Interview

Kevin Sharp Previews New Venomous Concept Album

Grindcore is a sub genre which has produced so many excellent bands over the years. From legends like Napalm Death in the UK and Brutal Truth from the USA, to up and comers, there's a lot to find. One of the most interesting things about the area though is how many musicians from different acclaimed bands got together to create even more bands and projects. So it was in 2004 when the aforementioned legends joined forces to create a hardcore punk style akin to the Japanese and Swedish bands they'd grown up listening to, as Brutal Truth's Kevin Sharp and Danny Lilker, along with Napalm Death's Shane Embury and Danny Herrera, along with Buzz Osborn of Melvins, forged Venomous Concept.

Releasing their debut album, "Retroactive Abortion" that same year, with a sophomore, "Poisoned Apple" following in 2008, the band took a break for a while before returning with "Kick Me Silly VCIII" in 2016 and are now working on completing their fourth full length. At their stop in London with Brujeria and Aggression, I caught up with Mr. Sharp to discuss all things Venomous, as well as his recruitment to Lock Up, the legacy of Brutal Truth, bandmate Danny Lilker, fallen friend Seth Putnam and much more. You can watch the whole interview below.

Diamond Oz: Well straight into it, I believe Venomous Concept are currently working on a new album...

Kevin Sharp: Yes. We're gonna call it "Fuck The Facts" and it's about sleeping on floors and paying dues... I'm just kidding man! I was just saying that to make Shane (Embury) laugh. Right now it's politics versus the erection. It's recorded. We've got some sounds lined up so when Shane gets back he's going to start slotting things where they go. It's a continuation of the same sort of thing but it's expanding. It's all generic answers. It's a little different but it's still like the same hardcore punk and two fingers fuck off, that kind of shit.

Oz: Well obviously you're still promoting "Kick Me Silly VCIII" at the moment. It's a very good album and "Anthem" for example is kind of like the go to Venomous Concept album for me.

Kevin: It's kind of a hilarious concept though. Writing an anthem to sell a war. That's sort of my sense of humour, I laugh at everything because it's better to laugh than cry.

Oz: Yeah and there's so much to be pissed off about...

Kevin: I don't want to live that way. I'm fifty years old and with the internet now, everyone's already there. It's a twenty four hate fest and life is fucking complicated, politics or whatever you want to make of it. Everyone has an opinion and the whole thing is nowadays everyone's lost respect for the other person's opinion. Everyone has their ideas on politics or social issues due to their lives and their experiences in life and because of that, when people fuck off their opinions they get weakened because it's like a loss of respect or whatever, so I don't wanna live in that world. Everyone's entitled to their own lives and their own opinions and that's sort of where this sense of humour is, I laugh at everything, even if it's worth crying about.

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