it's certainly not a men- only
kind of music, far from it. It's actually meant to be enjoyed by
everyone. Like I mean if someone doesn't... has problems to get to grips
with it then thats more a thing of personal taste. I think so.
Second consideration. Many tracks are in my opinion refined by still hammering powerful mid tempo,
hammering breakdowns, like for
example All hail the grey Down?
Yeah!
And I think it's quite nice.
Yes
Are Napalm Death trying to be a bit catchier? or a bit more slowly
at times?
I know what you're saying. Again, we had some songs for this album
that are contrasting tempo's and stuff, but then I think if you listen
to all the albums they've all had a fairly good range of stuff you know.
I mean again, I can't stress this enough really but our object
when we went to the studio was to try and make the best album possible,
make it as intense as possible but I do take your point. When we went in
to do this album, I kinda thought yeah... mmm...this is going to be a
good album. Then when I came out after we'd been in the studio I
listened to it again and there were certain things that were jumping out
at me that I thought, mmm....I didn't really notice the way that was
before we went in to record it. It kind of... new things came to me as
well, even after I'd recorded the album so.
Do you consider "The Code is red" as an evolution of
the Anglo-Saxon British musical attitude or the reaction against it?
I would say neither because sort of... where we come from
doesn't
matter to me, the patriotic side. I am not a spokesperson for Britain
and British music. That's not my concern, you know. My concern about
Napalm is talking about the things like, we were talking about such as
equality and tolerance. i don't have to wave a Union Jack or a British
flag, cause I'm not particularly patriotic anyway and in any case there's
two Americans in the band. Even though we are a British based band. I'm
not really sort of concerned about, "Oh yes!, We're a British band,
we are a very proud British band" That doesn't mean anything to me.
I would like you to speak a bit about the guest musicians
beginning from Jeff Walker of Carcass...
OK!
And about the song Pledge Yourself To You
because it's my favourite track .
OK!
I may be wrong but I think that song has a sort
of Black Metal appeal. Doesn't it?
Maybe, possibly, maybe it does yeah! I've never thought of it that
way. Yeah, but I mean if that's what you get from it that's fine. Black
Metal isn't really an influence on me personally, although I know the
influence may shine a little bit in its guitar work but certainly not on me so much. But going back to your
initial point, Yeah, Jeff was obviously singing on it, he been a friend of
ours for many years. Obviously there's a strong connection with Carcass
and Napalm you know and Jeff was basically going to be at the studio
anyway because he lives near the studio where we recorded, we asked him
to do some vocals and he said yeah, yeah, I'll do it, so that was that
really.
So it was a natural thing?
Yes it was natural for him to do that.
Let's speak about the tours.
OK!
I have seen the recent tight, busy scheduling is up....from Japan...
Yes!
....to Indonesia
Yeah!
....then Europe and still there are no dates for Switzerland!
You know, the European tour is been planned right now. I don't
know whether every date is actually in there. And again I really don't
know about Switzerland. I mean obviously the guys booking it. I
don't know what their plans are, so maybe something will come in at some
point. I really couldn't say to be honest.
That would be great!
Its always nice to come to Switzerland and go for a walk around
Lucern or whatever.
You will play in Europe together with formidable Diecast.
I like the Diecast very, very much. Which are the
expectations considering this different lands and considering to play
in Europe with "Diecast" . Don't you feel, not meant in a bad
way!!; that Diecast can "steal" away much of the success and
interest from you? Are you happy to be supported by Diecast?
No, we always...we took bands out that had a lot of
hype around
them. We took The Haunted out on tour when people were going
nuts about the Haunted when they first came out and it
didn't affect us at the end of the day, and , i don't know Dalia, this has always been
our philosophy with "Napalm". Diecast are friends of us, they
toured with us before in America...
..and
label mates...
yes,
exactly, and I
think what we gonna do is to concentrate on Napalm. If people do say
" i
really looked Diecast, they are great!" that's
absolutely fine, no problem! we just worry about what
we do, you know...
do
you think that nowadays Thrash metal could be able to develop and to be
lively as much as Death does?
...you're
talking about Thrash metal...
.....yes
Thrash metal in general!..
i
have seen Metallica Exodus and Testament...that kind of scene is coming
forward again. a lot of death metal bands are now using those Thrash
metal source. The only problem is that there are a lots, and lots,
and lots ... and lots of bands doing that at the moment. They are
all playing very well, very skillful on their instruments. Someone's
gonna make something different, a bit more
fresh. I think The Haunted is ok, is a good album, there is different
stuff on it. They
diversify a bit to make it credible,
to continue to make it credible.
Why " The Great and the Good" was the one
song from "The
Code is Red" to be chosen for the charity single, for the tsunami benefit?
It's just the way it worked out I think. I mean it was a special
song, you got Jello Biafra on there
and with Jello on there, people would be a lot interested to buy it. I
mean they'd buy it if we were on it but they'd be even more interested
with Jello on it as well so... And it really is a good song, it's one of
my favourite songs on the album from a personal point of view.
From the victims of tsunami to the victims of politics and certain
social aspects, considering the titles of the songs of the story of
"Napalm Death" and of "The Red Code"... well..there
is much to
speak about politics without being happy. Is there any freedom, any
democracy, any hope, in your opinion?
I mean, that is the ultimate aim really. What I'm saying on
"The Code is Red" album is that human rights are more crucial
but whenever governments are getting more powerful and actually
companies getting more powerful. I don't know if you saw the oil
companies profits announced a couple of weeks ago but their profits are
absurd. You could run a small nation on the profits that they make a
year. And I'm saying that when companies are so powerful, the
governments are so powerful and human rights are more important than
ever. So it's probably less about, even though it's political, it's less
about politics and more about human rights and humanitarianism. Lets say
to people that won't await war to people: "no, fuck you!" It's going to kill more people for the sake of whatever.
You're going to stop killing people, no, no, don't kill any more people,
you know!
The concept in "Paying for the privilege of breathing"
is also very much significance with this title!
Yeah, as it says in the title "Pay for the privilege of
breathing", it's like, I don't know what it says to you, but to me
people with the least in society always seem to
be the ones that get punished the most, even like those taxes or get labelled as a lesser human being because you have less
therefore you are less, which is just ridiculous to me and that whole
thing really. The fact that as it says in the title we almost have to
pay for the privilege of taking a breath of fresh air.
Yes!.... A naughty question now. In your opinion, theoretically, is it
better to be good followers or bad leaders?
It doesn't really matter. It's actually better to be an
individual, probably an individual that cares about other people and not
just theirselves. Whether a follower is someone that might be
following something fairly blindly, basically being exploited. A leader
as you know, leaders can become very powerful, very corrupt and very
dangerous and not good for the health of those lower than them. So it's
better to actually be a peaceful person I think in a world that needs to
move together if it's going to move on at all.
Before our typical last question, do you have a
particular message for your fans?
Well, it's always the same really... Just thanks for your support
because we have been around for many, many years now. We've always had
... people have been really good to us you know and hopefully it will
continue. Hopefully people really dig the new album because we put a lot
of energy and effort into it and hopefully people like it for what it
is.
Ok! Last question. Our typical " gryphonmetal"
question, the "Game of the bloody Tower" (laughs). It's called
"The Game of the Tower".
Right!
We have 3 bands on the top of a very high tower, you have to kick
down two of them, saving only one. And the three bands waiting for you
are "Dead Kennedys, "The Sex Pistols" and "Sepultura.
Erm... I would say throw off "The Sex Pistols"
because, I kind of respected them but I thought they copped out a little
bit. I think they kind of sold themselves short a bit, so I'd throw them
off. I don't nessassary dislike them but I don't know, a lot of other
punk bands were a lot better than them even though they were one of the
first.
And the other one would be "Sepultura", it'd be hard to choose
between "Sepultura" and the "Dead Kennedys". I mean
we toured with "Sepultura, I love Max and all the other guys to
bits but I mean "Dead Kennedys" just kinda stays on the top
there just because they were such an influence, their lyrics and just
everything about them was just so classic you know so....
Last question... after last question!
OK!
As singer in "Napalm Death", what do you feel, what
are you still feeling while you are on the stage and singing?
I'm thinking I want to do the best gig I
can, as in every gig whether its 50 people, 500 people, might be 5000
people at a festival. I just want to do the best that I can, as
energetic as possible and hopefully make the messages of the band come
through.
I hope!
Yeah
You are doing a very great job!
Thankyou
I
thankyou very much.
No, I thankyou, the pleasure is all mine.
The pleasure was completely mine to speak with you!!
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22.04.2005 
NAPALM DEATH : interview with Mark
"Barney" Greenway
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Niederrohrdorf
- Switzerland