List of Napalm Death band members

Three line-ups of Napalm Death in 1983, 1986, 2013 and 2022

Napalm Death are an English grindcore band, founded by Nic Bullen (vocals, bass) and Miles Ratledge (drums) in May 1981 when the two were 12/13 years old.[1] The band currently consists of bassist Shane Embury (since 1987), lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, guitarist Mitch Harris (both since 1989), drummer Danny Herrera (since 1991).

## History

[edit]

Bullen and Ratledge founded the band as an extension of their Fanzine writing,[1] the two were joined by Daryl "Dez" Fedeski on guitars in August 1981, and Graham Robertson on bass in January 1982.[2] Fedeski who departed that October, Robertson moved to guitar, and Finbar Quinn joined on bass and backing vocals.[1][3] The band entered a hiatus in late 1983, playing one concert in 1984, at which they were joined by Marian Williams on backing vocals.

In July 1985 the band consisted of Ratledge on drums; Bullen - performing vocals, bass and guitar; Robertson on guitar and bass, and Damien Errington on guitar.[4] This line up was short lived when Bullen and Ratledge reverted the band to a trio with Justin Broadrick on guitar and vocals.[5] The trio played their first concert on 31 August 1985, they were joined by Peter Shaw on bass in September who recorded the Demo Hatred Surge with the band.

The band split with Miles Ratledge soon after, with Bullen and Broadrick being joined by local fan Mick Harris.[1] The trio first performed in December 1985 and recorded half an LP in August 1986, originally planned to be split with Atavistic but would later be the A side to their debut, Scum. After recording the band were joined by Jim Whitely on bass. This four piece played a few concerts before Broadrick left, Frank Healy joined as his temporary replacement.[6] Sole remaining founding member, Bullen left in December 1986.

The band found full time replacements in Bill Steer on guitar and Lee Dorrian on vocals. This line-up recorded the B side to Scum, which was released in July 1987. During the tour for Scum, Whitely departed, he was replaced by Shane Embury. This line-up recorded From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988) before Steer and Dorian departed after a Japanese tour in July 1989. The group recruited Jesse Pintado (ex-Terrorizer) on guitar and Mark "Barney" Greenway (ex-Benediction) as vocalist, Mitch Harris (ex-Righteous Pigs) joined as second guitarist after the tour.

Mick Harris departed after releasing Harmony Corruption (1990) in 1991. His replacement was Danny Herrera.

The next line-up change was Greenway's departure in 1996,[7] he was replaced by Phil Vane, of Extreme Noise Terror, a band with Greenway joined after his departure. Vane remained with the band for a few months before being expelled due it not working out.[8] Greenway then returned to record vocals for Inside the Torn Apart (1997), Vane subsequently re-joined Extreme Noise Terror.

Jesse Pintado departed by April 2005,[9] he was not replaced. Mitch Harris went on indefinite touring hiatus in 2014,[10] his touring replacement has been John Cooke who had previously acted as road manager, driver, as well as substitute vocalist and bassist in 2010[11]: 4:59 [12] and 2012 respectively.[11]: 4:49 [12]

## Members

[edit]

### Current members

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Release contributions

|
|
|
|

| Shane Embury | 1987–present  |

* bass
* backing vocals

| all releases from From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988) onwards

| Mark "Barney" Greenway |

* 1989–1996
* 1997–present

| lead vocals  | all releases from Harmony Corruption (1990) onwards

| Mitch Harris | 1989–present (studio/session only since 2014) |

* guitars
* backing and occasional lead vocals

| Danny Herrera  | 1991–present  | drums  | all releases from Utopia Banished (1992) onwards

### Former members

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Release contributions

|
|
|
|

| Nicholas "Nik Napalm" Bullen | 1981–1986  |

* lead vocals
* bass (1981–1983, 1984–1985, 1985, 1985–1986)
* guitar (1982–1987)

| Scum (1987) A side and all demos
| Miles "Rat" Ratledge  | 1981–1985  | drums  | all demos from "Halloween" (1982) to "Hatred Surge" (1985)
| Daryl "Daz F" Fedeski  | 1981–1982  | guitars  |

* "Halloween" demo (1982)
* "And, Like Sheep, We Have All Gone Astray" demo (1982)

| Graham "Robbo" Robertson  | 1982–1985  |

* guitars
* bass (1982–1983, 1984–1985)

* "Halloween" demo (1982)
* "And, Like Sheep, We Have All Gone Astray" demo (1982)
* "Kak" demo (1983)
* "Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare" demo (1983)

| Finbar "Fin" Quinn  | 1983–1984  |

* bass
* backing vocals

* "Kak" demo (1983)
* "Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare" demo (1983)

| Marian Williams  | 1984  | vocals  | none
| Damien Errington  | 1985  | guitars

| Justin Broadrick | 1985–1986  |

* guitars
* backing and lead vocals

* "Hatred Surge" demo (1985)
* "From Enslavement to Obliteration" demo (1986)
* Scum (1987) A side

| Mick Harris | 1985–1991  |

* drums
* backing vocals

* "From Enslavement to Obliteration" demo (1986)
* Scum (1987) Both sides

| Peter "P-Nut" Shaw  | 1985  | bass  | "Hatred Surge" (1985)
| Jim Whitely | 1986–1987  |

* Scum (1987) B side
* Leaders Not Followers: Part 2 (2004)

| Frank Healy | 1987  | guitars  | none

| Bill Steer | 1987–1989  |

* all releases from Scum (1987) B side to Mentally Murdered (1989)
* The DVD (2001) two tracks

| Lee Dorrian | lead vocals
| Jesse Pintado | 1989–2004 (died 2006) | guitars  | all releases from Harmony Corruption (1990) to The DVD (2001)
| Phil Vane  | 1996–1997 (died 2011) | lead vocals  | none

### Touring musicians

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Years active  | Instruments  | Release contributions

|
|
|
|

| John Cooke |

* 2010
* 2012
* 2014–present

* guitars (2014–present)
* bass (2012)
* backing vocals
* lead vocals (one off 2010)

| Cooke was road manager and driver for the band, when Greenway fell ill, Cooke stepped on stage and sang 5 or 6 songs in 2010, and played bass when Embury fell ill in 2012.[13][14] Cooke has been the bands primary touring guitarist since Mitch Harris' touring hiatus.[11]: 4:49 [12]

| Erik Burke  | 2015  | guitars  | Burke played guitar in place of Harris on a North American tour in 2015.[15]
| Vernon Blake  |

* 2015
* 2019–2020

| bass  | Blake replaced Embury on two occasions, first in 2015 and again in 2019[16] and 2020.
| Jesper Liveröd  | 2017  | Liverod played bass in place of Embury in 2017.

## Timeline

[edit]

## Line-ups

[edit]

Period  | Members  | Releases

|
|

May – August 1981  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass, guitars
* Miles Ratledge – drums

| none
August 1981 – January 1982  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Daryl Fedeski – guitars

January – October 1982  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Graham Robertson – bass
* Daryl Fedeski – guitars

* "Halloween" (1982)
* "And, Like Sheep, We Have All Gone Astray" (1982)

October 1982 – early 1983  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Graham Robertson – guitars, bass

| none
early – late 1983  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Graham Robertson – guitars
* Fin Quinn – bass, backing vocals

* "Kak" (1983)
* "Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare" (1983)

1984  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Graham Robertson – guitars
* Fin Quinn – bass, backing vocals
* Marian Williams – additional vocals

| one show
May – August 1985  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass, guitar
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Graham Robertson – guitars, bass
* Damien Errington – guitars

| none
August – September 1985  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Justin Broadrick – guitars, vocals

September – December 1985  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Miles Ratledge – drums
* Justin Broadrick – guitars, vocals
* Peter "P-Nut" Shaw – bass

* "Hatred Surge" (1985)

December 1985 – late 1986  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals, bass
* Justin Broadrick – guitars, vocals
* Mick Harris – drums

* "From Enslavement to Obliteration (Demo)" (1986)
* "Scum (Demo)" (1986)
* Scum (1987) A side

late 1986  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Justin Broadrick – guitars, vocals
* Mick Harris – drums
* Jim Whitely – bass

| none
late 1986 – early 1987  |

* Nic Bullen – vocals
* Mick Harris – drums, backing vocals
* Jim Whitely – bass
* Frank Healy – guitars

early – August 1987  |

* Mick Harris – drums, backing vocals
* Jim Whitely – bass
* Lee Dorian – vocals
* Bill Steer – guitars

* Scum (1987) B side

August 1987 – July 1989  |

* Mick Harris – drums, backing vocals
* Lee Dorian – vocals
* Bill Steer – guitars
* Shane Embury – bass

* From Enslavement to Obliteration (1988)
* Mentally Murdered (1989)

August – late 1989  |

* Mick Harris – drums
* Shane Embury – bass
* Barney Greenway – vocals
* Jesse Pintado – guitars

| none
late 1989 – early 1991  |

* Mick Harris – drums
* Shane Embury – bass
* Barney Greenway – vocals
* Jesse Pintado – guitars
* Mitch Harris – guitars

* Harmony Corruption (1990)

early 1991 – mid 1996  |

* Shane Embury – bass
* Barney Greenway – vocals
* Jesse Pintado – guitars
* Mitch Harris – guitars, backing vocals
* Danny Herrera – drums

* Utopia Banished (1992)
* Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994)
* Diatribes (1996)

mid 1996 – early 1997  |

* Shane Embury – bass
* Jesse Pintado – guitars
* Mitch Harris – guitars, backing vocals
* Danny Herrera – drums
* Phil Vane – vocals

| sessions only
early 1997 – early 2004  |

* Shane Embury – bass
* Jesse Pintado – guitars
* Mitch Harris – guitars, backing vocals
* Danny Herrera – drums
* Barney Greenway – vocals

* Inside the Torn Apart (1997)
* Words from the Exit Wound (1998)
* Enemy of the Music Business (2000)
* Order of the Leech (2002)

early 2004 – present  |

* Shane Embury – bass, backing vocals
* Mitch Harris – guitars, backing vocals
* Danny Herrera – drums
* Barney Greenway – vocals

* The Code Is Red...Long Live the Code (2005)
* Smear Campaign (2006)
* Time Waits for No Slave (2009)
* Utilitarian (2012)
* Apex Predator – Easy Meat (2015)
* Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (2020)

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Early Napalm Death: interview with Miles "Rat" Ratledge from long-dead fan site". Disposable Underground. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
2. ^ Young 2012.
3. ^ "35 Years Ago: NAPALM DEATH record Unpopular Yawns of Middle Class Warfare". Todestrieb Records. 14 May 1983. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
4. ^ Pierre 2016. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPierre2016 (help)
5. ^ Fischer, Warren (1987). "Interview with young Justin Broadrick". godflesh.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
6. ^ "Benediction - Interview mit Frank Healy zu "Killing Music" • metal.de". metal.de. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
7. ^ Loudwire (7 December 2016). Napalm Death's Barney Greenway - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?. Retrieved 17 September 2024 - via YouTube.
8. ^ Mudrian, Albert (13 December 2017). "Rank and Defile: Shane Embury Orders Napalm Death's Albums from Worst to Best". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
9. ^ "NAPALM DEATH's HARRIS Says Guitarist JESSE PINTADO Is Officially Out Of The Band". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
10. ^ Munro, Scott (6 November 2014). "Napalm Death's Mitch Harris on indefinite hiatus". louder. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
11. ^ a b c Rigs of Death Metal (16 November 2021). Rig talk with John Cook of Napalm Death. Retrieved 20 July 2024 - via YouTube.
12. ^ a b c Childers, Chad (4 October 2018). "Napalm Death's John Cooke on Journey From Driver to Guitarist". Loudwire. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
13. ^ Childers, Chad (4 October 2018). "Napalm Death's John Cooke on Journey From Driver to Guitarist". Loudwire. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
14. ^ SUMMER BREEZE (17 August 2012). SUMMER BREEZE Open Air 2012 - Napalm Death. Retrieved 19 July 2024 - via YouTube.
15. ^ Gerrard, Steve (6 February 2015). "Napalm Death + Voivod + guests @ Club Soda, Montreal - 6th February 2015". Montreal Rocks. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
16. ^ Kennelty, Greg (3 October 2019). "NAPALM DEATH Bassist Shane Embury Isn't Sitting Out U.S. Dates For Health Reasons". Metal Injection. Retrieved 17 September 2024.

### Bibliography

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* Avril, Pierre (2016). PUNK & METAL Des liaisons dangereuses (in French). Camion Blanc. ISBN 9782357798694.
* Young, Garry Sharpe (2012). ANTHOLOGIE DU METAL Tome 2 (in French). Camion Blanc. ISBN 9782357796362.