Is Mitch Harris still in Napalm Death? That's the question haunting superfans, as the guitarist who has made the grind band his home for the last thirty years, suddenly went missing. In 2014, Harris famously took an indefinite hiatus from the band, citing family issues and noting that wasn't permanent. But then, the band released a new album this year and he wasn't even in the promo photos.
Harris wasn't mentioned in much of any of the promotion material for the new, excellent, Napalm Death album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, in fact, there was no mention of a guitarist on the albums, leaving fans to wonder what the hell was up.
Harris did end up contributing guitar playing to the album, but didn't do any actual writing. He saved his writing for his new project, Brave the Cold. In a recent interview with Rock Titan, he explains what exactly his status is with the band.
“I flew over [to England] and [recorded] guitars [for Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism]. I was there for a week. Shane [Embury, Napalm bassist] had so much material. I saved my [original] material for Brave the Cold in the end. Long story short, I wanted to help my bros. I wanted to see my friends and family. And [producer] Russ Russell — he’s one of my closest people. And I can’t see a Napalm record without him. I mean, I miss working with him as well.
“It was two years ago or more [that I laid down my tracks], actually — just after my mom died. [Before she passed away,] she [was], like, ‘I want you to do the Napalm album and Brave the Cold and do your own thing. Do it. Follow your music and just make it happen.’ Soon after, I got back to work. Me and Dirk started jamming, and then they sent me over to England to do [the Napalm album].
