Barney Ribeiro [NERVECELL] Recaps 2009

Dubai's premier death metal titans NERVECELL have been touring all over the world this past year in support of their Lifeforce Records debut album "Preaching Venom."

The band performed at Wacken Open Air, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, and Metal GDL to name a few. The death metal veterans will also be supporting American technical death metal pioneers Suffocation on their upcoming "Legacy of Blood European Tour 2010," which will probably rip your face apart! also appearing on the bill Annotations of An Autopsy (UK), Fleshgod Apocalypse (Italy) and Burning The Masses (US).

NERVECELL will also be performing for the first time in Sri Lanka on December 19th, along with metalcore powerhouse As I Lay Dying at the Sugathadasa Stadium.

Being the mighty guitarist that he is, Barney Ribeiro answered my questions recapping 2009 about his favorite releases for the year as well as the decade, favorite performances, signing to Lifeforce Records, the band's next album and a lot more.

Here's how it went:

TMR: 2009 has been a very active year in NERVECELL’s camp, performing for the first time in Wacken Open Air, and Rock Am Ring, as well as a line-up of other dates around Europe, you also recently announced a European tour, supporting Technical Death Metal heavyweights Suffocation. How has the experience of performing in front of all these new crowds been?

Barney: Really really good man, like you said playing in some real killer festivals this year and then heading out to do our own tour within Europe was definitely worth it. This has always been something we have longed to do as a band and we are finally getting there. The European crowds have been treating us very very well, they have welcomed us there all the times and we honestly feel like we are playing to a crowd that has seen us for years together sometimes. Its a really awesome feeling seeing a new audience being so appreciateive of your work.

TMR: If you where to pick your top 3 performances of the year, which would they be?

Barney: Wacken for sure number 1, second would be Rock AM Ring and 3rd would be the festival we headlined in Austria called New Jam Festival.

TMR: You guys also inked a deal with German label Lifeforce Records (who are home to some of metal’s most well known extreme bands [Nightrage, The Faceless, Deadlock] ) to release your debut full length album “Preaching Venom” in Europe, how has the European fans receive the album?

Barney: Well we've been informed that the album is doing well so yeah we can only hope for the best. Every now and then we get some fans writing us emails from France, The Netherlands, Turkey etc. telling us that they came across our CD in their local store and they absolutely love the music also expressing their regret that they missed us when we were playing in their countries..haha!

Oh well, I'm definitely looking forward to go back on the road and promote the album even more since we have a great label like LIFEFORCE Records behind us!

TMR: A while ago, it was mentioned that you guys where writing material for your follow-up to “Preaching Venom” would there be a chance of it hitting stores anytime in 2010?

Barney: Wow well we are writing down some ideas but nothing caste in stone yet...we still are very determined to get back on the road and play live a lot more to the European audiences and elsewhere. We still feel we haven't done justice to the music we left behind on "Preaching Venom" and touring is eally whats on our minds now!

Of course on the off days we are writing down some music but there is still a lot to be done, I guess you could say yeah in 2010 we should have enough songs ready for the next record though.

TMR: 2009 has been a great year for metal; do you have any favorites for the year?

Barney: The Faceless - Planetury Duality, Nile - Those whom The Gods Detest and Suffocation - Blood Oath

TMR: Now that the decade is coming to an end, what are some of your favorite releases in the 2000s?

Barney: Man there are quite a lot actually...apart from the 3 I mentioned above I would say definitely Bloodbath - the fathomless mastery, Nile - Annihilliation of the wicked, Opeth - Watershed, Lamb of God - Ashes of the wake, Testament - The Formation of Damnation, Job For A Cowboy - Genesis, Behemoth - Demigod...to name a few

TMR: The global recession has been a very effect step back for a lot of events, and festivals. Dubai is one of the cities facing it dramatically, did the recession effect your state of metal?

Barney: Apart from us having to cancell a festival appearance in Hungary due to the recession there was nothing else that effected the band as such. The festival just basically informed all the bands that they did not have any sponsors etc and therefore had to cancel the event.

I would say apart from that nothing else had effected us, in fact we had the best year of our carreer actually, we got signed, we played the biggest festivals in Europe and we even went on to tour more after that, all in one year!

TMR: What’s the craziest encounter you had this year?

Barney: Being asked to interview Phil Anselmo at With Full Force Festival in Germany for the festival DVD!!! followed by being interviewd by Andreas Killer (Sepultura)...seriously dude! its all on fim...haha.

TMR: If you have a new year’s resolution, what would it be?

Barney: To try and be a better person, both at home with family and with our peers in the music business. I've learnt this year especially that there are a lot of things in life that people take for grantid and its always easy to point the finger and bitch about something. The boldest and most respectful thing a man can ever do is accept his own fault and to pick up from there on and carry on doing good in this world! Im not saying that Im a bad person or I've done wrong in the past, its just that I've meet a lot of people in my life and all I can see in most of them is pain and regret simply because they dont see eye to eye with their friends or due to a simple misunderstanding... I for one hate drama and I'd like to help anyone in this world if I possibly could, it all boils down to treating everyone else they same way you would like to be treated and this world could be a better place!

TMR: What are 3 things you’d like to change about the past decade if you had the chance?

Barney:
September 11th and all the lies and sterotypes that came with it.
The Global Economic recession.
The Tsunami's that destroyed Thailnd, Sri Lanka etc...

TMR: How many tweets have you tweeted so far in 09?

Barney: None and Im very proud of that...haha

Now days everyone wants to become a celebrity with their fucking twitter and facebook accounts, everyone wants to be famous and let the world know their where abouts, what they are wearing, what their weekend plans are, what car they drive, what phone they use, who they hang out with...bla bla bla - I really couldnt give a shit... Im not on twitter neither facebook and I intend to keep it that way. I am in touch with the people that matter the most to me and thats all I care about.

TMR: Thank you so much Barney for taking the time to answer my questions, and for always being a pleasure to contact, would you like to add anything?

Barney: Your very welcome. Thanks for your interest and tremendous support towards NERVECELL. I truly appreciate it. Hope to catch you around at one of our next shows brother!