Can you believe Napalm Death has been a recording unit for over 20 years now?
- Thread starter Jim LotFP
- Start date
Barney in the new Rock Hard about Rabid Wolves (Of Christ):
"The whole black metal thing is ridiculous to me. These super extreme bands see themselves as rebels but are not. They are the mirror image of Christian society and just as conformist as the opposite side. Religions are there to prescribe you things. What for example shall we do with such a shit as paganism? - Fuck off! There is not the slightest proof of a higher power of whatever kind."
He's always to the point; some doubletalkers in BM could learn from that.
Plus, I like his knack for cheesy melo-rock.
"The whole black metal thing is ridiculous to me. These super extreme bands see themselves as rebels but are not. They are the mirror image of Christian society and just as conformist as the opposite side. Religions are there to prescribe you things. What for example shall we do with such a shit as paganism? - Fuck off! There is not the slightest proof of a higher power of whatever kind."
He's always to the point; some doubletalkers in BM could learn from that.
Plus, I like his knack for cheesy melo-rock.
The only thing less interesting that Barney-era ND is Barney-era Benediction. He's a classic case of a musician filling the air with interviews to obscure his lack of understanding of, well, pretty much everything. This is yet another example of his profound lack of the 'get it' factor.
My Man Mahmoud said:
It's easy to accuse people of having no understanding "of everything". What ís it in your opinion that Barney did not get? - That right comes before left?
Occam's Razor said:
I don't know, maybe really obvious things like the fact that paganism is no more a literal belief among black metallers than Carcass was literally dismembering people and infecting them with disease? He's so busy being a self-righteous (and self-promoting "Hey ma! Look, no trends!") cocksucker that he can't be bothered with the distinction between metaphor and reality.
Sure, he is not bothered at all and has his rigid standpoints other than alleged "no compromise" people that claim to have a fixed image of the world and spread bone-hard ideologies, while at the same time, they seem to have an opinion on everything they are not asked about.
I don't see Greenway sporting this attitude of being oh-so-authentic in the media though. They mostly talk about their music, which speaks for itself if you like it or not. I'm right in the middle and prefer any Marx to all the Hitlers I am offered in todays metal.
I don't see Greenway sporting this attitude of being oh-so-authentic in the media though. They mostly talk about their music, which speaks for itself if you like it or not. I'm right in the middle and prefer any Marx to all the Hitlers I am offered in todays metal.
Occam's Razor said:
Well, here's what I'm seeing:
I'm seeing a guy who released an album called Enemy of the Music Business on a label owned by an investment banking firm castigating others for being fake rebels.
I'm seeing a guy who makes a living in metaphor who can't seem to figure out when other people are using metaphors.
I'm seeing a guy who has spent the last year pimping himself to the mainstream media for idiot articles like that CNN ditty about metal "growing up".
You see where I'm coming from here?
That CNN article is new to me, thanks for letting me know.
I look at it this way: Napalm Death has never been metal concerning their attitude - it is an outside-lookin-in-thing, and the Brits are oftentimes unaware of US-hypes. This also explains the bitterness towards black metal and paganism, which are far more prominent in the mainstream media over here than in the US. I am referring to comic bands like Amon Amarth or Finntroll and am not sure whether Greenway's stab was directed at others. The general point he makes is plausible. Satanism in the way of the majority of bands is just Christianity turned upside down and equally conservative.
About Century Media: they are a fashy label in the US and strong in Europe as well. Their focus has shifted over the years, catering to American crowds. That is obvious if one compares their advertisement in the respective countries. Be it as it may: while you can call them a major label in any way (Universal distribution), Napalm Death stress the benefits they have from the label's professional attitude. I can connect to that with respect to their Earache past. CM tends to meddle with bands' musical directions, but with Napalm, this would not be possible, so the pro sides of the company prevail for the band. And it is not that they are making the big buck.
I look at it this way: Napalm Death has never been metal concerning their attitude - it is an outside-lookin-in-thing, and the Brits are oftentimes unaware of US-hypes. This also explains the bitterness towards black metal and paganism, which are far more prominent in the mainstream media over here than in the US. I am referring to comic bands like Amon Amarth or Finntroll and am not sure whether Greenway's stab was directed at others. The general point he makes is plausible. Satanism in the way of the majority of bands is just Christianity turned upside down and equally conservative.
About Century Media: they are a fashy label in the US and strong in Europe as well. Their focus has shifted over the years, catering to American crowds. That is obvious if one compares their advertisement in the respective countries. Be it as it may: while you can call them a major label in any way (Universal distribution), Napalm Death stress the benefits they have from the label's professional attitude. I can connect to that with respect to their Earache past. CM tends to meddle with bands' musical directions, but with Napalm, this would not be possible, so the pro sides of the company prevail for the band. And it is not that they are making the big buck.
Barney is a character for sure. He's the only man I've ever seen reply to "Hello!" with a long, long rant on what bastards Clear Channel are and how they are destroying the musical culture of America.
Sometimes I think about interviewing him again just to play the role of Mr. Republican Pro-Bushy and see what kind of rant he goes off on.
Sometimes I think about interviewing him again just to play the role of Mr. Republican Pro-Bushy and see what kind of rant he goes off on.
Occam's Razor said:
Which is central to the problem in some ways. Napalm Death as a band comes ultimately from a punk/hardcore background, with the literal rather than literary posture that implies. Punk has never been much for metaphor while metal has always tended towards the oblique. While Greenway had a stint in Benediction, he was really always a grind guy.
Again, I think this misses the point entirely. Satanism and paganism aren't seen as viable belief systems - they're a way of talking about the world that doesn't use the language of Christianity.
Incidentally, I wasn't talking about Century Media, I was talking about Spitfire Records, which released Enemy of the Music Business and is a subsidiary of the investment banking/venture capital firm HgCapital.
So where's the problem in Napalm Death being no metal band? - You still cannot deny the influence they had on metal. Firthermore, does their non-metalness take anything from the validity of what the band members say?
Again, I think Greenway meant your everyday-satanist and did not even have the serious ones in mind, if he cares about those anyway. Maybe he is not aware of them at all. His basic point is right, even though any statement saying 'fuck this and that' is first and foremost a generalization.
I forgot about that Spirfire deal for one album. It would be interesting to ask the band whether they were aware of these connections of the label. I am not familiar enough with the band, but obviously, interviewers whose pieces I have read about Napalm Death do not have their stuff together either or do not deem it necessary.
Anyway: this is your job for the next tete-a-tete with Barney, Jim.
Again, I think Greenway meant your everyday-satanist and did not even have the serious ones in mind, if he cares about those anyway. Maybe he is not aware of them at all. His basic point is right, even though any statement saying 'fuck this and that' is first and foremost a generalization.
I forgot about that Spirfire deal for one album. It would be interesting to ask the band whether they were aware of these connections of the label. I am not familiar enough with the band, but obviously, interviewers whose pieces I have read about Napalm Death do not have their stuff together either or do not deem it necessary.
Anyway: this is your job for the next tete-a-tete with Barney, Jim.
Yeah - but it was done under license in part because the band didn't think Dream Catcher could adequately market the album.
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