S.N.A.F.U. blast airwaves with Exile//Banishment

[Photo by Brian Sheehan]

Detroit hardcore punk thrashers, S.N.A.F.U. (Situation Normal All F*cked Up) recently released their new album, Exile//Banishment, which features singles, "Amazing Waste" and "Closed Casket Habits."

The album was tracked and produced by Philip “Landphil” Hall (Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Iron Reagan) and twin brother Josh “Hallhammer” Hall (Cannabis Corpse,) mixed by Adam Shepard and mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust.)

It was recorded amidst plague, governmental corruption, and widespread societal suffering and is the four-piece's heaviest and darkest release to date.

Rock Life recently spoke with S.N.A.F.U. vocalist/guitarist Scott Curnow who delved into the album and what's next for the band.

Q: You have the new video out for "Amazing Waste." Have you been happy with the reaction to that so far?

Scott Curnow: Yeah, absolutely!

Q: And how did the video for the track come together? Did you know what you wanted to do going in?

SC: Yeah, we sort of did. We just had our buddy do it, our friend Tony. We've been working with a few different people on videos and stuff and we decided to go with our good friend this time because he was available.

Q: Do you usually have an idea on the visuals while you're making the songs or is that something that comes after?

SC: For that one it was definitely afterwards in the moment, but it varies.

Q: What do you want people to know about the new Exile//Banishment album?

SC: It's definitely a lot different from our previous two releases. It's a lot darker and a lot heavier than the other ones, which were a bit more punk rock.

Q: And what's next for the rest of the year and heading into the new year?

SC: As of right now, we are planning a album release show in the Detroit area after the holidays. Then we hope to get some tour dates together for March.

Q: Will this be your first show back after the pandemic?

SC: It will be!

Q: What does it mean to you to be able to get back out there?

SC: It's definitely awesome and it's a great feeling to finally be able to play these new songs live.

Q: Was there something you got to do while you had all of that time off of the road that you normally wouldn't have been able to do?

SC: Actually the fall is usually the busy season because we're on the road and I manage a music venue here in Detroit, The Sanctuary, but this year I got to really, really enjoy it.

Q: What do you think has been the best thing that S.N.A.F.U. has done to stand out in a packed music scene?

SC: Everybody says that they can't really peg our genre. It's a mix of punk and thrash and metal and all this stuff. I also think that most bands have one person who does all of the writing, but our band has all four of us writing songs and having input on everything. It's a very unique sound.

Q: And it gives you a diverse crowd as well.

SC: Oh yeah, we definitely adjust our set depending on where we are and what kind of crowd we are drawing.

Q: Will you be releasing some more singles from the album?

SC: Yes, definitely. We are actually shooting another video next week and then we should be shooting a high-budget one within the next month or two.

Q: Are you guys always writing?

SC: Oh yeah, all the time. That's what we spent the entire quarantine doing so they'll definitely be more new music sooner rather than later.

Q: And what do you want to say to the fans who are waiting for you to get back out on stage?

SC: Just check out the new record, which came out October 15th. The vinyl is being shipped on the 22nd of this month in time for the holidays. Stay tuned for tour dates.