This band originated in Birmingham, England. While trends come and go Napalm have slowly built up their sound and their fan base. This album will add to their hordes of fans with their ultra-heavy side and on this one, some catchy experimentation.

Q&A with Barney Greenway

Sheila Rene': Thanks for taking the time to call from England.
Barney Greenway: Yeah, yeah. No problem.

SR: You and Jesse came on board around the same time, correct?
BG: Exactly the same time.

SR: I'm confused here. Are you in the band or you not? This is the one they said you wouldn't record on.
BG: I'm still in the band. It just wasn't for a while. Everything is fine at the moment.

SR: I guess the hardest things on the road is just living so close to another band mate.
BG: One of the hardest things, for sure. Yeah, everyone gets stir crazy.

SR: I thought it was pretty ironic that Extreme Noise Terror asked for you to sing on their album as they take ENT's Phil Vane into your group.
BG: It was pretty dumb all the way around. ENT were just looking at their options and I was part of that. It wasn't a calculated move.

SR: Shane did most of the writing this time.
BG: Yeah, on the last few albums. That was one of the problems. The democracy was slipping away. It was becoming a two-man thing. Everything got distorted because of that.

SR: Is there a common thread through this album? There seems to be a lot of references to birth and breeding.
BG: Well, of course. It's the rebirth of the band. The album title says it all, Inside The Torn Apart.

SR: It's tough to keep the outside influences out completely.
BG: Everyone listens to a different tune. We've always had to struggle over the extreme music we make.

SR: You brought in Colin again. What's the plus he brings?
BG: We've made him a friend and he always brings in a new perspective. Colin is very familiar with our music and he's very talented.

SR: You're out with Machine Head in Europe now.
BG: It's great to be hanging out in England for a few days. We take off tomorrow to rejoin Machine Head.

SR: When someone refers to your band as "legendary." Does that put more pressure on you?
BG: The only way we can go forward through that is to be ourselves and not worry about anyone else. Pressure is always there.

SR: What was the easiest tune to record. You all go in separately, yes?
BG: I wasn't in the band when they started. I didn't write anything on this album.

SR: Did the other members just call you up and apologize, then ask you to come back?
BG: Yeah, just like that.

SR: Did Coalesce come to you with the idea of working together?
BG: We had talked a while about a collaboration. It finally happened. The split just came about from our good working relationship.

SR: You two songs on the 7" came from where?
BG: These songs were left over from the last album.

SR: Ten years ago, where were your influences?
BG: They are still the same. I'm probably the only member in the band with the same influences. That's American death metal and early hardcore.

SR: Who was the first death metal band you liked?
BG: Venom from England is at the top of the list for me.

SR: Several people have said Forbidden.
BG: They was the West Coast/Bay Area influence while Venom were from U.S.

SR: What was the regiment on a day to day basis in the studio?
BG: They instruments came first and then my vocals. Believe it or not even with the aggression of the music that we turn out the studio vibe was relaxed. Even with all negative stuff going on in the band, it was still a laid back session among the band members.

SR: Do you take care of your voice in any special ways?
BG: As I get older I do feel the need to take care of it. Having said that, to no great extent. I take in plenty of liquids when I'm recording and gargle with a natural throat spray. I don't smoke or drink so I'm a pretty healthy person.

SR: How many voices do you have? I hear more than one on this album.
BG: I tailor it for the track. I never used to do that. It's just the last couple of albums. To be perfectly honest, none of that was rehearsed. It was spontaneous on each cut.

SR: I'm thinking about "The Lifeless Alarm." I've never heard that voice before. Not a lot of verbiage because on this one it's not needed.
BG: I think so. We've done tracks in the past like this. On this song, we tried to put lyrics to it. It didn't come out the way we thought it should. We fooled around with it and when it came for the final taping we decided on keeping it instrumental.

SR: What's the best album from this band so far?
BG: I have two favorites, the new one and Utopia Banished. The vibe in the studio on both of these albums was great.

SR: Do you think about ever singing straight, without the death metal sounds.
BG: Obviously, we've experimented. I have done a progression of voices so far. I'm happy to carry on with what I have. It has aggression and it just jumps out at you. It's not just a gruff voice. I feel comfortable with the way I sound.

SR: You don't use any enhancers on your voice, right?
BG: I've got a flange on my voice in places which give a tunnel effect.

SR: How are you traveling over there?
BG: By bus all the way.

SR: I hope it's maxed out with toys.
BG: Not really. We got the cheap deal because we didn't have the money. It would have been better if we were sharing a bus.

SR: Full headline in July in the U.S.
BG: Yes, then back to Europe in September and November.

SR: Your fans are just rabid as hell.
BG: All our fans are radical. Fans are the same everywhere. Our fans are definitely loyal. There are some pretty naughty people out there.

SR: I got the promo. Is that cover the same as we'll see.
BG: Yeah, it's the same. We will have a nice booklet and all the lyrics will be there. It's a stipulation in our contract. It's important to us.

SR: What influenced you to join a band?
BG: I was just in the right place at the right time, honestly. I was a death metal fanatic. I got into Napalm because I had followed them since '85 and they liked my voice.

SR: And you're still loving it.
BG: Let's not pretend that everything is okay all the time. We're talking with each other more.

SR: What are you looking forward to with this band?
BG: Just to make good music and not stray from the original concept. Take one day at a time and if success comes to this band we'll keep things going on our own terms.

SR: You've got a lot of websites on your band out there?
BG: What's the word out there?

SR: No one is talking about this one yet. I didn't read anything about the split from my point of view. I don't enjoy chat too much. The Internet is a great place to get information.
BG: It's great for research. I'll have to look into it more.

SR: What is the code of Napalm Death?
BG: Follow your head and your heart. Do what you believe in and you won't go too far wrong.

SR: You're playing the Milwaukee Metal show in July. I'd love to be there.
BG: There was a point where we talked about it. I was objecting to it for a while because of a band that was playing there. Apparently that band is not playing and we are. It'll be fun.

SR: A word for your fans.
BG: We appreciate all the fans who've stuck by us all these years. We really do care about our fans. Stay aware, keep your eyes open and stay safe.

SR: I feel you guys have leveled out and this is the band to keep in tact.
BG: Yeah, this the line up. No one can predict what the future will be but everything is going well.