Mark Andrew "Barney" Greenway (born 13 July 1969) is a British extreme metal vocalist who is the current lead singer and primary lyricist of Napalm Death[1] and a former member of Extreme Noise Terror[2] and Benediction.[3]
Barney Greenway | |
|---|---|
 Greenway performing with Napalm Death at Wacken Open Air 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mark Andrew Greenway |
| Born | 13 July 1969 Great Barr, Birmingham, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Member of | Napalm Death |
| Formerly of | Extreme Noise Terror, Benediction |
Greenway has stated his nickname "Barney" came from a time when he used to drink alcohol. He stated he would get so drunk that when he went anywhere, he would bump into everything. From this behaviour, his friend Stick (drummer of Doom) would call him "Rubble", which changed to "Barney Rubble" and then just "Barney".[4][5]
Career
edit
Greenway was initially the vocalist of death metal band Benediction from 1989 until he joined Napalm Death the following year, replacing the band's previous vocalist Lee Dorrian, who later founded doom metal band Cathedral. Prior to joining Napalm Death, Greenway had worked as an engineer within the motor industry in Birmingham.[6]
Greenway's first album with Napalm Death, Harmony Corruption, represented a shift in the band's musical style, incorporating a more death metal-oriented sound. The albums that followed this, including Utopia Banished, Fear, Emptiness, Despair and Diatribes, saw the band delve further into the aforementioned style whilst also incorporating elements of groove metal.
Greenway and Napalm Death parted ways in 1996, with bassist Shane Embury referring to the long unrest that had been present between Greenway and the remainder of the band.[7] Greenway later joined Extreme Noise Terror to record vocals on their album Damage 381, with Extreme Noise Terror's vocalist Phil Vane joining Napalm Death to record vocals on their album Inside the Torn Apart. Vane and Napalm Death, however, were incompatible according to Embury, and after discussions between Greenway and the band, Greenway returned to record the vocals for the above album.[7]
Greenway has remained with Napalm Death since 1997, have since released a number of critically acclaimed albums, and became as the band's longest-serving lead vocalist.
Personal life
editGreenway is a progressive metal fan. He joined Dream Theater on stage at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and performed vocals on Metallica's "Damage, Inc." live.[8] He has reviewed progressive metal bands and albums for the British rock magazine Kerrang! though he no longer does so.[9] He has also stated his admiration for bands such as Motörhead and Throbbing Gristle, stating that the former's album, Ace of Spades, is his all-time favourite album.[10] Greenway is also a voracious reader.[10]
Greenway is a supporter of Aston Villa F.C.[11] He is a supporter of many animal rights organisations including PETA; he has been a vegetarian since he was 14, and vegan since 2012.[12][13] Greenway is recognisable for his strong Birmingham accent and for his distinctive gruff vocal style which many feel has become synonymous with Napalm Death. Greenway is an atheist.[14]
Discography
edit
With Napalm Death
edit- Harmony Corruption (1990)
- Utopia Banished (1992)
- Fear, Emptiness, Despair (1994)
- Diatribes (1996)
- Inside the Torn Apart (1997)
- Words from the Exit Wound (1998)
- Enemy of the Music Business (2000)
- Order of the Leech (2002)
- 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)
- Resentment Is Always Seismic (2022)
With Benediction
edit- The Dreams You Dread
- Confess All Goodness (1990, Split-EP with Pungent Stench)
- Subconscious Terror (1990)
- Dark Is the Season (1992) (on the track "Forged in Fire")
With Extreme Noise Terror
edit- Damage 381 (1997)
Other appearances
edit- Cerebral Fix – Death Erotica – backing vocals on "Never Again"
- Leng Tch'e – Hypomanic – Guest vocals on "Totalitarian"
- The Haunted – Revolver – cameo appearance on "No Compromise" music video
- Cephalic Carnage – Anomalies – backing vocals
- Ginger – A Break in the Weather – backing vocals on "The Dying Art of the Chorus"
- Dream Theater – International Fan Club Christmas CD – vocals on cover of Metallica's "Damage Inc."
- Withered – Foile Circulare – backing vocals on "...The Faded Breath" and "Clamor Beneath"
- This Is Menace – The Scene Is Dead – vocals on "Beg for Silence"
- Born From Pain – War – vocals on "Behind Enemy Lines"
- Kill II This – Deviate – backing vocals on "The Flood"
- Extortion – Loose Screws – Guest Vocals on "Grind to a Halt"
- Volbeat – Beyond Hell/Above Heaven – Guest vocals on "Evelyn"
- Short Sharp Shock – Problems to the Answer – Guest vocals on "The Kill Floor, ROAR, Here Comes the Neighbourhood"
- Bloodbath - Survival of the Sickest - Guest vocals on "Putrefying Corpse"
References
edit- ^ Strong, M J (1998). The great rock discography. Giunti. p. 564. ISBN 88-09-21522-2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Metal". CMJ New Music Monthly. November 1997. ISSN 1074-6978.
- ^ "Napalm Death". MTV.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2006.
- ^ Martinelli, Roberto (December 2002). "Interview with Napalm Death" (11). Maelstrom magazine. Archived from the original on 19 February 2007.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "NAPALM DEATH's 'Barney' Greenway Talks Drunken Origin Stories, 'Shitty Undercurrent' of Life and Pays Tribute to Power Trip's Riley Gale". 11 September 2020.
- ^ "The Quietus - Features - A Quietus Interview - At The Extremities: Barney Greenway Of Napalm Death Interviewed". The Quietus. 15 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Rank and Defile: Shane Embury Orders Napalm Death's Albums from Worst to Best". Decibel Magazine. 13 December 2017.
- ^ "CD review of Dream Theater". NewsAndEntertainment.com.
- ^ Löfquist, Daniel (30 December 2008). "NAPALM DEATH – Barney Greenway tells it like it is". Critical Mass. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ a b Khazine TV (30 December 2017). "INTERVIEWS TOP TEN - NAPALM DEATH ( Mark "Barney" Greenway)". Archived from the original on 22 December 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Top Five celebrity fans". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 4 March 2006. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012.
- ^ "Heroes: Napalm Death". PETA. 21 July 2011.
- ^ Callwood, Brett (20 April 2016). "Napalm Death Loves Watercourse: Barney Greenway on Veganism and Politics". Westword.
- ^ "Mark Greenway - Napalm Death". MetalCovenant.com (published 22 April 2009). 13 April 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2016.