R13: Let's get going straight away: Looking forward to your show tonight? How is it still playing under the name Napalm Death with the lineup changes you've gone through?
MG: The line up has been the same for a while now. In the past it has been when people were coming and going but it's been the same for a while.
R13: You've a large collection of CDs since you began making music. Are there any you regret making or would change now?
MG: No, I wouldn't go so far as to say regret, but I would do some of them differently. You look back and think "would have done that differently"... but yeah, a couple. I would have made them a bit faster, upped the tempo, cause we've had some experimental stuff. Not bad, but some could do with a bit more to them.
R13: Which album out of your old ones is your favourite?
MG: The first two- they're classics. 'Utopia Banished' is also a good one and the new one. People always say the new one is the best, but it is a good record. Going for it- making intense music- is timeless. It won't ever sound dated. As far as heavy bands go, we've been around for a long time, we're in our 20-something year. Not to blow our own trumpets, we've shown people how it's done!
R13: Do you get the feeling you're having to keep up your title as a great live act?
MG: We just concentrate on what we do... You shouldn't make it into a competition. It's detrimental to your music if you do that. I don't want to sound arrogant, but we've influenced a lot of bands, indirectly as well with our over the top vocals. We do what we do for ourselves. It's got to be a challenge to record them.
R13: Does it annoy you when people write you off as a shouty metal band?
MG: Some people do, and that's fine, but there's the paradox there that people forget. The band sounds really over the top with the vocals and everything... but the ethos behind it is peace, tolerance and equality. And I like that paradox. It works well. People do label us, but it's up to them. We're trying to change things through our music.
R13: So you're into a wider range of music than people would expect?
MG: Yeah, I like a bit of everything... I like melodic rock... motown.. I like all types of music really! I'll give anything a listen!
R13: You're renowned for being heavy. What are your gigs like?
MG: The people who come to our gigs are normally straight up people. I don't like it when people deliberately hurt each other. You're always going to run a risk at gigs, but I don't like people deliberately hurting each other- what's the point? What does it achieve? But it's your choice if you want to sit up the back and listen to the music or go in the pit.
R13: Do people have a tendancy to write you off as just another heavy band?
MG: Some people don't listen to the structure of the music, just the noise. People think they can do it- they can't. It's very difficult to play at that kind of speed. When we started playing, we were a very different sounding band, more alternative for a while, then back to what we're best at. We started playing when we were really young- Shane when he was 16, I fell into it when I was 18, Mitch when he was 12 and Danny when he was 15.
R13: Were you all from musical families?
MG: No, not at all... the best bands are formed through spontaneity- from picking up an instrument and just playing.
R13: Slight twist on the usual question: are there any new bands that have influenced you?
MG: Good question... A good band I like is "...Trail of The Dead" I've got the album and I really like it- they're doing something different.
R13: You've stayed pretty true to your sound..
MG: We've been around for a long time, we know our limits and we know what works. We know what we feel and this works. We do some that are different- like on the new album which is influenced by alternative stuff, then of course we have the full out Napalm sound. The new stuff has gone down really well.
R13: What else do you do to get your message out?
MG: We do awareness based stuff: war protests, womens' rights. I work with some groups. I don't need to tell the world about that though, cause I get the word out about it in my own way!
R13: Sometimes metal bands sound angry, but appear the opposite when they're not performing. How close is Napalm Death to you as a person?
MG: Napalm is an extension of me as a person. The lyrics are mine, and what I feel.
R13: And now just some quick questions to prove you're a lovely person rather than the scary vocalist on stage. So. When was the last time you cooked a meal for someone? What did/would you cook?
MG: Not for a while... I'm single and I'm quite happy with that because I have so much to do. But I'd be quite happy to cook something vegetarian.
R13: You're vegetarian?
MG: Yeah, a strict vegetarian. I've been vegetarian for... 22 years?
R13: When was the last time you took someone on holiday, or where would you take someone?
MG: You know, I've got this real guilt thing at the moment regarding aviation with the pollution. I try and live by those kind of rules. I want to go on holiday but I don't want to contribute to the pollution.
R13: Would you consider taking a few days out of a tour in a nice place rather than a separate trip for a holiday?
MG: No, if I was going on holiday I'd take it away from a tour, but there are nice places in the UK; I like Cornwall.
R13: Any soft toys you still have from when you were little?
MG: No, the last one disintegrated. I've got some things from my niece though.
R13: And finally... bought any children's sweets recently? Oh, if you're veggie you probably haven't...
MG: Yeah I have! I love them! I like those jelly hearts... They're from Germany and don't have gelatine in them!
R13: I'm veggie and I really have a weakness for Haribo hearts.
MG: Yeah, it is difficult, but if you believe in something you'll do it regardless. Mitch is also vegetarian. He's only just turned though, so he's finding it quite hard because he's really picky.
Napalm Death's latest album, 'The Code Is Red, Long Live The Code' is out now. Check out the review of their set on R13's Download site.