Napalm Flesh: Harm's Way interview

Welcome to this week’s edition of Napalm Flesh. Today we have an interview with Harm’s Way vocalist James Pliggue, a rundown of this week’s metal events, and blog exclusive reviews of the new albums from Chasma, My Dying Bride, Root and Whitechapel.

On Saturday the 19th, Touche Amore, Pianos Become the Teeth and Seahaven will be at The Basement in Ogden. Tickets are $10 and music starts at 6:30. Listen to SLUG Contributing Editor Ricky Vigil’s interview with Touche Amore on this week’s episode of the SLUG podcast, Soundwaves From the Underground.



Also on Saturday, Spellcaster will be in town with local warriors Visigoth and Castleaxe for a night of mighty metal at Raunch Records. The show starts at 7:00, and make sure to bring $5 to help Spellcaster stay on the road. You can stream Spellcaster’s latest album, Under the Spell, here.
 


On Sunday November 20, Burt’s Tiki Lounge hosts The Atlas Moth and Batillus with locals Oldtimer and Cicadas. $6 gets you in the door and the show starts early at 7:00 PM.

Also at Burt’s on Monday the 21st, Vena Cava, Filth Lords, Two Bit and Rebellious Case will be playing a benefit for local punk house The Bikehouse. $5 gets you in and music starts at 9:00. For more info on The Bikehouse, click here.

On Wednesday the 23rd, Saltair hosts The Devil Wears Prada, WhiteChapel, Enter Shikari and For Today. Tickets are $23 and the show starts at 6:00.

Interview with Harm’s Way

“Yo! I heard those guys were like a militant edge band, and their singer was a body builder. I heard they use synthesizers now and don’t write mosh parts. Seriously man, that singer is scary!” This is the collective voice of every dumb ass on the internet, and I guess it’s no surprise. One of Chicago’s heaviest hitters of late, Harm’s Way has evolved from spastic Slap-a-Ham style mayhem into a full-blown lead pipe mosh unit, assaulting ear drums all over...and maybe that confuses people.  If you didn’t make it out  to see ‘em last week with Terror, The Acacia Strain and Stray from the Path at In the Venue, maybe this will tide you over. I caught up with Harm’s Way vocalist James Pliggue, to dispel some rumors, pontificate on the new record Isolation and discuss the future of the band. Don’t believe anything you read on the internet. Ever.

SLUG: So this is your second release for Closed Casket. How did the relationship come to be? Did they contact you, or did you go to them? How’s it been?
James Pliggue: Closed Casket has been nothing but the best for Harm's Way. Justin has helped advance our band and allow us to become more professional in our releases, merchandise, and promotion. Everyone in Harm's Way thanks him for everything he has done because he is an awesome person and Closed Casket is one of the best smaller labels out there. As far as the relationship beginning , I’m honestly not sure. I think Justin contacted us about doing a record on his label and from there we developed a great relationship.

SLUG: It seems like more people are using the term “metal” to describe your band nowadays. I guess this came about with Reality Approaches but I can remember people saying that the Imprisoned 7” was a “power violence” record. Would you have ever considered Harm’s Way to be a power violence band?
Pliggue: At one point Harm's Way was a really different band that wanted to sound a lot different. We loved Infest and one day we just started Harm's Way as a side project band. We went with that for a while.

SLUG: Did you want to change your style or did it happen organically?
Pliggue: Just like every band, we made a logical progression and came into our own. As far as it being conscious I guess it was, yes, but speaking for myself I got more and more into metal and listened to less and less hardcore. Therefore, when I would write music for the band it was influenced strictly from the variety of metal I was listening to.

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