In an exclusive interview with BraveWords.com scribe Aaron Small, NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury revealed that although his band’s new album was originally scheduled for release this October, it’s since been pushed back to February 2012.

“The October release isn’t going to happen,” says Shane. “We’ve finished the album. We’re still negotiating with the record label, Century Media, which is pretty much done, but I think it’s safe to say that the album will probably come out in February of next year unfortunately. It’s a bit of a shame, unless something miraculous turns around, but pretty much everything is good to go. It’s just a case of waiting for the label to decide how they want to push it and in what particular way, because obviously the label does their campaign and promotion. We’re getting to that period of the year now, time just goes so fast. We’re already in the middle of August and before you know it, it’s going to be the end of the year, so February might be a better time slot for it.”

When asked how the new Napalm Death album compares to the 13 that came before it, Shane replied, “It’s very tricky for me to explain it all because I constantly write songs. Even when we finish an album, I have ideas left over, so it’s always a continuous thing from my part. There’s one song on the new album that I started writing a couple of the riffs like fucking 20 years ago; I’ve only just finished the song, it’s weird. It’s got everything you would like from Napalm. There’s crazy chord changes, some really catchy heavy mid-paced stuff, Barney (Greenway, vocalist) is trying some different stuff vocally. Mitch (Harris, guitarist) is actually singing the verses on a couple of the songs and Barney’s backing up on the choruses, so that’s going to be a little bit different. Mitch has this very old school Bill Crooks - CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER kind of voice, so you hear his tone coming in for a little bit. I think the album’s pretty varied. Sometimes you’re so close to it, it’s hard to define to anyone else. If you like the band, then you won’t be disappointed.”

Fans can expect “16 tracks on the main album. We actually recorded 21 songs – a couple which we’re going to save for a split with MELVINS.” As far as the album title goes, Shane admits, “We’ve got a title but I’ve been told that I can’t tell anybody. We have song titles like ‘Quarantine’, ‘Think Tank Trials’, ‘Analysis Paralysis’ – quite abstract titles as per usual with Mr. Greenway. It’s a pretty manic record. I tried to push the noise element a little bit, there’s stop-start time structures. Mitch has pushed the CELTIC FROST vibe. It carries on from the last record (2009’s Time Waits For No Slave).”

Although the new album won’t appear until next year, a single is on the horizon. “We’ve been talking about doing an exclusive free download of a track, just to get a taste of what’s going on. It would be nice to put something out this year, get a little video going, perhaps a YouTube special. Hopefully we can get that together in the next month or so.”

Catch Napalm Death on tour:

September

9 - Giza, Egypt - Metal Pyramids at Sakkara Nest Club
13 - Istanbul, Turkey - Old School Rock Club
14 - Bucharest, Romania - Wings Club
15 - Iasi, Romania - Casa De Cultura
16 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Inter Expo Center
18 - Vladivostock, Russia - Arena
19 – Khabarovsk, Russia - Velicano
21 – Irkutsk, Russia - Stratosphere
23 – Krasnoyarsk, Russia - Havana Club
24 – Tomsk, Russia - Fakel
25 – Novosibirsk, Russia - Rock Coty
27 – Ekaterinburg, Russia - Nirvana
28 – Moscow, Russia - Tochka
29 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Aurora

October

3 - Kingston, ON - Time To Laugh
4 - Peterborough, ON - Red Dog
5 - Windsor, ON - Blind Dog
6 - London , ON - Music Hall
7 - Toronto , ON - WreckRoom
8 - Sudbury, ON - Jubilee Hall
9 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
10 - Joinquiere, QC - Place Nikitoutagan
11 - Moncton, NB - The Manhattan
12 - Halifax, NS - The Seahorse
13 - Rimouski, QC - Cactus
14 - Trois RIvieres, QC - Trois Rivieres Metal Fest - Batissse Industrielle
16 - Thunder Bay, ON- Crocks
17 - Winnipeg, MB - The Zoo
18 - Brandon, MB - The North Hill Inn
19 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
20 - Medicine Hat, AB - Olys Pub
21 - Calgary, AB - The Distillery
22 - Edmonton, AB - The Pawnshop
23 - Prince George, BC - The Generator
25 - Victoria, BC - Club 919
26 - Kelowna, BC - Rutland Centennial Hall
27 - Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw