So here it really is: Between The Lines Fanzine, Issue #010 – and with it, a small comeback to the editorial section for me. A long time has passed since I wrote the first editorial for the very first issue back in 2013. We had this idea to contribute something to the scene, a goal we always shared within the group of people responsible for this zine. While some of us were playing in bands, putting on shows, running labels, or creating art, a few of us still wanted to contribute to the scene in a different way.
Most of us grew up at a time when zines were already a relic of earlier days. I remember going to shows in Cologne and picking up the latest issue of Outspoken Fanzine, probably around 2006. That is still a memory I hold dearly. From there, the idea was born to create our own zine –to give people within the scene a platform to share their point of view.
We had no idea what we were doing. I designed the first issue myself in Photoshop, and frankly, that’s exactly how it looks. For me personally, that first issue is the purest expression of what the DIY spirit means. But somehow people liked it. The team grew, the format changed, and I got the help I needed from more talented people when it came to artwork and layout. From around 40 pages in the first issue, we went to 100 pages by the seventh.
We also started a podcast and did YouTube video interviews with our friend at Roughneck Media, who is now doing the Inside Out Videozine. Over the years, we released an issue almost every year and printed more than 8000 copies of this thing we called ours. We shipped it to over 10 countries, all the way to Japan and the United States. It was a wonderful thing to be part of –a driven and enthusiastic group of friends who breathed and lived hardcore music. From issue one to 10, we covered more than 150 different bands, labels, and artists and provided advertisements for cool stuff other people were doing.
For me, things slowed down around 2020. While the scene revived itself in an incredible way, I somehow couldn’t find my way back. I got older and lazier, stopped playing in bands, and in a way it felt like I had entered my hardcore retirement. But the torch was passed – as it should be – and some people from the original team rekindled the flame and revived the zine in a way I could never have imagined. Two issues have already been released, and I am so happy that, after 13 years, this zine is still thriving. And somehow this spirit also guided me back to what has driven me for over two decades now. I’m making music again with great people and felt like contributing to this issue again. I guess doing cool stuff is contagious.
When I see how our baby has grown and what level of quality it has now, I couldn’t be more proud. It is still a statement of true love for hardcore, love for the DIY spirit, and a testament to how incredible our scene is. Everything is still free, we are still a platform for passionate people, and I truly hope that in a few years some of our readers will have memories of this fanzine similar to the ones I have of Outspoken.
Hardcore is what you make of it. Enjoy this piece of reading, spread the word, and take part in this scene if you get something out of it. It’s a magical thing.
Yours truly
Italy is home to one of the biggest cultural heritages in the world. But that
isn’t only reflected in their rich cultural history, but also in their underground culture. Lately there has been a wave of interesting Bands coming out of Italy and playing in mainland Europe and the UK, with one of those being “Jorelia”. We sat down with Edo and Rob to talk about the current state of the Hardcore scene in Italy and what they are contributing to keep it alive. From an outside perspective it seemed like there were no Hardcore bands left in Italy after «Slander» called it quits in 2019. Since a few years though, bands like
3ND7R, Silver or you guys have been putting Italian Hardcore on the map again, and it all seems to be linked to northern Italy. What’s up with that?
Since the pandemic, many younger people find out about Hardcore over social media. That’s a blessing and a curse at the same time, because everything is refreshing fast. Bands get hyped, but people forget about them again. On the other hand, there are tons of Hardcore sites, zines and labels popping up, which is really cool. Also Bands like “Sunami” or “Pain of Truth” played some shows in Italy after the pandemic, being some of the first Beatdown bands to ever come play here. There are a lot of cool bands and Hardcore shows in northern Italy, especially with our friends in “Pariah Posers” and “Trivel Collective” from Padova, where Silver and 3ND7R are from. They’ve also been doing shows for much longer than we are. We’ve been booking shows with the PVHC-crew in the region of Milan for about four years now. When the pandemic hit, we realized that people our age don’t know much about Hardcore, so we figured that kids need to see some real Hardcore shows and not just the big ones
that come through Milan every few months, being booked by big booking agencies. That’s why we started inviting new bands with our friends from Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and France to play shows and show our friends and peers what it’s all about. We’ve also been doing a festival the last two years and we’ll keep that going as well. But it has gotten increasingly difficult over the years. These days we’re finding it hard to find venues that want to put on Hardcore shows, as many underground venues had to close and the remaining club owners will ask for stupendous renting fees.
It’s also difficult for bands to get down to Italy. If you don’t start or end the tour there, it’ll be a hassle to play a show.
Yeah, Italy is not the most comfortable place for touring. We actually can’t complain too much, because Milan is very convenient for bands, so the booking is easier compared to the cities further south. Bands normally want to play several shows, to see the whole country, which we understand.
It’s kind of hard to explain to them that it isn’t ideal to do several shows in Italy, as people tend to drive a lot to see Hardcore shows around here, so it’s all the same people. If we do a show in Milan, we’ll have people coming from Padova, Venice, Bologna etc., so if you book more than one show, there’s gonna be a lot of people at one of those shows, but there won’t be anyone going to the other ones. It’s really hard to coordinate that sometimes. On the other hand, bands that do come over love the shows and the vibe out here, so they want to come back, which is very cool for us!
So the Italian Hardcore scene is very spread out across the country, how do you manage staying connected?
That’s also the case for bands and booking crews, not only the
people that come to the shows. We’re friends with the people from Padova and Bologna, but it’s very hard to connect it all together into a scene. We’re happy to help anyone out with a show, but it seems harder for us to get help when we need it. That reminds me of CBC (Caserta Beatdown Commando) near Naples, they used to do tons of Beatdown shows, now they only do some small festivals. They were always very helpful to us and grew to be some of our closest friends. There’s also Rome, which has a great scene by itself, with older bands like “Strength Approach” or some newer heat from bands like “Short Fuse”, “Feldspar” and “Rainswept”. They are more rooted in Punk and Grindcore around there, so it’s hard for us to go play there with the music we play. Even other artists that come to Italy never go to Rome. While we do want to
create a strongly connected scene all over Italy, it’s very hard for us to do so. Trying to unite Beatdown with “classic” Hardcore, Metalcore or even Metal in general almost always ends up in a shitshow. We’re only a few people who like heavy music anyway, so why shouldn’t we all be friends? If we split up because of different music tastes, it will be less fun for everyone in the end.
What’s your favorite place to go to shows then?
Padova is the best place, because people are fucking mad there! There are lots of people at the shows, the mosh is very hard and there’s the best vibe overall. It really feels like a Hardcore show. Milan is also cool, but it’s different and depends on the show and venue. Most venues have barriers and
are more oriented towards booking metal shows, which switches the whole vibe. That’s not the case in places like CS Rivolta in Venice, which is a social center where Venezia Hardcore Fest is happening. The bands that play there aren’t very heavy and it’s more of a punk-ish vibe, but it’s still a very interesting event.
Italy always seemed to have a strong alternative scene, but only a few bands ever gained recognition or even played outside of the country. It seems like there’s a big barrier for bands from Italy, so how was your experience with “Jorelia”, playing shows in mainland Europe and the UK?
At first, we struggled a lot to get outside of Italy with our projects, no one seemed to trust us. Promoters would give us a hard time after we told them we’re from Italy, people would tell us that they couldn’t do the show. They didn’t really believe that there are Hardcore bands in Italy, maybe because there wasn’t really a big Hardcore scene here in the last few decades. Or they thought it sucks, but we don’t really know. It’s gotten easier now that also other Italian bands have played abroad and showed people what we’re all about. We also made lots of friends while playing shows, and they’re spread all over Europe. Over time, and it took a while for us, you meet lots of people that will help you out in the end.
What are your plans with Jorelia right now? Anything you’re looking forward to in particular?
The year started pretty quietly for us, as we didn’t have that many shows until now. We’ve teamed up with Haywire and a new band called Crawl for Cover from Germany for a little EU-Tour though. We’re playing five shows together in Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Other than that, we’re really looking forward to Return to Strength Festival this year. We recently played with “Boltgun” at their first ever show in Obhausen, so we’re really looking forward to meet all those people again.
Do you have any last words you want to say?
It seems like people tend to fall in love with Hardcore but forget about the community. They’ll be wearing baggy jeans and some old school t-shirt, but they don’t dig in the underground and learn about the history. They treat it as some sort of fashion choice to post on Instagram, but it’s much more than that. Go to shows, support the community, be a part of it even though you’ve already seen the “cool” bands. Come around and dive into the culture instead of checking it out online at home.
Yoo, very happy to have you both here for this interview and very excited to have you also play this years RTS! Perfect match for the release of this issue – gonna be a wild show! Im sure most people out here are already familiar with DOL but could you please quickly introduce yourself to our readers?
Logan: What up Julius! I’m Logan and I play guitar in Denial of Life.
Brenna: What’s up! I’m Brenna, the lead singer of the band.
DOL has been around since 2019 and as far as i remember, you already toured europe twice! Thats something even bands that‘s been arround for way longer, didn‘t get to do at all. I know it takes a lot of planing, discipline and for sure cash, to make this a reality. Tell us a little about your first time over here, what might changed the second time. How would you compare touring the US to Europe?
Logan: Yea man, super grateful we have been able to tour Europe so much. It’s definitely a completely different experience from touring the states. I feel like American bands either love it or hate it. We definitely love it. Our first European tour was really sick and smooth, whereas I know a lot of bands first European tours were super rough. I think Bands definitely get treated so much better in Europe, arts and music seem to be respected and appreciated in a more genuine way than in the states. Touring the states can be brutal. The drives are also typically a lot shorter in Europe. So there’s more time to explore and kick it. It just feels sick to be so far from home.
Brenna: A huge difference I’ve noticed between the two is in Europe, you really feel respected and appreciated as a professional at the majority of venues. They don’t take for granted the effort and sacrifice it took to make the journey there, whereas in the US that happens almost every time. Depending on the venue of course. Europe will also feed you and find you a place to stay normally, which is a huge help.
We def. gonna get back to the touring topic later! I got something I wanna know a little more about haha. So anyway, you’ve been grinding on the new record “Witness the Power” that dropped at the end of last year. Personally, I fucking love it! It got all the riffs, the energy and bangers on bangers that are stuck in my head for days. How was the writing process, what are the major challenges you had to take and changes you wanted to acchive for this EP, compared to the earlier releases?
Logan: The writing process was tough but cool. We knew when we were doing our first Europe tour that we were going to need to get home and write a really cool record. We definitely put some pressure on ourselves to deliver, but the process was pretty smooth and fun. We had a lot of riffs already written before we entered the studio, but most of the arrangements and song structures we finished in the studio as we were recording.
It definitely captures some of that just written energy. ‘Love Sting’ for example, which is my favorite song on the record, we basically wrote our first day of preproduction. Like I said, we definitely put a lot of pressure on ourselves, which I think was our biggest challenge. Just delivering songs that we knew represented how much we care about our craft and our genre. Love to hear that some of the songs got stuck in your head, we wanted to write high energy but also catchy and hooky songs as well. Shit you can’t get out of your head.
Brenna: Thank you so much! I would say getting over some of the self induced pressure was the biggest challenge for me. I would say every band wants their new album to be better than the last, so that’s where it was coming from in my brain. Luckily, have bandmates that inspire me, and when we collaborate I always feel supported and driven.
Logan told me you already know each other for a long time now - how did you both end up in the band together?
I know Logan is a man of many riffs and many bands, so was it more like a “yeah we need some sick riffs, you wanna rock with us” or more like a thing that has been cookin‘ for some time and finally made it?
Brenna: Yeah! So, Logan and I were living in Seattle at the time, and I was in a shitty punk band. We worked together for a short amount of time and he heard the band I was in. From what I remember, he said something along the lines of, “I like your voice, but your band sucks” and I couldn’t have agreed with him more. He mentioned he wanted to start a band that sounded like Sacrilege, which I had never heard before. So I went and did my homework and hit him up soon after. We had the same goals and ended up working together really well. Then Nicky and Spencer came along and with the release of “No Reason”, it felt like things were really falling into place.
Logan: Haha, I don’t remember telling Brenna her band sucked. To be honest, I don’t think I ever saw the band (it was called jnx and was actually pretty sick) she is referring to. I remember being at work one day painting houses listening to Sacrilege “Behind the Realms of Madness” and being like, I have to start a band like this. And I thought of Brenna. She has so much raw energy and authenticity, I didn’t need to see her band to know that she would be the perfect vocalist. It wasn’t until a few months later we got hooked up with Nicky, who’ve we also known forever. We both grew up skating and writing graffiti, so we had a long history. Once Nicky joined it all connected. We had the 3 pieces for the puzzle. I think it’s so cool that we all have known each other for so long. We really are a family and it comes through in the music and our live performances
Finding your own style is aways a big challenge. With so many great bands from the past that made Hardcore, Metal etc. what it is nowadays to the fact that we got a new band blowin‘ out their demo every second day through spotify or some shit. How much of a natural progress was it to evolve to the band you are now with that unique sound? Where there times you got that riff on your mind, thinking that‘s hard af and the next moment you play it, you think “Damn this sounds like XY-Band”?
Logan: Like I was saying, we started with this very intentional Sacrilege direction, and ended up close but even that sound has evolved into something different and more nuanced. When Nicky joined
he came from a very strict hardcore background. So he brought a dynamic and a musical style that took the sound to a different level. I would say the first time practicing it clicked and we were like oh damn, this is the style of music we wanna make. Then we wrote “Scheming to Suffer”. We were like ohhhh, we wanna write this kind of sleazy 80s style heavy metal Mixed with some higher tempo high energy thrash. Were definitely pulling from legendary 80s bands like Slayer and Sepultura, but we have enough of our own style and vibe that I’d like to think it all comes out authentically.
Brenna: It happened super naturally, since we all aspire to continue growing and honing our craft. And yeah that sort of thing happens all the time, we take inspiration from all the greats before us.
The sound you achived is a violent mix of trash-metal and hardcore. So the crowd is probably also as diverse as your unique sound. What are you personally lookin for in a crowd? Do you look for the pit ninjas or do you want the headbangers – what makes you happy to see as a response from the people watching your set?
Logan: Headbangers man! I personally really hate the hardcore horseshoe, where the pit is bigger than the actual crowd. Ultimately I want people engaged no matter what, so I’m not discriminating, but we are more of a metal band than a hardcore band. So I want up by the stage packed with people headbanging and rocking out, not spin kicking. I love an old head metal dude in the crowd playing airguitar along with me. I love everyone but I want rockers, not spin kickers.
Brenna: I love when it’s a 50/50 mix of pit warriors in the back and old head headbangers in the front. Keeps the vibes going the whole set. I also love a loud audience, I wanna hear them yelling back at me as much as I’m going at them.
One last question regarding touring. Last year after we met in Germany ya‘ll drove to Austria and ended up on the news… give us all the lore about this!
Logan: Bro okay I’ll run this whole story. Basically I get pulled over while driving our van in Austria around 9am. I had just woke up, got coffee and was having a great morning. We got pulled over, the cop doesn’t speak much English, he keeps telling me he knows I’m high and that I’m driving under the influence. Now I do like getting high from time to time, but at 9am that morning, I was sober as can be. He takes my passport and the situation keeps escalating.
They end up detaining me, taking me to the police station where they draw my blood and say I either had to sit in jail while the results of the blood test came back, or I’d have to pay 2,000 Euro. I refused both options, managed to get my passport back, and ran out of the police station. We got back on the highway to Germany, thought we were all good when 10 miles down the road we
get pulled over by at least 20 police and border patrol. They take all our passports, search our van with dogs — find nothing — and shake us down for the 2k euro. We woke up the next day and it was all over the Austrian news.
Personally Im a big food guy and I love getting to know the culture and the country better through local food and stuff so I gotta have to ask that: What‘s your and the bands favorite food you all can agree on, what country had the best catering for you guys and what was the most trash ass dog food ya’ll had to eat while beeing on the road?
pretty rough vegan soup / stew in Europe on our first tour. But it was free, so I’m not complaining.
Brenna: I mean honestly we can always agree on Cracker Barrel. Worst food may have been in Prague, (I won’t say which time or where). But we had some pretty bottom of the barrel vegan food and to make it worse, none of us are vegan.
Logan: It depends where we are at in the US. It’s fun to be on tour and hit the regional spots that we don’t have access to a lot. I think we all love some good Mexican food, that’s always something we can agree on. So when we are in California or the Arizona that’s something we always look forward to. In Europe, I’m a huge kebab guy. So trying to find the best kebab on a European tour is always a fun game to play. We had some
To finish it all off – thank you so much for taking the time answering all these questions! I truly appreciate it and I can’t wait to see ya’ll out here this year, kickin it at RTS. We gonna get mad stupid! The last words are for sure yours!
Logan: Julius you are the man! Thank you so much for asking us to be apart of this amazing crew of bands and people. It’s an honor to rock with all of you.
Brenna: Thank you so much!!
Hello Muli! It is an honor for me to have you as my comeback interview partner. I have known you for years, since we shared the stage in Never Grown Up and Still Ill back in probably 2014 or something like that. But since I moved to Cologne, I have realized you are somewhat of a local hardcore lighthouse. Could you introduce yourself to our readers and give us a brief summary of what you are doing right now?
Haha, I’m flattered! I’ve always taken some pride in introducing people to this thing of ours, but a lighthouse? That’s a first. :D What a weird show that was back in 2014, huh? The venue was called “Dingens” – how fitting. The short answer: I try to do what needs to be done. The long one: I play in a few local bands, such as Wonderful World, Fear of Sin, Angel CCAA & Full Tilt (which basically is Never Grown Up 2.0). That list may be subject to change because I can’t sit still. I’m also involved with Side2Side Records straight outta Düsseldorf and Hammer & Nails Fest in Cologne. If that wasn’t enough already, I also tend to help out a bunch of other bookers such as Tothrowup (RIP), Tünnes Booking, Violent Impression & LLC Shows,
since I own a car, a backline, and I am not afraid to use either.
Especially Side2Side Records seems heavily involved in this magical comeback of the scene within the Rhine area. How did this thing start, who is involved, and how the hell did you guys reinvent Düsseldorf/Cologne hardcore? And where the heck are all these kids coming from?
I honestly don’t recall if there was a specific WHY that started Side2Side. Basti was fired up and booked the first show, Paul ran front of house, I played two sets and ripped my pants moshing – the timing was right. The core group consists of Basti, Paul, and myself – but there are more people involved. Most notably Dominik & Andre. Dominik cooks up great food for every show, Andre is an all-around great guy who steps up whenever we call for him. Plus: both are about my age, so they’re able to provide some much-needed guidance for the young guns. It’s always great to have some adults in the room. The first Side2Side show happened at Franzmann Düsseldorf. As mentioned before, I played with Wonderful World and Time to Quit (RIP). The
WW had just put out the demo and we got a crazy reaction, nothing like I had ever witnessed with the other bands I played in before. Later that night, we went for a drink around the corner, talked about putting out some of the local bands that were popping up at the time, and kept on trucking ever since. I vividly remember thinking, “We are about to catch lightning in a bottle here. Let’s make sure that this thing does not go off track,” so I just started a group chat the next day to make sure we were really doing this. As you said, it was magic. Everything that followed felt magical too, especially the three shows that went down at the legendary Düsseldorf venue “Ratinger Hof” (also RIP haha), as well as the Rosenmontag shows that followed soon after. As to where all the kids are coming from? Fuck knows, man. I’m glad they’re coming. TikTok, Knocked Loose & Turnstile might have had something to do with it, but let’s be real here: the pivotal
and era-defining band is Thrufall. Period.
In a former talk, you told me that you had the feeling you guys were starting over on a blank canvas, getting a reset after COVID. What tips could you give other people who want to start something similar in their area? What were your key factors for success?
Just do whatever you want – if it feels right, it probably is. And make sure not to listen to advice from anyone with an age that starts with a 3. Additional points if you’re actually somewhat polite. People remember those little things like saying “thank you” and “hello.” We never had a strong presence from the crews that were running things in Cologne and Düsseldorf, as the scene was pretty much dead except for a few crusty-ass shows here and there. That probably also helped things develop organically. Being locked inside their homes
And
made everybody properly pissed off again, so naturally the kids stopped playing weird-ass mallcore. Looking back, the 2010s felt like the dark ages. I’ve told this story before, but I think it’s fitting in this context: the first show I played after the lockdowns was a friend’s birthday at Marder DIY in Essen. I got introduced to the boys in Thrufall on that occasion, and I think a lot of opportunities started opening up for them on that day. We caught each other’s eye skateboarding because the boys were shredding, and then they covered “GG Allin – Bite It You Scum.” That was precisely the moment when I knew we were so fucking back.
You have a long history of participating in hardcore and you know the scene pre-COVID quite well. You experienced the rough days within the Ruhr area, the rise and the somewhat fall of crew dominance, and much more. What is your personal view right now on the scene? Do you miss something, and how did you manage not to become an old, bitter person?
That’s funny, because I really did consider myself close to becoming bitter for a while, right before hardcore came back stronger than ever for me. Going to local shows was the one thing that kept me going and allowed me to retain my PMA. Quitting my job in the music business also helped a lot with keeping the spirit. The last show I played before the first lockdown happened in Rheinberg, which was kind of the center of the Ruhrpott-adjacent hinterland scene that I called my home turf. What a fucked-up show that was. I won’t get into the details here, but let me tell you: it was a clusterfuck of all the things I really did not enjoy about what I had witnessed in Ruhrpott hardcore. Deluminator were sick though. There is not much that I’m missing from the pre-COVID days.
Maybe a few venues and MySpace. Of course, I would love for more of my friends from back then to still be around. As much as I miss them, I appreciate those whom I’ve known back then and reconnected with through hardcore. Shoutout Kenny, Alex, Steve, Lars, Justus, Nabi, and Bublies.
As you’ve said, you are also playing in a new project called Fear of Sin. While I really love what you are doing in Wonderful World, Fear of Sin has blown me away. How do you look at the changing dominant sound of new bands right now? Do you also notice really short “waves” of how a new band has to sound, and how do you feel about so many bands emerging and going quiet again in a short time? Is this a sign of a healthy scene or rather not?
Beatdown is coming back. By the time that this zine is released, it’s probably already returned in full swing. Go listen to Eternal Enemy and 7 Swords. That being said: yeah,
there are noticeable trends, but I don’t think bands have to sound a certain way. Maybe I am part of a minority with that opinion. It’s just that most of the time it’s the same 10 people who put out new stuff. If it’s good, it’s good. Then there will be a few rip-offs until one jumps the shark, and off it goes to the next bandwagon. That’s how it has always been, right? It’s kind of funny to me when new bands wear their influences on their sleeves. It can be the greatest thing in the world or corny as hell – style matters as always. I’d much rather hear another stompy democore release by my friends that collectively share like five riffs than check out another Northern Unrest rip-off by people I share no personal connection with. Regarding signs of a healthy scene: I think it is about diversity. Not just in the people who participate, but also in the sounds that emerge from a scene. That’s why I love Cologne and Rhineline Hardcore, because our scene truly has it all. Keep ’em coming.
You are also doing a local festival called Hammer & Nails, which is somewhat of a mixture of skating, BMX, hardcore, workshops, and whatnot. How did that evolve, what makes it special, and how did it grow? Abuse this for shameless promotion: what makes this thing so cool?
Hammer & Nails is the brainchild of my dear friend Felix, who rides BMX professionally. It’s an internationally attended contest with rough obstacles that we build with our own hands. It prioritizes a good hangout over professionalism and big egos like you might find at corporate events like the X Games. Many of the pro riders I talked to, as well as Felix’s parents, told me that they love the sense of community that this event creates. At Hammer & Nails, some of these superstars get to be just a guy or just a gal. You can’t get rid of all the fanboying, but it’s nothing compared to other contests of that caliber. When I met Felix for the first time, I was out street
skating with my buddies from back home, and we were joking about “here come the posers with their Monster Energy hats.” When they started filming, we quickly realized that these guys were the real deal. What I love most is that when we are at a local skatepark, he gets flocked by a bunch of kids because I guess he’s kind of famous? But whenever we’re hanging out in a hardcore context, he’s just the homie who sports what might be considered the prettiest two-step in all of Germany. Felix’s vision is to bridge the gap between his greatest passions: DIY hardcore, riding silly bikes, and photography. Once again, I got involved by playing the first edition with Wonderful World and Time to Quit, and after that I just stuck around helping because I saw a need for my set of skills that I’ve acquired in about 15 years of DIY HC. The thing that makes Hammer & Nails dope is that we are friends first and a crew/a set of people who work together second. Surely this comes with its own set of unique
challenges, because we are friends and not colleagues. I’m loosely quoting Steffen from Force of Denial here: even though there are corporate sponsors involved, this thing is still purely DIY. You can’t get around receiving some hate about having Monster Energy as a sponsor and not making access to the festival free. What these people don’t see is that we might receive money to pay for wood and infrastructure, but we still build all of the obstacles with our own hands. And building that shit is fucking expensive. Shit isn’t free, but we try to make it work. Last year we grew a lot. We developed into having more than just one food option, had eight tattoo artists going at it, and fifteen bands over the course of three days. My personal favorite was the photo show. In this day and age, a lot of amazing photography gets wasted in an endless feed on a small screen, so it was great to spend some time with the work of many talented photographers.
We even had Jeffrey Ladd (name-drop alert) shoot the whole thing. So if you’re curious: come hang out, get a tattoo, eat some vegan currywurst, watch the contest, and try to do 18 stagedives.
As you know the real deal: give me the cool stuff about Cologne and Düsseldorf. What bands to check out, which venues are hosting the cool stuff, which food spots must be checked out?
Side2Side & LLC continue to reign supreme. DBNO, STTW & Collective Memory are putting out one certified banger after another. Our friends from Berlin are putting the capital back on the map with Cakewalk Fest. Historically speaking, venues have always been a challenge, and we’re in a transitional period right now. The coolest shows were going down @ Quattro
Cultura next to the Rodenkirchen train station, but we’re working on finding an alternative. Side2Side books shows at Kulturschlachthof & Jugendkulturcafé Franzmann in Düsseldorf. Hammer & Nails is the shit (obviously). Regarding food? Idk, man. If you don’t mind smelling like a whole-ass deep fryer, check out Trash Chic for vegan junk food. That place recently blew up on foodie blogs, so be prepared to encounter some yuppies. Radix & Anima is a cool all-vegan café in my neighborhood, and the guy who runs the place is a big fan of RLHC. Tünnes Booking put together a great list for their day fest taking place on Easter Sunday that can be found on their Instagram. If anyone needs culinary tips in Cologne, just check that out. All I know is that Muhammed Ali at Düsseldorf Central Station serves a mean seitan kebab.
Bands to check out (it’s gotta be the homies, right?):
True Fraud, Big Iron, Suspect, Mauler, Echo Chamber, Preemptive Strike, Desire Line Once and for All, Exan, Fierce Phiz, Pluto the Racer, Detonator Look Ahead, Moral Fever, No Laughing Matter, World Instinct, Kryk, WüT, I Recover … and many more between Hannover, the Rhineline going all the way to the hinterland.
Thank you, man, the last words are yours. I am proud of you and what you are doing here!
I remember thinking that Hardcore hadn’t been this fun since I got into it when I was a teenager. That feeling started four years ago, and I’ve been saying the same thing ever since. I’ve heard the same sentiment from many people who’ve been around the block a couple of times.
The Rhineline just keeps getting better and better. Shoutout everybody who does shit instead of yapping about what they’re gonna do. Shoutout everybody who dares to think for themselves. Go to local shows. Fuck a presale. I wanted to end on a quote, but I couldn’t decide which one to include, so here are two:
“Fuck your catchy one-liners, fuck your dress to impress – you can go fuck yourself with that trendy shit. Fuck your bad attitudes, fuck your weak high class – fuck all you pretenders, keep your life of trash.”
“In our minds and in our hearts, we feel that hardcore music should stay out of big business and stay in the streets where it belongs. All you kids out there, always keep the faith.”
Whats up brother, thank you for taking the time – very happy to have you and your story on here! Pretty sure a lot of our readers already know you but please quickly introduce yourself to the ones who don’t!
What’s up homie thanks for having me on. My name is Elliot and I used to be in Gulch & Hands of God. I currently still play in Spinebreaker, Slugger & Basilica Ruin. My main focus these days though have been training and fighting Muay Thai.
I remember the first time listeing to the Gulch demo like it was yesterday! My brotha Phil and me where driving a rental in the middle of Poland blasting that shit on our way to a homies wedding. The roughness, your unique voice and the overall sound cought us right away. It seems like “SelfInflicted Mental Terror” was the song that put Gulch finally on everyones map. Tell us a little about the early days of Gulch and was this the first band you’ve been involved in?
I actually had been in a bunch of bands prior to Gulch. I think the first band I ever started was in 6th or 7th grade but I only ever played locally or small “tours” on the west coast. Gulch was just another band that Cole and I wanted to do for fun, maybe play a few shows and drop a few songs but there was not much of a plan for it other than that. We never cared to do much outside of San Jose and the Bay Area. Hometown shows have always been the best for us.
thanks of with never forget?
Gulch since then has been on a crazy streak and every show looked insane – from the legendary house show with the homies in Sunami to the big ass fests like Sound And Fury, y‘all been killin‘ it. You toured, you rocked and just a moment after the latest LP, ya’ll broke our hearts and split up. What was the main reason to end Gulch and what is your most favorite memory with the band you’ll
We never really wanted to do much with Gulch but as it took off our goals sort of changed a bit. We wanted to hit a few of the fests and see some cool cities in the US so we did it and felt satisfied with the shows we got to do. Sadly Europe and Asia fell through the cracks because of the pandemic. I was just not really in a place where I could see myself touring and traveling as much as we were for much longer. I enjoyed it for a little but being home and doing my thing on
my own time is where I wanted to spend my energy. There’s too many insane memories but playing with Infest in Bakersfield was crazy. Cole was so high on mushrooms he was still wrapping his cables up while Infest was up on stage ready to play. Ended up on top of the car in a drivethrough and paid the guy with a stack of cash we got from the show. Another fun one was staying up until the sun came up in Philly. Got a gun pulled on me and the homie from Sunami. It was a very
but Philly experience.
Besides Gulch you’ve been also grinding in other bands like Spinebreaker and Slugger! A lot to get scheduled besides work and your Muay Thai career (we gonna get to this in detail later). All bands play a different style from HC/Punk to Death Metal and Oi! Do you have a personal “favorite” you enjoy the most playing or is this all part of what you personally also listen to on the daily?
I just enjoy music so playing different styles is awesome. I get bored easily so I need to switch it up. I enjoyed Gulch a lot because I didn’t have to worry as much about gear and all that bullshit so I could just run around and jump off shit like an idiot. I do love guitar though and Spinebreaker riffs are fun to play so I’d say those two are my favorite bands to play with. I actually don’t listen to any hardcore right now. Mostly soul and rocksteady these days but it goes in waves so I’m sure I’ll be listening to nothing but hardcore or punk again soon.
Slugger has been touring Europe already. Many bands from the US partly complain bout touring Europe for different reasons – how did you like it? What was your favorite country to play shows in and for sure… who got the best food haha?
Paris is the best and has the best food hands down! I loved Europe and I wish we got to see more of it. The tour was long enough but I just want to travel. It’s crazy how old the buildings are out there. America isn’t even close to as old and historic so it’s insane to see.
From bands to beatings. I’ve been following your way into combat sports, specially Muay Thai, probably since you started. I’ve seen the immense work and time you put in over the years and I only seein you getting all the W’s brotha! How did it all start and what made you start doing Muay Thai? Why not classic boxing or mma?
My boy Alex who sings in Spinebreaker has been training Muay Thai forever and we used to live and work together so seeing him doing that everyday made me want to. I was powerlifting at the time which took up way too much of my time to do both but eventually I made the switch. Honestly I hate the striking in MMA and Muay Thai just looks so sharp and dangerous and you get to stand up the whole time which is great. I’ve done a little BJJ but I’d much rather stand and fight.
I feel like Hardcore / Punk / Oi / Metal – whatever you wanna call the overall “alternative” scene and combat sports has been somehow connected since forever. From famous boxers, wrestlers and mma fighters that had heavy bands for their walk in song, to the beloved violence in the pit. What do you think is it, that made these two worlds connect so well?
Hardcore and punk is just a super violent scene so being able to take that into combat sports just makes sense. Gives people who grew up in a violent environment a place to go and continue to be in an environment they’re used to. Except now it’s healthy and refined which is good.
It takes a lot of work, time, money and overall discipline to become and stay a good fighter. I’ve had my time doing it for some years and I know there are basically no days off. I think it was last year when you won an international title out here in Italy! How does your fight prep look like and for sure – what is the song you blast when you get ready before a fight?
My fight prep is ridiculous. 8 weeks of no drinking and just eating the most boring bland food you’ve ever seen. I run a 5k 4 times a week and I do sprint intervals on the stationary/assault bike 2-3 times a week. Then I’m at the gym 5 days a week hitting pads, drilling, sparring & clinching.
It’s grueling but I love it. I like to stay super calm and relaxed before my fights so I don’t listen to any music. I just walk around and talk to everyone like it’s a normal day.
Thank you again for taking the time! Very excited to see where the sport and the bands take you in the future. Hopefully see you very soon brotha! The last words are for sure yours.
You’ll be training in Thailand soon – besides Muay Thai as it’s national sport, the country got so much to offer for sure food wise and also regarding the scene. How long will you stay and do you only focus on training or would you be down to pull up to a local show and check out the scene ? I can tell they got some wild ass moshers out there!
Thanks for having me man! It’s cool to see people still want to know about Gulch and what we’re up to. Shoutout the homies and all the bands we got to do cool shit with. Everyone that’s reading this go train Muay Thai it will help your mental more than you think. It sucks but it’s also the best.
I would love to explore Thailand for at least a month but realistically with work right now I don’t think I can. I’ll be there for a week for sure but we’ll see! I know the scene is crazy so I’ll definitely have to come back just to explore.
Do you have any specific plans for your future – regarding Muay Thai and also the bands or you gonna take it day by day? New releases, new projects, more weight, more fights?
Just taking it day by day to be honest dawg. No current plans for music but I’m going to take fighting as far as I can for now. Hopefully going pro and it sounds like that’s my coaches plan for me too.
It somehow feels surreal sitting by a lake in western Switzerland while writing this story about Southeast Asia. It was early 2025 when I started thinking that we should do this adventure with my band Decay Remains. Touring Asia – for many people traveling is a dream, but going on tour with a Hardcore/metal band to countries where privileged
humans usually relax from their high-quality life? That dream became reality. I had already done three unbelievable tours in Southeast Asia and the fourth journey was just ahead. To be quite honest, I really missed seeing life from a different perspective. Traveling through Southeast Asia always reminds me how much privilege
comes with being born in Europe. Even those considered “poor” here often have more than many families there. And yet, we complain the moment those privileges are challenged. Seeing that contrast changes your perspective instantly. But let’s come back to the story. Where does a tour actually start and where does it end?
There is a flyer with some dates on it, but a tour is much more than that. It’s all about the preparations, endless communication and the supporting humans that make everything possible. Since we are a pretty unknown band and my friends in Deconvolution had always wanted to go to Indonesia, I asked them if they would like to join when I took over the organization. Luckily, they were directly down, even though flights alone make a tour like this a considerable investment. One day before our departure, we played a support show for the Berlin-based band Ancst at a squat in Zurich. It felt like the last familiar moment before everything would shift. Bags and equipment were packed carefully because every kilo counted. We decided to arrive one day before our first show. The flight felt endless, but Bangkok hit instantly. Heat, humidity and the fast-paced environment around us were, for most of us, a completely different world. Because Deconvolution and us had chosen different flights, we arrived at different times. After meeting up with Anca (Poisonsnails – tour manager) and the others at the hotel, we refreshed ourselves in the pool and made plans for the night. We headed to Srinakarin Train Night Market, where the guys from Whispers and friends run several stores selling Hardcore and Metal merch.
Full recommendation – you will definitely find something worth grabbing. The heat, the impressions and the pace of the city left us exhausted. Flück (singer of Deconvolution) simply extended his “nap” until the afternoon of the next day, when we finally met him again for some shopping.
It’s October 11th, 2025, and we are about to play our first-ever show in Thailand at a small weed store called Mega Weez Store in the backyard of this huge city. Cannabis was legalized in 2022, but the law has since changed and now only allows medical use under many restrictions. At least I felt a bit uncertain about how legal everything still was, especially because I had attended a show in Malaysia where the Australian band I Killed The Prom Queen got arrested for not having the correct visas back in 2015. This is the kind of thing you need to keep in mind when playing shows in Southeast Asia. I remember that we were asked to do some interviews. The whole show was delayed because the interview setup took a while and parts of the drum kit had to be replaced. We shared the stage with four other Metal bands. There were not many people, but the audience was moshing and we had a great first show of the tour.
The next day we flew to Jakarta already, the capital of Indonesia and with 42 million inhabitants by the end of 2025 the world’s most populous metropolitan area (this fact matters – see below). So, we ordered three grabs (same like uber) to get from the airport to Bekasi where the “Random Loud Fest Hardcore edition” already started. At the location we had to use the back entrance to enter and were not allowed to go outside since the promoters were afraid that the police could make some trouble if they would recognize that some European bands play that fest. The fest was organized in an empty shopping mall and a big stage was built in one of the main halls. The small empty stores were used as backstage rooms. When loading Justine (vocals DR) noticed that her bag was missing. It was the moment we recognized that her bag looked like the bag from our tour manager which led her to think we had packed the backpack at the airport - which was actually not the case. Justine kept calm and said we will first play our set beside bands like Kenia, Fraud, No
Excuse and Membra to name just a few. Right after our set she left with June (former guitar DR) to the airport in order to find her bag which was left on the street in one of the biggest cities in this world! After some hours she arrived back at the venue with her bag – mission complete. The airport story would be too long to mention here;) In Bekasi we got some apartments where my nightmare started and the mood dropped. Being on tour 24/7 with others does also mean to get personal feelings under control. We opened the door and an incredibly heavy smell of rotten wood and chemicals came across my nose. We stepped into the room and we got welcomed by cockroaches and other little animals running through the room. I have shared the room with Friedemann (drummer DR). After the first moment we decided to order some food, which got cancelled after more than one hour waiting for it. You can imagine that being jetlagged, hungry and staying in an environment where you don’t feel that comfortable can have a big impact on your personal welfare. You may ask the others but
I think that I managed the situation somehow without complaining too much. All I can say is that I didn’t sleep that well that night…
On October 13th we were supposed to be picked up early, but as it is usual time doesn’t count too much, which was ok since we could spend the time to buy some fruits and play some games in a game station which was part of the building we stayed at. Anca organized a studio session at Peletar studio. To be quite honest in the beginning we were a bit sceptical. We didn’t know what to expect from a video shoot in Indonesia since we didn‘t have any specific information either, but our thoughts were turned into dust right away when we arrived at the studio. It was super professional, all the people were really lovely and the result is just out of this world. We can just say check it out on YouTube and give Pelatar
Offical a follow! After the video recording, we started the journey to Purwokerto which is located in central Java.
We arrived late and Justine started to feel bad because she had an infection on her neck. We checked it and actually… Yes, it was bad! So, I took the decision to join Justine on a midnight trip to the local hospital. The other guys went to bed already since we had on average 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night. However, I was also looking forward to another adventure in Indonesia and I shouldn’t be disappointed! Our driver was so kind to drive us to the hospital. We arrived in the entrance hall and the first thing I recognized was a sleeping cat at the welcome chair. In general, it was pretty dark. We were saying hello, but nobody responded. No problem for our driver who just entered the surgery room. He came out with around 5 nurses and security. Meanwhile also the lady sleep-
ing under the counter woke up. Other may call it work life balance.
