It’s been some time. And it’s been a rough one for everybody. COVID tried to fuck us all over, shutdowns and restrictions slowed down the scene worldwide and it was almost impossible to attend our beloved shows. But… we back at it again and stronger than ever. In the last few years the scene returned with a whole lotta new energy, people and even more passion to the music. We love that. We love how everything keeps evolving and growing. Talking about growth and development - that’s also the case for this issue of our Fanzine!
Runnin’ with the same logo and style for over 10 years now, it was also for us time for a change and a new era of BTL Fanzine. We lately just released our new Logo and the look we wanna keep for the next decade of 100% DIY fueled hardcore related news, stories and content. Literally blood, sweat and… nah, not tears but frustration at some point, was paid to make this issue no. 8 probably the best one we’ve released so far. I know Markus said this regarding issue number 10, but we already fuckin’ back with a new, fancy and full color issue this time!
We’re incredibly proud to present ya’ll a fanzine full of big stories, interviews and facts of our scene around the world. Therefore, it was about time we finally provide all this to you in nglish.
Without the incredible support and excitement ya’ll showed us the moment we decided to work on no.8, nothing of this would have been possible. We appreciate that deeply and want to say thank you for every feedback, comment or idea you gave us through the years. Y’all are the reason that keeps us motivated to constantly improve and work on this project.
nough talk et s dive right into it we hope you en oy icking through our zine and can’t wait to see and hear what you think of it!
Cheers, yours truly
After brooding in the underground for a while, Scottish hardcore has pushed to the forefront of the Eurocore category. Bands like Demonstration of Power and Despize are touring the US and Asia, selfreleasing their records on their own label Northern Unrest, while organizing their own huge festival
Northern Unfest, of which both the first and second edition were sold out. With this impressive track record, we are very happy to speak to Shaun today, vocalist in Demonstration of Power, bassist in Despize, and amongst the key figures of both Northern Unrest and their festival Northern Unfest.
Hi Shaun! Fantastic to have you for this interview – to start off, how are you? You are an incredibly busy bee and involved in tons of projects. What’s going on in your life right now, privately and musically?
Hey I’m great thanks for asking. Just as you said, life is super busy for me at the moment. Private life wise, I recently got engaged while I was in Japan and managed to make it as sweet as I could so that was a huge life highlight. Musically, playing in Despize and Demonstration of Power is keeping me occupied for the most part, not even considering Northern Unrest and the corresponding festival. Its a lot right now but I’m lucky to have other people working on all these things with me.
Congratulations on your engagement! Let’s dive a bit into the past –tell us about you growing up and getting in touch with hardcore and heavy music in general. What kind of scene did you find ack in the day hat were the developments you noticed over the years? Which venues in and outside of Glasgow played a special role in you and your friends formative years? What were some shows that you still think of to this day?
Finding hardcore felt like such a long process of connecting the dots of everything I wanted. First dot was finding the ou ube video titled “extreme mosh pit” at 13 years old. he video was ust a mosh compilation cut from the Guerrilla Warfare fanzines with IrateVendetta and Everybody Gets Hurt
played over the top. Connecting the dancing that I discovered rom this to finding punk bands like inor hreat and lack lag in my early teens while going to metal and metalcore shows with my friends basically made me want to find some amalga mation of all of the best parts of these experiences. So eventually finding out about the lasgow scene felt like a huge sigh of relief.
he first real hardcore set saw was when I was 16, and it was rapped nder ce on a very mi ed bill in Cathouse which is a notoriously shitty alt club in Glasgow. he reaction rom the crowd was something I had never seen before but it was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t grow up in Glasgow so it was tough getting to shows as regular as wanted and it definitely made it harder to know anything about what was going on until I was “all in” so to speak. I’ve seen a lot of changes across the years, as everyone would, but originally the venues I saw for hardcore were Shadowsound (Formerly Arc studios, . . . which was basically ust a practice studio with a stage at the back where everyone could get pished (Editor’s note: Scottish slang for getting drunk), and Audio was used for touring bands which is still used from time to time.
here was a time in lasgow mainly in Shadowsound, that a lot of these shows were “beatdown” shows and not in the same way as beatdown hardcore shows are now. I’m glad that this is mostly not the case now, all power to everyone to like what they like but a lack of any connection to hardcore music meant there was a noticeable dip in attendance.
A few other shows that stick out or me are witching ongues and Disgrace in Audio, the last War Charge show which was the first time igher ower played lasgow the first time orced Order played Audio and Bluntfest 1 which was dope (despite being in Edinburgh) and was headlined by Renounced and xRepentancex.
hen ettin into hardcore the first Scottish bands I came across were By My Hands, Heavy Hands, Broken Oath, War Charge and Frontline. an you speak a it on their influence to you personally and their effect on Glasgow’s scene? What were some other bands that were (or are still) noteworthy?
I saw most of these bands in my early days of discovering hardcore War harge being the first o the lot. I think seeing a local band like War Charge be able to tour out basically off their own backs was super important for me to notice, guess it ust showed me early on the actual side o hardcore rather than seeing metal bands ust chasing opening slots on shit ty shows at Cathouse (no diss). After War Charge and their era of bands evulsion and d ust were
the 2 that kept the interest alive going forward. All the while being obsessed with Broken Oath who I’m finally getting to see at n est ne t week. Historically Glasgow leans heavy on the metallic side, which is shown with most of the bands mentioned so this definitely shaped a lot of what we’re playing currently.
hat did the way to your first and look like? Did you have any musical training, or did you do it the “punk” way? What was the moment that made you realize that this whole Hardcore thing might be something that you would want to truly be involved in – as in more than the average concert-goer?
I learned guitar through high school and I got guitar lessons for a couple years when I was young but I never really stuck at it or put much effort in. Anything other than learning ra y rain was basi cally self taught but it’s served me well until now. he first band was made up of the few guys from my high school who liked punk. I wanted to have it sound like error but it ended up being too much of a mash up of clashing styles from all members, which I guess is supposed to happen first time round. It took a while for it to really stick that I wanted to do band stuff but eventually getting to evolve and having our first show opening the Forced Order Glasgow date in 2015 was really the first breakthrough or me. etting to know Ross who put that show on in the years since has been awesome and I’m always gonna be thankful to him for putting us on.
Let’s head over to present times! Tell us a bit about your label Northern Unrest. How did it start, who is involved? Which bands are you currently working with and which releases are you planning (if you can disclose that)?
Northern Unrest started as a means to release Glasgow bands and put on shows for the hardcore community that existed at the time. Since then its grown a fair amount and I’d like to think the current scene in Glasgow represents that. Northern Unrest is run by myself, Ben from Despize/Demonstration of Power and Andy from Despize who umps in or backup and opin ions. We’re busier than ever at the moment on the band front but having the two of them to run the label with helps us spread the load a bit. Ben is truly the mastermind behind most of our recent output we all do our bit. In terms of releases, today (as I’m writing this) we ust dropped the new othin but nemies which rips . ot hin’ else to disclose on that front.
You’ve also started a new hardcore festival which is now about to have its second iteration called Northern Unfest! Who’s involved in it besides yourself? What were your over all experiences with the first edition
here hasn t been an e clusively hardcore fest on that scale in Glasgow ever so to have the support of people from all over, including the bands for being up for coming out, was amazing.
As with the label its Ben and Andy that I’m running the fest with but we’re getting a lot of help from other members of the 4 NU staple bands. Just the same formula as last year. he first edition ran unbelievably smoothly and its something that I know we’re all super proud of to have pulled off.
What bands are you currently involved in and what is your level of involvement in each? What are your personal usical influences when writing music? How do you manage to juggle all of these responsibilities next to your label and your fest?
urrently m ust playing bass in Despize and singing for DoP. For Despize I’m less up involved in the writing process other than saying eah that sounds like Everybody Gets Hurt” or “No that doesn’t sound like Everybody Gets Hurt” but being a part of the label means I’m involved in the other side of things. Basically anything that involves the music post-writing I’ll have a little hand in but everyone pulls their weight in this area. Demonstration of Power I have a little more input from a musical standpoint as well as everything after. I’m not a good enough guitarist to contribute too many riffs but I work with the other guys to realise ideas and all that. Style wise both bands I feel are pretty on the nose with our in u ences, with Despize leaning on the ive fingers o death including Everybody Gets Hurt and Billy Club Sandwich whereas DoP is lifting from Osaka style metallic hardcore like Dyingrace and DeadReforce. Juggling of the 2 is getting hard but its always fun.
How would you describe touring in the US in general? What were some crazy/fun/memorable experiences?
ouring the tates has been dope every time I’ve been but it can be pretty ull on. he espi e tour with ear o the ni e ruelty ain o ruth and hackled was awesome. We ended up playing ten shows while we were there and met a lot of amazing people which honestly is always my favourite part about touring. It was pretty wild on that tour when a couple pulled a gun in the parking lot of the show in North Carolina.
he show was in a nooker hall so it was full of random people who were ust drinking at the bar a guy got too close and ended up getting hit, freaked out and went straight out to get his gun. Last time I was there to tour was when filled in or Mourning in the north east which again mostly en oyed hanging out with friends and seeing bands that I don’t get to see all too often.
In contrast to the US tour, what and how were your experiences in Asia? How would you compare these tours?
Asia was the best time ever. Obviously I was on a high from getting engaged but as a tour it was unbelievable. Getting to see how hardcore translates in so many different countries was crazy and I saw some of the best dancers I’ve ever seen. Met so many dope people that love hardcore as much as anyone I know back home which was sick, they also don’t get to see as many touring bands so it felt like they made the effort to come out in force. We even played a show on the first day o amadan in alaysia and the kids that showed up were moshing so hard despite fasting. We also lucked out on the bands we got to see, playing with Numb and ruelty in okyo then and in saka was crazy. Shout out to Fight It Out, Dominate, Dozeone, Press On head he en ommandments Unholy11, Superstructure, Destiny, Fuse, xDetesterx and Whispers. he whole tour was a highlight and m ust glad we managed to make it work. Shout out Juri and Asa.
Thank you for giving us all these insights Shaun! To round this up, a little Q & A, for the fun of it! What is your favorite piece of merch that you own?
Well, currently I’m rinsing the Streets of Hate crewneck and hoodie that got at and their ew ork showcase respective ly. OG stuff right now I’d say my Deformity “Murder Within Sin” tee.
Your top 3 hardcore albums of all time?
Impossible question but off the top of my head and in no order: ickback orever War No Warning- Ill Blood orilla iscuits tart oday
Your top 3 non-hardcore related albums of all time?
Again, this is probably not really accurate and ust o the top: Choking Victim-No Gods, No Managers Boards of Canada- Geogaddi Choir Boy- Gathering Swans
Thank you so much for giving us your time Shaun – the last words are yours!
hanks or having an interest in Glasgow hardcore. Stay doing hardcore shit, keep in touch with your riends and en oy the e periences you have together.
Hey! Hardcore punk is not dead, not even in Europe. There is a young generation that is really up for it and has the motivation needed to give this subculture a new lease of life. Thisis also the case in Switzerland. New bands, lots of shows and peoplebehind them who are getting things moving. We would like to give one of these people the opportunity to say what is on the minds of todays young generation. Listen up! After all, we were all young and fullof drive once.
Hi Franz! It‘s great that you‘ve agreed to answer our questions. lease introduce yourself riefly and if you feel co forta le also with your pronouns. Where do we possibly know you from?
I‘m Franz, all pronouns, I make music in various bands that all sound something like punk and hardcore. Maybe you‘ve heard of Lifecrusher and Divine Sentence, which I‘m in!
How are you doing at the moment? Is it a good time for you right now?
I‘m doing well! I have a lot to do, both work-wise and musically.
My bands have a few releases and tours planned for 2024. It‘s often quite a lot of stress and work, but in the end there‘s nothing that fulfills me more.
Which bands in 2023 particularly caught your attention? Which bands fro the last five years can t you forget?
If we‘re talking about newly formed bands, then I have to give a big shout-out to the German band Phase. I‘ve had the demo on continuous loop for weeks. I‘ve also been listening to a lot of High Vis and Seed of Pain in 2023, even though these bands haven‘t released any new albums this year.
hich ands have influenced you the most in your life? Did these bands contribute to you starting to make music or did other events bring about this decision?
he first band that comes to mind is Green Day. When I was 13 years old, my drum teacher at the time burned a CD of them and gave it to me as a present, which was my entry into this punk thing,
so to speak. Later, bands that inuenced my view o li e and the world are for example Lagwagon, Rotting Out and Have Heart. I was already playing drums before I had ever heard of these bands and only started playing guitar a few years later and independently. The joy of making music was passed on to me at home, where there was always a lot of music and singing. I was in a children‘s choir and played the accordion for a few years, but I wasn‘t fully enthusiastic about these styles of music. It wasn‘t until I sat on a drum kit or the first time that I felt at home on an instrument.
re there still sins of your youth ands you played in before Lifecrsuher and Divide Sentence? What kind of music was that?
There were two bands I played in as a teenager. But neither of them ever made it onto a stage. y first real band was iscom ort of Existence, which still exists today! There are two of us and we play powerviolence, which is even faster and more intense hardcore with songs that sometimes only last a few seconds. We once entered
a band competition with this band for fun and actually made it from the uali ying round to the final. he and st final is still the biggest show I‘ve ever played and the coolest thing I‘ve ever done.
Do you have a cool or funny pit story that you have experienced and would like to share with us?
When was and had finished my apprenticeship, I used the money I had saved to go to California for 6 months to perfect my English. But mainly I just wanted to have the opportunity to go to shows in LA. One of those shows was Sound and Fury 2016. Funnily enough, I didn‘t have a ticket for it, or rather someone spammed me, but when I explained the situation to the festival staff, I was let in anyway. There I saw Downpresser, one of my favorite bands, who started the set with their intro. At the time, the Downpresser intro was something of a meme song on Twitter, and the pit was accordingly brutal. Towards the end of the song, someone was
knocked out right in front of me and didn‘t get up again. The band interrupted the set a ter the first song, the emergency paramedics were called, because it didn‘t look good for the person. After 20 minutes, “the kid that died” was wheeled out of the venue on a stretcher, and the Downpresser singer took the oor: his song goes out to that kid”. They played the intro again, the audience went crazy, and then their set was over.
What is the mood like in the Swiss hardcore scene? What topics are you currently most concerned about?
To be honest, it‘s been better. You get the feeling that hardly any new people have come along since me and my friends I play with in my bands. The shows are a lot less well attended than when I was playing my first hardcore shows. As with any local scene, members sometimes have stress and personal problems with each other, which makes certain things unnecessary, tedious or even impossible.
But since last year, we‘ve been working hard to make the scene more open and pleasant again, especially in Zurich.
How do you personally feel about the European hardcore subculture at the moment? How do you experience the way the scene deals with harass ent discrimination and violence?
On the whole, I think the European hardcore scene is a pleasant and safe place and I think a lot has happened in the last decade to make women, queers, people of color and other minorities feel more comfortable here. But there are always rotten eggs, people who are gatekeeping or even verbal and physical abuse others to make the scene more homogenous and less open-minded. I think more efforts could be made in many places to counteract these in uences. s a person who is often on stage, but also helps organize shows, I see it as my responsibility to address and eliminate such bullshit, and I think we usually succeed. But there is still room for improvement.
(Queer) feminism and the demand for diversity seem to be slowly gaining ground in hardcore. How have you perceived this so far? In your opinion what topics should the European hardcore subculture be made more aware of so that everyone can feel comfortable regardless of their identity?
In my opinion, most young hardcore kids these days are quite sensitized to queerfeminist points of view. It‘s often different for older people and people who tend to be outside or on the fringes of the scene. In general, we are currently experiencing an overreaction to topics that have become more acceptable in recent years, such as veganism and trans rights. Some of the social progress that has been
made in these years is being reversed, and unfortunately this development can also be observed in the scene, even if it is not quite as pronounced.
What do you think about the concepts of solidarity and allyship especially in the hardcore scene? What does that look like in practice?
I think it‘s super important that bands and organizers make it crystal clear that no discrimination and no assaults are tolerated in the scene. And I don‘t just mean lip service and the good old Nazisare-shit stage speech. If you notice something, then you should also say something and, if necessary, confront the person who has committed such an assault. Putting words into action, is what keeps the scene clean, in a positive sense.
Do you already have plans for the next few years? Music only or do you have more in mind?
I actually wanted to start studying this year, but at the moment it looks like the second half of the year will be so packed with shows and recordings that I won‘t have any time to study. So that‘s on hold for the time being. Fortunately, my employer is very e ible and allows me to take time off at relatively short notice for band stuff, so I‘m going to stay where I am for now.
Thank you for answering a few questions for us. We wish you good mental and physical health and every success with all your plans. The last words are yours hout outs i portant words for all readers and anything else you want to say.
Listen to the Deconvolution LP, go to shows, start bands, organize, make yers photos and videos nd above all: go vegan
WRITTEN BY JULIUS K.
PROBABLY ONE OF GERMANYS MOST PROMISING YET MOST UNDERRATED HEAVY HM2 RIFF AND BLAST MACHINES.
It‘s all about the heavy riffs, the blasts and the pure hatred in the vocals. Makhaira from Frankfurt, Germany is a true master of this style, even tho they still kinda fly under the radar. Thank ya’ll for taking your time and getting us some insights of your band, yourself and what we can expect in the future! Really appreciate it brothers! So for everyone who doesn’t know you yet, could you please introduce yourself and your part in the band for the readers real quick?
Flo: Hi I‘m Flo I‘m the singer for Makhaira since 2021, I also write our lyrics and do most of our social media and management things. Before Makhaira I sang for “Carry The Dead“ and played Bass for the band “Rising Anger“.
Phil: My name is Phil and I’m the drummer for Makhaira since 2017. Before joining the band, I played drums in “Human Touch“ and “Done“.
Makhaira has been a band for a little while already. Since I’ve kinda been with you since the very first steps of the band in I see the immense effort and the huge steps you made through the years! What’s on your mind if you think back to the start of the band and did you expect it to become musically what it is now?
Phil: It’s incredible to reflect on the journey from those early rehearsals back in 2017, started with 4 lads, who were all already in different bands, to where the band
stands today. Back when we were just trying to create some sort of heavy unique music, based on the sound of all our favorite hardcore and metal bands. I don’t think any of us fully grasped the magnitude of what we were creating. Expectations? None of us probably expected that the band would sound exactly like this today in 2024 or that it would consist of exactly this constellation of band members. The musical influences change almost daily due to the consumption of new releases from other bands and shape everyone in the band to some extent. But that‘s exactly the cool thing about the hardcore scene and hardcore music, that it is so lively and varied and allows for a lot of changes and creativity.
But here‘s the thing: Makhaira had a life of its own. It clawed its way out of our collective subconscious, fueled by sweat, adrenaline, and the sheer hunger for expression. We didn‘t just make music; We bled it. And that raw energy – the way it consumed us – was new to all of us and shows in the sound we are trying to deliver as a band today.
Did I expect it? Not entirely. But I hoped for it. I hoped that our riffs would resonate in the chests of our listeners, that our lyrics would echo in their minds. So when I think back to those early days, I am full of gratitude. Grateful for the nightly rides home from a show, the blisters on the hands and the friendship that has developed over the years. Thankful for the fans who shout along to our lyrics at shows, as if they were exorcising their own demons and being part of the band.
You released your first EP “FORCED TO EXIST” back in 2021. The songs where already finished and set up a little before but covid put a big break on your touring plans the release and on Hardcore in general I’d say. How did that effect you guys, did you overthink the already finished songs or was it a sure thing to definitely release them. How did you personally get back into life, “after” Covid and all the restrictions where lowered?
Phil: The echoes of those early rehearsals still reverberate in my mind—the time, the sweat and the promise of something raw and unyielding. Our first EP, “FORCED TO EXIST,” was ready to be released and played live, but then… COVID-19, crushed our plans like a bulldozer. Suddenly, the world hit pause, and our dreams of touring our first weekender with Salvation, of unleashing our music on live stages in Kassel and Leipzig in March 2020, were suspended. It felt like a mosh pit frozen mid-chaos.
Did we overthink the songs? Due to the fact that our first EP was sung by Chris (Ablaze), after Flo joined the band as a new vocalist, we wondered if it still made sense to release the EP after the time that had passed and of course against the background that the record was sung by another singer. So, despite the uncertainty, we decided to unleash them. We knew that even if the world was on pause, our songs weren’t. The EP was our way to say hello again to the scene.
Personally, I was glad that we as a band didn‘t break up due to the pandemic and were allowed to rehearse again after a certain time without it being forbidden. We‘ve been thinking a lot about what it‘s going to be like to have shows happening and whether it‘s going to be like it was before the pandemic. With the change of the singer we also got a new push and wanted to present the work that went into the songs to the scene and also play live as soon as this was possible. “FORCED TO EXIST”
became more than an EP; it was our way to channel the frustration during the pandemic, the longing, and the sheer joy of being back.
Flo: I don‘t have much to do with our first EP. We only rerecorded one song for YouTube after I joined the band. Covid itself has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. Being able to join the band was definitely a bright spot for me shortly after the pandemic. It was also nice not to feel like criminals when rehearsing with the band and that we could finally go to concerts again and meet up with our friends normally.
Luckily, I was able to keep my job throughout the pandemic, even though I wasn‘t able to work much because i work in aviation and I‘m still trying to make up for the financial hole today. But at least I had the opportunity to process all the shit that‘s in my head into our lyrics and to let everything out at our liveshows.
The band and the music itself is a true banger. The passion ya’ll put into this is surely recognizable. Everyone in your band has a lot of experience from previous projects – and probably also through work (regarding Emils Job with his own music studio ). Would you say that this makes things more easy – for example in case of writing new songs and recording – or is it probably a thing that makes shit even more difficult since everyone wants stuff to be absolutely perfect?
Flo: Thank you so much! The fact that Emil has his own studio obviously makes the entire recording process easier for us. He usually writes the whole songs and we rehearse them together to see how well they work and everyone gives the whole thing a little touchup. But yes, perfection is the keyword, we all want the songs to be as perfect as possible. Sometimes this
releasing is the title track of the EP and it comes out with a video we filmed with our friend Leif Niemczik. We are also very happy to have a feature from Candice from the Band „Crave Death“ on our Song „Eternal Void“. All in all it‘s rough, metallic, and a bit doomy, can‘t wait till the EP is finally released and you all can hear what we‘ve been cooking over the past years.
also causes various differences because everyone would like to hear themselves the loudest, but Emil is an absolute professional when it comes to mixing and mastering and gets the best out of it for everyone. So you could kinda say he is the main-brain of Makhaira even tho everyone brings in their own ideas and influences in some kind of way.
Secret sources told me, that you’ll be releasing new songs and records pretty soon this year – I guess again through the homies in Death Farm Records. Could you give us a little sneak into what we can expect?
Flo: We will be releasing a 5 track EP called „The Gallows“ this summer. Physically, the whole thing is done again via Deathfarm Records. There will be a limited edition of tapes and merch for the release.The first track we‘re
Phil: Dinner will be served soon and I can only agree with Flo. I‘m glad that we can build on our first EP and even though it might take us longer to finish new music, I think it‘s going to be a bit harder than the previous EP. Good things take time. I would like to say a big thank you to Jason from Death Farm Records. He has supported us over the last few years with his label and made it possible for us to bring our music to the people. Do yourself a favor and check out Death Farm Records and support DIY label.
A few more personal questions to get a better view on what keeps you guys doing what you love to do. What‘s your personal favorite band/s, that you’d say has the main influences on what the sound, the appearance and overall vibe of the band characterizes. I mean, you for sure work on a unique sound and style to set it off from other heavy, metallic hardcore bands – but we all got main influences and bands that we admire!
Flo: I think i speak for all of us when i mention: „Entombed“ as the main influence for our sound. Also need to mention “Nails” and “END” soundwise. I personally listen to a lot of Death- and Black Metal where i take most of my vocal-influences from. But I can‘t decide on a band that I would mention as a personal influence, there are so much good influential bands out there.
For example I currently have Bell Witch, Thou and Dödsrit in my heavy-rotation. The New Album from Dödsrit is an absolute Masterpiece.
Flo: Our first show with Paleface and Lionheart was very special to me. I mean every „first show“ is something special, but it was also the first time my daughter saw me live on stage, so I was a bit more nervous than usual.
Phil: For me, it‘s always very difficult to name the biggest influences on my taste in music right away. For me personally and the biggest influence on the drumming in the band, I would say that Harm‘s Way, Nails and END have the biggest share. Especially in the process of creating the new record, bands like Frozen Soul and Death Metal in general have a big influence.
A bit more show and future-plan related. What was the favorite show so far you played or attended. Is there some kinda goal you keep in mind? Any fest or show you definetly want to play with the band one day?
Phil: A special show was actually our first live show with Makhaira together with Lionheart and Paleface. Playing with two big bands on one big stage was really nice. One of the most special shows I‘ve been to was in California. Bodybag and Frostbite played there and the evening was unforgettable. Be sure to check out DESMADRE. Here, Carlos from Frostbite sings. One of the most fun events was the Return to Strengh Festival 2023. We would love to play here again in the future. Of course, it would be nice to be able to play a small tour in the near future and maybe one day to be able to play at a big festival like Full Force. I think that every band dreams of playing a big festival at some point, no matter how old you are!
Favorite Show i attended: I have to choose two here. No. 1 was Turnstile at Groezrock 2015, that was absolutely insane. Look it up on Youtube. And No.2 was Amenra 2023 at Schlachthof Wiesbaden, saw them for the first time and their stage presence and show totally blew me away. Go see them if you have the chance! A Goal would be to have a Tour with Makhaira one day, but we are all so busy that it‘s hard to manage for us. Maybe someday. Fest or Show i def want to play: I don‘t care, give us everything! Oh and hey Hellfest if you read this please book us!
The hardcore scene is always evolving and changing. Like every scene. Specially after covid it seems that a lot of new, young people found their way into the scene – which is a great thing in general to keep it alive and growing. Many new bands popped up, many motivated young people set up shows and put in work. A few things def. changed to “how it used to be” regarding streaming, promotion, etiquettes, social media and so on. How do you personally feel about this?
Flo: After the pandemic, it actually took a while for things to get going again. But I have the feeling that the hardcore scene in particular has quickly recovered from the forced break. It‘s nice to see how the scene is constantly developing and so many new faces are finding their way to it. Whether in bands, as a booker or just because you love the music, the scene consistently delivers. The only thing that has changed noticeably for me is that you have to be much more present online and on social media than before in order to get noticed and get into shows. There are just a hell of a lot of good bands out there that go completely under the radar because they don‘t know how to deal with social media. Therefore it‘s absolutely important that we have people like Manon from Haywire (@keepitmoving.mp4) or Tower (@tower_photography) in our scene that keep supporting known and unknown bands at shows and after that online with their content on instagram and youtube. Also shoutout at this point to you guys for supporting the scene with this print.
Phil: Of course, the pandemic has not only affected my own band, but the whole scene, many livelihoods, many jobs, etc. I am all the more pleased that the scene has recovered well and many new motivated people have found their way into the scene. The hardcore scene thrives on the fact that everyone can do their part, whether with bands, zines or shows, and it is only more than right to support the next generation, no matter how it is. Flo has already mentioned some people who were very active in the scene, still are and are new. No matter in what form, support these people, who usually put a lot of time and energy into their projects like you guys from the BTL - Fanzine do it!
Little quick Q & A to get to know y’all a little more aside from the music:
1: Beer or Coke (drink related haha)
2: Pizza or Burger?
3: Moshing or just chillin and watching the show?
4: Irate or Cold as Life?
5: 2 Week tour overseas or local weekender with homies only?
Flo:
1: Coke Zero for me
2: Vegan Burgers
3: I‘m old and the backpain is real, so i prefer to watch
4: Irate, because it‘s no mall metal
Phil:
1: Vanilla coke Zero all the time
2: Pizza for the rest of my life
3: Since I’m a teacher for sports, I can’t afford it to get injured and prefer it to chill at shows and watch the bands.
4: Irate because it’s going to be the national anthem of the US right?
5: 2 Week tour overseas combined with the homies
Thanks again for taking the time to answer all these questions and giving us a better view on the band, your music, plans and personalities over all! Appreciate it a lot! You know the deal – the last words are for sure yours!
Flo: Thank you for allowing us to be part of this project. Thanks to everyone who was and will be at one of our shows, listened to one of our songs or even bought a tape or a shirt. Your support is absolutely appreciated. Also thanks to everyone who reads this. Keep supporting your local bands and scenes.
Phil: Thank you very much for allowing us to be part of this awesome project and for taking the time for us as a small band. Keep up the good work and thank you to all the people who have supported us since the beginning of the band and will support us. We are looking forward to what is to come.
5: 2 Week tour overseas with the
Hello Jens, thank you very much for taking the time. Can you tell us soethin a out yourself first
Hi, my name is Jens Schnettler. I‘ve been tattooing for 18 years. Stylistically, my focus is on traditional Japanese tattooing. I‘ve been with my wife for 24 years and we have two teenage daughters. I started playing music as a bass player in my first punk band when was 14. After that, I played guitar in a few hardcore bands for years. Especially with Bobby Peru, we toured all over Germany and played with bigger acts. These included bands like onverge otch rade and Kill Holiday. I currently play guitar in Prison of Hope.
You are a tattoo artist, how did you et into this o is it your drea o
The impetus to become a tattoo artist actually came from the tattoo artist ndreas oenen who I‘ve been friends with for a long time and who did my first tattoos. e liked my oil paint ings at the time and asked me i could also imagine doing tattoos.
I then started to study tattoo history and the visual language of Japanese tattoos and to create designs. After about a year and a half, I ended up at hecker emon attoo with my material and was lucky that uke liked my work straight away and was looking or rein orcements or the hecker emon team at the time. So I was able to start a classic apprenticeship there and stayed or years. ream ob efinitely ooking back it was the logical consequence of the aesthetics o my musical background and the desire to be able to pursue my artistic and creative inclinations in a somewhat self-determined way.
What connection do hardcore and tattoos have for you
For me, they have been inextricably linked since my earliest youth. When I went to a hardcore/ punk show as a teenager most o the bands and many of the older visitors had tattoos. At that time, it was a real statement to be tattooed on your orearm and to mark yourself as part of a subculture that wanted to set itself apart from
the mainstream. onversely this meant that this marking caused negative reactions or consequences outside the subculture. This uncompromising display o a filiation with this scene which was re ected aesthetically and in terms of content in the wider perception, made a big impression on me. Although the scene is now much more open and tattoos have become part of everyday life, they are still an important part of this music.
hat were your first points of contact with hardcore
came to hardcore via punk. got into it with English and German punk bands like he amned u cocks lime ote osen, etc. When I was 13 I heard ead ennedys or the first time and from there I got into Amrican hardcore punk bands like lack lag ad rains ... hese bands shaped my political attitude. From there I came across the first bands like outh o oday and hain o trength. hey added new aspects for me, such as animal rights and the renunciation of drugs. Through New Age Re-
cords with nbroken utspoken Mouthpiece etc., I had found the oly rail so to speak. t brought together everything that was important to me: the attitude to life, the aesthetics, the political attitudes, the practical ways of doing things and, of course, the music that changed everything.
What differences/similarities do you see between today‘s hardcore and the past
In the past, I felt that there were several hardcore bubbles that didn‘t
necessarily overlap. That now seems more resolved to me. For me, the significantly higher proportion o women at shows nowadays is definitely a positive aspect, although unfortunately we are still a long way from being able to speak o a scene that is not dominated by men. In terms of content, almost all the topics from back then are still relevant and have become even more urgent. Environmental destruction, social grievances, criticism of capitalism, animal suffering, women‘s rights, racism, etc. are now also ma or issues outside the scene ust look at the vegan alternatives available in supermarkets these days but they are still ar from being resolved.
ou play uitar in rison of ope how did the band come about and how did the na e co e a out
Around the beginning of 2022, Jogges (drums) approached me and asked i would like to play guitar in a new band pro ect. agen voc and eiko git were already there. s was also looking or a band again at the time it was ust the right thing to do. We then asked Felix to play bass. Since it was clear that we wanted to play hardcore in the style of the 90s, we agreed on the band hokehold as the common denominator for our musical direction. bviously we then came up with the name Prison of Hope. Towards the fall of last year, Jogges left the band for personal reasons. After an unsuccessful search for a new drummer agen took over the part in rehearsals which worked so well that we became open to the idea o new vocals. s annika had already sung as a guest at two shows, she was an obvious choice for us. Fortunately, she was up for it.
ou played a show with error how was that and which bands would you ost like to play a show with
Besides the many great, new, young bands, it‘s of course great to get the chance to play with legends that are still relevant today. If I had the chance to play with nbroken I could retire a happy person musically a terwards. aha
Which band can you warmly recomend
At the moment I‘m listening to Faith In Vain by Rough Justice up and down.
Which tattoo artist can you recomend to us apart fro your collea ues fro old as ove attoo
It‘s actually impossible and unair to pick out individual names and not make a page long list here. If I had to name a few, there would be mme hme and ndreas oenen, without whom I might not even be in this profession.
hat else can we e pect fro you and rison of ope
s rison o ope we are looking orward to playing our first show with annika as ront woman on ay 22nd as support for Ancst at Juha West. This year is the tenth anniversary o old as ove attoo. ve been a part o this team or five years and couldn‘t imagine a better place with better people.
It’s been 5 years already since me and my girlfriend first visited Thailand back in 2019, doing mostly all the classic tourist shit and trying to get as much input as possible from the culture, the land itself and for sure the food. What I didn’t expect to happen during that time, was getting the first connections and insights into the Thailand hardcore scene. Since then, the country, the people and the true friendships
WRITTENBY JULIUS K.
that were made, are the reason why Thailand will always have a very special place in my heart and life.
When you first leave the airport, the humidity, the noise from traffic and the insane amount of people on the streets will hit you like a kick to the face in some heavyweight pit. It’s insane. In 2019, when we randomly looked up #hardcore #punk and all that basic
shit on social media in the second city we stayed in (Chiang Mai), we noticed many postings from one special guy. It was Nuea or better known in the local scene as “Mr. North”. Through Instagram we had a quick chat and decided to meet up. That’s where it actually all started. The next morning, we visited him at his little streetwear, vintage, DIY and lifestyle shop “DEN SOUVENIR”. It’ a nice little shop packed
with art, streetwear, bootlegs and graffiti stuff. For lunch he took us to one of the most OG food spots in Chiang Mai where they serve the legendary northern dish “Khao Soi”. Probably the best dish I ever atehands down. Served by some old ass dude, that cooks in an almost garage looking spot, where you eat next to chickens that run between your feet. Later that day, he took us to a local punk show introdu-
cing us to the other locals. Punks with spiky heads and hardcore kids were pulling up to the location –ready to get off to the bands that where playing that night. It was all about havin’ fun and soaking up the different vibes of the scene.
This whole thing actually set up the idea of taking a deep dive into the Thailand hardcore scene, which should be on every bands touring
list from now on. To make it short at this point: If you’re still sleeping on the bands, the people, and the Thai hardcore scene in general –you fucked up big time homie. You truly missing out. This time, the trip to Thailand should be focused more on all the real local stuff, meeting again old faces, getting to know new people – built friendships and taking Thai hardcore to the world.
lready weeks be ore the trip was te ting with the homies out there to make sure we gonna find some time to hangout and bring every one together. t this point we want to introduce to ya ll the man the myth the legend himsel ap.
utpongtorn ap the guy with the thick black moustache and the small green hai nhaler always ready in his pocket is the person that runs angkok hardcore with his label olding n ecords .
he label eatures many o the local bands and is responsible or booking most o the shows in the area. o say the least he and his team are the ones that put on the legendary udgement ight which was the first local show that got more then people showing up and where t phen rom ick back eatured Whispers on stage. ust now they set up together with riends rom ingapore the oncrete ungle with actual uckin ickback playing.
mean wt Whole urope tried to get ickback playing shows and boom the connection ust pulling it o
ust arrived in angkok we liter ally inhaled the first ew hang beers and some bomb ad hai. he ne t day talked to ap and he invited us to his store called hubby oys intage ee he store is located at a night market a little bit outside the center o angkok where we wanted to meet up with him the Whispers guys and a whole lotta other lo cals that are working on all kinda di erent hardcore related stu . t s unny that most o the guys actually have shops at this night market in the same uckin street like 5m apart rom each other.
ter a 5 minute ride through the insane tra fic o angkok we ar rived at the night market and it straight up elt like meeting amily. he guys welcomed us with a smile on their aces cold beers and some hardcore classics blasting through a little ukebo in the middle o the small street. esides ap there was also the whole Whispers s uad and some new aces that haven t met be ore. We got out a ew chairs bought some more beer and snacks rom the ood court around the corner. eady to ust let the night ow and finally kick it o
We started talking about how we all got into the whole hardcore thing and what made us all in love with that kinda music. ap e plained to me that he got drag ged into heavy music in the early 2 s through some classic u etal eathmetal. What really catched him was his first hard core show and the whole vibe o it with people moshing stage diving and doing sing alongs. guess the things that most o us attracted us right rom the start: he pure energy o a hardcore show
ike the vocalist o Whispers umped in. great guy that is so full of energy and ready to get shit done definitely a real one. e told me that he got into the music at the pretty young age o not even through listening to classic rock and metal rom borro wed s. What truly kicked it o or him back in the days was some live ootage o lipknot. elt that. I remember myself coming from riding my skateboard the whole day long listening to punk stu like ancid to being impres sed by the violence and the power o lipknot atebreed and all the classics o heavy music. ike later admitted he was stuck in hai mo music way too long be ore he finally made the ump the nowa days classic hardcore bands haha.
le Whispers always smiling ri lord had a similar way into it. robably also something we all can re er to. e said he remem bers a riend o him showing him a inkin ark video at an inter net ca leading into scrolling through all the old websites checking out classics like s ay ying and so on. t some point he even tried to sing like all the metal vocalists in ront o the class room. hat day a classmate went up to him and invited him to a local angkok underground show telling him that at those shows the same things happen as he saw on . his was les start into the hard core scene. ooked on the violence unity and energy o the bands.
ew more beers later some more riends o the guys oined our talks and while they were getting the ne t round o snacks or everyo
ne we started talking about the obvious their bands ap who not only runs the label currently started a new band called e re that ust dropped their first in the end o 2 2 . serious 2 ri beast that besides him doing vocals also eatures a ew members o Whispers
With ike and le we or sure had to talk about Whispers their in u ences and what incredible impact their first arok on in had in the uropean scene and the other way also or the hai cene.
ike told me that his own vocal style and also the lyrics are or sure deeply inspired by ickbacks legend t phen essac. e men tioned that erauder and many bands rom the ardcore and s s had a huge in uence on him too. le agreed with that and added that or themselves the
most important thing is to find a mi between s metal hardcore without lackin on an uni ue style that everyone in the band brings into it. nd d say this is or sure noticeable the sound o Whispers and their live per ormances re ect their dedication and passion .
he whole evening elt incre dible familiar and coming from talking about bands and stu we shared memories about touring and the un or cra y stu that happens on the road. t s the same things or everyone that makes these tra vels so special: t s about e ploring different countries, cultures and making new riends all through the same language. ardcore music. asically also the reason why we are all sitting here in the middle o a small street on a angkok night market. i e is uckin wild.
ne o the most iconic shows the guys played so ar was the one right on the walking street o iam uare. t s a amous shop ping area right in the heart o angkok with a whole lotta lu u ry shops and shit where they pulled up and ust started a show right in ront o the shops. he whole event appeared in one o angkok s most amous morning shows and was titled with eople shocked hundred men ought each other to heavy metal music .
egendary shit orreal. or the guys also apan and the looda e est has been one o the greatest e peri ence so ar but they re already super e cited to be playing in the and at cottlands hardest orthern n est early this year. irst time playing outside . huge step that is more than well deserved
While we were sharing all these stories about shows and tours wanted to know how or i the gov ernment at all reacts to hardcore
shows. ince hardcore was always pretty much against the rules against the mainstream and the odds imagined that here under a monarchy might be some kinda scepsis towards the scene. ap told me that this is not the case. ardcore is still pretty much un der the radar and the government in both ways ust doesn t give a uck. Whether they are against it or make it unnecessary di ficult to put up a show but they also don t sup port the work or the community.
t this point wanted to talk with the guys a little bit more about their scene here. or many peo ple the sian scene e cept maybe the apanese sadly hasn t been on everyone s radar too much. he last years changed that incredibly with a whole lotta bands recogni ing the immense energy the scene here has. he hard work o people like ap and his team and releases like arok on in rom Whis pers hitting the spot with a style that has been missing or a long time put hailand on the map. ap who is basically here right rom the start has seen the scene making big steps in the last 5 years with a lot o
new younger people entering and getting interested. phenomena that is also happening here rn.
thing that is probably a little di erent is how shows are set up. ook ers mi the type o music playing. or e ample: shows here urope are mostly set up in di erent types like hardcore only metal only beatdown and so on n hailand they sometimes ust throw in all kinds o bands and the people are down or it hey are ready to e pe rience something new that prob ably wasn t on their avorite list already that s why the community itsel is so connected and strong.
veryone is there or the party or the heavy music and it seems like there is no genre specific shittalk. While opening up some more beers and having a look through all the badass vintage band and wrestling shirts ap and the guys got in their stores wanted to know how that whole uma hailand Whispers thing happened. le and ike told me that a riend o them uper marketclub.co came up with the idea and introduced the band to uma. he brand supported them with several pairs o uedes and more whilst telling their story and history in underground cultures like the hardcore scene. Win win
rinking and talking gets every one hungry and since hailand is known or the insane amount o great street ood ust had to ask the guys what their avorite dish is. le was laughing and ust replied ad a rao you can ask every one about my ad a rao . lso ike was laughing since he knew we kinda have a similar avorite: or him it s stir ried pork or crispy pork with holy basil a whole lot o chilis and a ried egg on top. What should say.. this is the god version o ood. verything you throw in the wok with chilis and
holy basil gets insanely good. o i you re in hailand once remem ber this and definitely don t miss out on the street ood culture. ou won t regret it. hat s a promise
t s about 2 am in the morning and the first shops at the market be gan to close. Work shi ts in hai land are so di erent to the ones we know. uring the day basic o fice work co eeshops and small ood spots are open but the real li e starts around 5 pm. hat s when the markets open the people roam the streets and the smell o all the
little street ood courts is in the air. love that and miss that. ain was coming up and we ust moved all our stu onto a couch in ront o aps store. or a ew minutes we ust sat there smoked one and smelled those small green hai inhaler cups everyone here carries with them all the time. orreal this is an absolute and tip or y all. o to eleven and buy one o the herbal inhalers to unclog your nose rom all the tra fic smog the thick moist air and get an e tra kick that s gonna keep you awake... rought like o them back home.
We ust opened the last ew beers. ost o the shops ust closed and we were almost the last ones at the market. t s been some hours with the guys already but it straight up elt like it s been a minute. he whole team the dumb shit talk in between and all the laughs we had where one o the best times had. veryone was getting ready to drive home somehow.
he wild thing is a driving licen se in hailand only re uires 2 days ap told me. ne or the theory one or actual driving. you think about the cra y tra fic inside ang kok and hailand in general it s hard to believe that there aren t thousands o crashes each day.
ew o the guys hopped on their scooters or the way we um ped into aps car blasting some atecreeper on nearly empty roads and en oyed the night drive through angkok home. per ect ending or a per ect night with people that now call amily and riends. We ll be back or sure.
written by hubert s.
