NAPALM DEATH Guitarist Is Looking Forward To Playing China

Justin Donnelly of Australia's The Metal Forge recently conducted an interview with NAPALM DEATH guitarist Mitch Harris. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's latest album, "Smear Campaign":

"'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.

"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."

On life on the road:

"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."

On the band's upcoming tour of 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, ho knows what it's going to be like? It might be like when we went to Russia for the first time in the early '90s. 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."

On whether he will contribute to the debut album from THE CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the new project featuring former SEPULTURA bandmates (and brothers) Max and Igor Cavalera:

"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 for some time about working together. I 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 with 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's see taking off and helping Max make an album in a week. I think we'll need at least two weeks! (Laughs)”

Read the entire interview at www.themetalforge.com.