Extreme Noise Terror
Extreme Noise Terror are back in business more powerful than before and with a brand new album called "Law Of Retaliation"! The main important person, the front man Phil Vane answered all my questions and he has revealed me a few aspects about his band.
Arcana Noctis: Hi Phil! How are you and how are the things going on for you now that the new album "Law Of Retaliation" is out? Also, what can you tell us about the feedback you've received from its releasing date?
Phil: There's a sense of relief that the album has finally been released because the whole process seemed to take so long after we had finished the recording back in March '08 until the time it was actually available. Some of the songs on "Law Of Retaliation" were partly written quite a few years ago so we're just glad those songs are documented and we can move on. Generally the feedback has been very positive from the Crust/Hardcore Punk scene but slightly negative from the extreme Metal scene because I think people were expecting something similar to "Being And Nothing" but we are not a Metal band, we are a Hardcore Punk band and we have just come back to the point that we think is best and most honest for the band to be at. We will never please everybody and we certainly don't shape our music and lyrics to try to please people!
Arcana Noctis: For those who are too young can you tell us the history of the band starting with the early days back in '85. Just the more important steps if you don't mind!
Phil: Please read the biography on www.extremenoiseterror.co.uk.
Arcana Noctis: A very important step in bands career was the replacement of Pig Killer (drums) with Mick Harris from Napalm Death. Just a few months later you had a live gig on John Peel's radio show on BBC, an act materialized in '87 by Strange Fruit Records who realized a good work in cooperation with BBC. What can you tell us about your cooperation with John, a very important person known for some other interesting works with Carcass, Bolt Thrower or Napalm Death?
Phil: He used to come to some of our live shows in Ipswich as he lived in the area and he also used to visit Dean sometimes. His passing away is a massive loss to the British music scene. A great guy who I have a lot of respect for.
Arcana Noctis: What about the feelings you had at that moment, live on BBC one of the most important radio stations on Earth?
Phil: It was not live it was recorded and played at a later date. No Peel Sessions were ever broadcast live.
Arcana Noctis: After this memorable step forward in your career you've fired Mick who was replaced by Stick from Doom. Soon after that you've recorded a new opus named "Holocaust In Your Head" followed by an interesting tour in the European countries, then in Japan. Can you tell us a few words concerning to this subject?
Phil: When something isn't right then it has to be corrected so everything can remain solid and keep moving in a positive direction and that's what happened with Mick. Although he was a great drummer and a good friend of mine, he didn't continue to play a positive part within the band so it was clear we had to get a replacement, which ended up being Stick!
Arcana Noctis: If I'm not wrong you leaved the band soon after the U.S. tour back in '95, and the fans of Phil Vane had followed your career in Napalm Death. Why did you leave the band and how did you get this deal with Napalm Death? Also, what was your activity until your return in the band back in '06?
Phil: It was some time after the U.S. tour that I left, maybe a year or so I think and I don't think about my time in Napalm Death anymore as that is an experience that is so distant to me now. I'm grateful to have been involved with them for those six months as they are friends of mine and we shared a lot of good times together but that is no longer relevant to what I do now.
After that I moved abroad for about seven years, where I was still involved with music, working for a distribution company and in a live music venue, which gave me great insight into the music world other than just my limited experiences from being a vocalist in a Hardcore Punk band.
Upon my return to England, Dean approached me with the idea of re-joining Extreme Noise Terror and I said to him if I came back I would only be involved if the music and attitude changed and was not like that from the "Being And Nothing" or "Damage 381" era. No disrespect to what the guys were doing during that time but for me that is not what the band was about or should sound like. He agreed with me and assured me things were changing back for the good. We both talked for many hours about everything to do with the band from all the past years and also about many personal issues and we came to the understanding that we had to get back closely to the music, principles and feeling that people knew us for originally and what honestly, was the "real" Extreme Noise Terror. From our experiences during the last twelve years we have learnt a lot and we have become more aware of what is the right way for the band and also for ourselves as people and we now put that into action again with the band... It's about being honest to the people who listen to us and also being honest to ourselves.
Arcana Noctis: A new step in bands career was "Damage 381", an album recorded in '97 with a new line-up consisting in Was Sargenson (drums), Lee Barret (bass), Ali Firouzbakht (guitar), Dean Jones (vocals) and Mark "Barney" Greenaway (vocals). That seems to be an interesting thing, Phil Vane singing in Napalm Death and Barney (ex Napalm Death) singing in Extreme Noise Terror. It seems a little bit weird in my point of view, what do you think?
Phil: Not really, I was good friends with them and they asked me to join so I accepted because I was disillusioned with how things were going with Extreme Noise Terror, especially the sound. Like I've said, it was a good experience to be part of Napalm Death because I had known them from the days when they began, but that is past me now.
Arcana Noctis: Another album was recorded in 2001 for Candlelight Records and its name is "Being And Nothing" and a new line-up is present here featuring Adam Catchpole as singer. What can you tell us about the last one especially and don't forget to introduce the rest of the members although you have been involved in some other projects at that time.
Phil: I think that was a time in the history of Extreme Noise Terror that will always be a black mark against our name (depending on how you look at it!) because that album was so radically different from what the band was known for but I guess it was relevant to the people involved with the band at the time but it was not Extreme Noise Terror in my mind!
Arcana Noctis: You have rejoined the Extreme Noise Terror line-up once again in '06 and you have released an interesting split album with a very known band called Driller Killer and this album was recorded for your new label Osmose from France. And I'd like to reveal you that starting from '06 I'm living near Paris and that choice was unexpected for me and also for your French fans. As I can see you've played the whole material with 3 singers, and I assume that the final result was an amazing one. I'm telling you this because I've never had the opportunity to listen it.
Phil: Believe it or not, at that time Osmose Productions were the only record label that showed any interested in releasing anything by us so we thought it would, at least, be a good way to have some of our new material released, which was what appeared on the more Hardcore Punk orientated split with Driller Killer. That release had 3 vocalists because Adam was still part of the band although not playing such an important role as he did on the "Being And Nothing" album and now he is no longer part of the band at all, although he sings some additional vocals on the new album because we wanted to include him in a small way out of respect for the years he was in the band.
Arcana Noctis: Why Driller Killer? How did you get in touch with this combo and how the idea started? What is your point of view concerning the final result of this cooperation with a band a little bit different in its musical playing style?
Phil: That was already agreed before I came back to the band because both bands had played some shows together and Driller Killer are a great band, great people.
Arcana Noctis: We are in '09 and a new album was released a few months ago under the sign of the same label called Osmose Records, and you called him "Law Of Retaliation". I will give you the opportunity to "defend" your new born baby by telling us the most important things that we must know about this product who is celebrating 23 years of your existence in the extreme Metal area.
Phil: First of all we are a Hardcore Punk band with some of us growing up from the Punk scene since 1979! As for the new album... well, the music was slowly turning back to the original sound like what you hear on "Law Of Retaliation" before I had re-joined. Dean had those thoughts after just a few years of "Being And Nothing" being released as he had begun to feel uncomfortable with the whole sound of Extreme Noise Terror but I guess without me it wouldn't be complete or have that original vocal sound we were renowned for and with me I also brought a certain attitude back to the band that compliments Dean's attitude and way of writing music and lyrics...
Also, since my arrival we spent time collectively taking a look at ourselves and analyzing what the band had been doing in the last twelve years and it was decided that what happened during that time was mostly no longer relevant to us as a group and it was time to take a step back and utilize our most honest attributes. We had to re-focus ourselves and get back to what we feel is natural for us to be doing and what we feel the band is musically and lyrically truly about, whilst retaining the most relevant parts of what we had done over the course of the last twelve years (which was not much!).
We are six individuals from different backgrounds and we had to find a cohesion that best suited the fundamentals and true ethics of the band. The end product is this new recording and it is the beginning of a new era for Extreme Noise Terror.
Arcana Noctis: In your point of view this new album continues the same musical line with that one used to record the split CD? How do you see this album comparing it to the very beginning products in the nineties?
Phil: It has the same kind of feeling and attitude as the early recordings but I don't analyze what we do so deeply, we just do what we do and it was our intention to get closer to the origins of the band whilst retaining some relevant modern aspects to the Extreme Noise Terror sound also.
Arcana Noctis: As we can see you passed from a Crust Punk attitude to a Death and Grind style very well received by the fans of the brutal and extreme Metal scene from these days. In your point of view there are big differences between the new Extreme Noise Terror and the actual brutal scene?
Phil: Yes, there are big differences! I have already explained in my previous answers what separates us now from the Death/Grind scene. I don't know why we are classed as an extreme Metal band!! We are a Hardcore Punk band that played with some Death/Grind influences when the band lost nearly all original members at one time but starting with the Driller Killer split CD and our new album we have returned to our beginning sound with a small Grind influence which is Crust/Hardcore Punk.
Arcana Noctis: There are some bands that you have been impressed in the latest few years? Can you name a few of them if we take in consideration that your fellows from Napalm Death are sustaining something called Musical Union?
Phil: Trap Them, Slang, Disgust (Japan), ADT, Bait, Phobia, Black Radio, Pisschrist, Venomous Concept.
Arcana Noctis: The lyrical content was and it still is very social and it exprimes a continuous rebellion against the political scene around the world. Can you introduce us each track of it by telling us the story behind?
Phil: Sorry but this would take to long to answer! Read the lyrics!
Arcana Noctis: If I'm not wrong you have passed some incredible moments in the South Africa and the Mexican territories. Can you tell us more? Do you have something else to promote your new album? Perhaps new festivals in Europe? What future projects do you have to promote Extreme Noise Terror around the world?
Phil: We have never been to South Africa (What??? - am I crazy or what???) and we only ever played 1 show in Mexico so we didn't really have any experiences I can tell you about! This year we are reducing the amount of shows we will be playing and we only have a few shows planned in Europe and a tour of Japan. We will be writing a new album which we hope will not take another seven years to release!
Arcana Noctis: I hope you enjoyed the questions and I wish you all the best and good luck in all your projects that you are involved. Thanks a lot one more time my friend and I hope you will continue to be as involved in the Metal scene in the future 10 years as you are in this moment. Thank you in the name of the Romanian fans and not only.
Arcana Noctis: Hi Phil! How are you and how are the things going on for you now that the new album "Law Of Retaliation" is out? Also, what can you tell us about the feedback you've received from its releasing date?
Phil: There's a sense of relief that the album has finally been released because the whole process seemed to take so long after we had finished the recording back in March '08 until the time it was actually available. Some of the songs on "Law Of Retaliation" were partly written quite a few years ago so we're just glad those songs are documented and we can move on. Generally the feedback has been very positive from the Crust/Hardcore Punk scene but slightly negative from the extreme Metal scene because I think people were expecting something similar to "Being And Nothing" but we are not a Metal band, we are a Hardcore Punk band and we have just come back to the point that we think is best and most honest for the band to be at. We will never please everybody and we certainly don't shape our music and lyrics to try to please people!Arcana Noctis: For those who are too young can you tell us the history of the band starting with the early days back in '85. Just the more important steps if you don't mind!
Phil: Please read the biography on www.extremenoiseterror.co.uk.
Arcana Noctis: A very important step in bands career was the replacement of Pig Killer (drums) with Mick Harris from Napalm Death. Just a few months later you had a live gig on John Peel's radio show on BBC, an act materialized in '87 by Strange Fruit Records who realized a good work in cooperation with BBC. What can you tell us about your cooperation with John, a very important person known for some other interesting works with Carcass, Bolt Thrower or Napalm Death?
Phil: He used to come to some of our live shows in Ipswich as he lived in the area and he also used to visit Dean sometimes. His passing away is a massive loss to the British music scene. A great guy who I have a lot of respect for.
Arcana Noctis: What about the feelings you had at that moment, live on BBC one of the most important radio stations on Earth?
Phil: It was not live it was recorded and played at a later date. No Peel Sessions were ever broadcast live.
Arcana Noctis: After this memorable step forward in your career you've fired Mick who was replaced by Stick from Doom. Soon after that you've recorded a new opus named "Holocaust In Your Head" followed by an interesting tour in the European countries, then in Japan. Can you tell us a few words concerning to this subject?
Phil: When something isn't right then it has to be corrected so everything can remain solid and keep moving in a positive direction and that's what happened with Mick. Although he was a great drummer and a good friend of mine, he didn't continue to play a positive part within the band so it was clear we had to get a replacement, which ended up being Stick!
Arcana Noctis: If I'm not wrong you leaved the band soon after the U.S. tour back in '95, and the fans of Phil Vane had followed your career in Napalm Death. Why did you leave the band and how did you get this deal with Napalm Death? Also, what was your activity until your return in the band back in '06?
Phil: It was some time after the U.S. tour that I left, maybe a year or so I think and I don't think about my time in Napalm Death anymore as that is an experience that is so distant to me now. I'm grateful to have been involved with them for those six months as they are friends of mine and we shared a lot of good times together but that is no longer relevant to what I do now.
After that I moved abroad for about seven years, where I was still involved with music, working for a distribution company and in a live music venue, which gave me great insight into the music world other than just my limited experiences from being a vocalist in a Hardcore Punk band.
Upon my return to England, Dean approached me with the idea of re-joining Extreme Noise Terror and I said to him if I came back I would only be involved if the music and attitude changed and was not like that from the "Being And Nothing" or "Damage 381" era. No disrespect to what the guys were doing during that time but for me that is not what the band was about or should sound like. He agreed with me and assured me things were changing back for the good. We both talked for many hours about everything to do with the band from all the past years and also about many personal issues and we came to the understanding that we had to get back closely to the music, principles and feeling that people knew us for originally and what honestly, was the "real" Extreme Noise Terror. From our experiences during the last twelve years we have learnt a lot and we have become more aware of what is the right way for the band and also for ourselves as people and we now put that into action again with the band... It's about being honest to the people who listen to us and also being honest to ourselves.
Arcana Noctis: A new step in bands career was "Damage 381", an album recorded in '97 with a new line-up consisting in Was Sargenson (drums), Lee Barret (bass), Ali Firouzbakht (guitar), Dean Jones (vocals) and Mark "Barney" Greenaway (vocals). That seems to be an interesting thing, Phil Vane singing in Napalm Death and Barney (ex Napalm Death) singing in Extreme Noise Terror. It seems a little bit weird in my point of view, what do you think?
Phil: Not really, I was good friends with them and they asked me to join so I accepted because I was disillusioned with how things were going with Extreme Noise Terror, especially the sound. Like I've said, it was a good experience to be part of Napalm Death because I had known them from the days when they began, but that is past me now.
Arcana Noctis: Another album was recorded in 2001 for Candlelight Records and its name is "Being And Nothing" and a new line-up is present here featuring Adam Catchpole as singer. What can you tell us about the last one especially and don't forget to introduce the rest of the members although you have been involved in some other projects at that time.
Phil: I think that was a time in the history of Extreme Noise Terror that will always be a black mark against our name (depending on how you look at it!) because that album was so radically different from what the band was known for but I guess it was relevant to the people involved with the band at the time but it was not Extreme Noise Terror in my mind!
Arcana Noctis: You have rejoined the Extreme Noise Terror line-up once again in '06 and you have released an interesting split album with a very known band called Driller Killer and this album was recorded for your new label Osmose from France. And I'd like to reveal you that starting from '06 I'm living near Paris and that choice was unexpected for me and also for your French fans. As I can see you've played the whole material with 3 singers, and I assume that the final result was an amazing one. I'm telling you this because I've never had the opportunity to listen it.
Phil: Believe it or not, at that time Osmose Productions were the only record label that showed any interested in releasing anything by us so we thought it would, at least, be a good way to have some of our new material released, which was what appeared on the more Hardcore Punk orientated split with Driller Killer. That release had 3 vocalists because Adam was still part of the band although not playing such an important role as he did on the "Being And Nothing" album and now he is no longer part of the band at all, although he sings some additional vocals on the new album because we wanted to include him in a small way out of respect for the years he was in the band.
Arcana Noctis: Why Driller Killer? How did you get in touch with this combo and how the idea started? What is your point of view concerning the final result of this cooperation with a band a little bit different in its musical playing style?
Phil: That was already agreed before I came back to the band because both bands had played some shows together and Driller Killer are a great band, great people.
Arcana Noctis: We are in '09 and a new album was released a few months ago under the sign of the same label called Osmose Records, and you called him "Law Of Retaliation". I will give you the opportunity to "defend" your new born baby by telling us the most important things that we must know about this product who is celebrating 23 years of your existence in the extreme Metal area.
Phil: First of all we are a Hardcore Punk band with some of us growing up from the Punk scene since 1979! As for the new album... well, the music was slowly turning back to the original sound like what you hear on "Law Of Retaliation" before I had re-joined. Dean had those thoughts after just a few years of "Being And Nothing" being released as he had begun to feel uncomfortable with the whole sound of Extreme Noise Terror but I guess without me it wouldn't be complete or have that original vocal sound we were renowned for and with me I also brought a certain attitude back to the band that compliments Dean's attitude and way of writing music and lyrics...Also, since my arrival we spent time collectively taking a look at ourselves and analyzing what the band had been doing in the last twelve years and it was decided that what happened during that time was mostly no longer relevant to us as a group and it was time to take a step back and utilize our most honest attributes. We had to re-focus ourselves and get back to what we feel is natural for us to be doing and what we feel the band is musically and lyrically truly about, whilst retaining the most relevant parts of what we had done over the course of the last twelve years (which was not much!).
We are six individuals from different backgrounds and we had to find a cohesion that best suited the fundamentals and true ethics of the band. The end product is this new recording and it is the beginning of a new era for Extreme Noise Terror.
Arcana Noctis: In your point of view this new album continues the same musical line with that one used to record the split CD? How do you see this album comparing it to the very beginning products in the nineties?
Phil: It has the same kind of feeling and attitude as the early recordings but I don't analyze what we do so deeply, we just do what we do and it was our intention to get closer to the origins of the band whilst retaining some relevant modern aspects to the Extreme Noise Terror sound also.
Arcana Noctis: As we can see you passed from a Crust Punk attitude to a Death and Grind style very well received by the fans of the brutal and extreme Metal scene from these days. In your point of view there are big differences between the new Extreme Noise Terror and the actual brutal scene?
Phil: Yes, there are big differences! I have already explained in my previous answers what separates us now from the Death/Grind scene. I don't know why we are classed as an extreme Metal band!! We are a Hardcore Punk band that played with some Death/Grind influences when the band lost nearly all original members at one time but starting with the Driller Killer split CD and our new album we have returned to our beginning sound with a small Grind influence which is Crust/Hardcore Punk.
Arcana Noctis: There are some bands that you have been impressed in the latest few years? Can you name a few of them if we take in consideration that your fellows from Napalm Death are sustaining something called Musical Union?
Phil: Trap Them, Slang, Disgust (Japan), ADT, Bait, Phobia, Black Radio, Pisschrist, Venomous Concept.
Arcana Noctis: The lyrical content was and it still is very social and it exprimes a continuous rebellion against the political scene around the world. Can you introduce us each track of it by telling us the story behind?
Phil: Sorry but this would take to long to answer! Read the lyrics!
Arcana Noctis: If I'm not wrong you have passed some incredible moments in the South Africa and the Mexican territories. Can you tell us more? Do you have something else to promote your new album? Perhaps new festivals in Europe? What future projects do you have to promote Extreme Noise Terror around the world?
Phil: We have never been to South Africa (What??? - am I crazy or what???) and we only ever played 1 show in Mexico so we didn't really have any experiences I can tell you about! This year we are reducing the amount of shows we will be playing and we only have a few shows planned in Europe and a tour of Japan. We will be writing a new album which we hope will not take another seven years to release!
Arcana Noctis: I hope you enjoyed the questions and I wish you all the best and good luck in all your projects that you are involved. Thanks a lot one more time my friend and I hope you will continue to be as involved in the Metal scene in the future 10 years as you are in this moment. Thank you in the name of the Romanian fans and not only.