Scott Vogel - Terror (21/09/2013)
Terror is undeniably a forced to be reckoned with. They have been tearing up stages and touring the world for eleven years and currently have five records under their belt.
With an idea to keep hardcore ‘pure’ and ‘fun’ Terror show no signs of slowing down as they ready to tear Australia a new one with their appearance scheduled for Soundwave 2014.
Hey Scott, how has 2013 been treating you and Terror?
Everything’s been wonderful. I did experience a little back problem in April. We were on tour with Hatebreed and I slipped a disc in my back and we had to cancel the Lamb of God tour. And that was a pretty big opportunity for us to go on tour with them, and we had to cancel it! But you know, that’s life. There’s always other tours to do so other than that, life’s pretty fucking good!
Terror recently announced a tour with Counterparts, Power Trip and Code Orange Kids. It’s an obvious question but are you excited for this tour?
(laughs) Well, it’s a Canadian tour and it’s always a little a weird to get in to Canada so once we get over the border I’ll be very excited for it. It’s a nice time of the year, not to hot, not to cold. Those are three bands that I think are pretty cool musically. I don’t know the people in Counterparts but we’ve toured with Code Orange Kids a couple times and played shows with Powertrip and have just hung out with them before. So I think it’s a really cool line up and it’ll be really cool.
So let’s talk about Live by the Code. What kind of response did you get from the release and was it what you had hoped?
Yeah definitely! We put out Keepers of the Faith, the record before that and it got a lot of attention, it got good reviews and that nonsense. That was great but when it comes to put out a new record you’ve kind of set the bar really high for yourself. I’m not trying to play it up too much, it was just a good solid hardcore record with a good feel to it. So coming off that we had to do something just as good if not better.
And did you feel you achieved that?
Oh definitely! I mean one of the things was the layout. I think both records are very good, musically and lyrically equal. They’re not the same record but I think both are equally as fucking powerful and have a lot to say. I think in Keepers of the Faith we found ourselves. I mean we had an identity but on that record we really found it. So with this record we used the same formula, the same producer and we were very comfortable with ourselves and not really questioning what we were doing. Then we really pushed ourselves in the art department; the layout department as we wanted something really special in the layout. And I think that is something that really separated it from Keepers of the Faith and really pushed it to the next level. The whole layout and what it says and everything we put into that you know?
Definitely. So let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Soundwave! Just how excited are you to be coming back down under?
(laughs) We love coming to Australia and we’ve done Soundwave three times. But on our first time it was not the monster it is now. I think there were only two stages and it wasn’t as massive but it was still great. Terror can thrive on a massive stage or a tiny stage; we’re up to any challenge. But last time we came two years ago it was with H2O and they’re one of my favourite bands to tour with and we did the Sidewave shows with them. It was just perfect! We got treated great, the shows were great, and the weather was great, even got to go to the movies a few times. I think I even got acupuncture in Sydney which was good because on tour that doesn’t really happen!
What things do you intend to do on your down time over here?
Well what I like to do on my down time is: go for walks, go to the movies and maybe get a massage ‘cause I’m old, I’m like forty and I’ve been playing in a hardcore band, jumping around like a fucking retarded monkey for far too long! I also like to go shopping for some new shoes sometimes and there are some cool friends over there I’ll hang out with. My band is really into the beach; I used to not really be into the beach but they got me into it. I can do like two hours at the beach and they can do six hours at the beach.
So you’re a bit of a romantic?
(laughs) Yeah I guess so. I used to think the beach was all sweating in the dirt like, “Why would people want to sit in the sun and get dirty sand all over them?” But I’ve grown accustomed to it I guess.
Over the years Terror has been together, you guys have become pretty iconic in the hardcore scene. When you started out, is this where you saw yourself back then? Like did you think “in ten years, I’ll be doing this, this and this most likely?”
Honestly no. I was in like two or three semi-serious hardcore bands before Terror and all of them lasted about two years. I would never believe that this band would last eleven years and counting and tour the world over and over and go through all the highs and lows and stick together for it to become my career. I don’t want to call it a career but I live off the band. When we got together and played a show there was this energy; you could tell there was something powerful about the band. That was when Hatebreed were breaking through and playing Warped Tour, doing stuff a hardcore band would never do, that was like our opportunity to really go out there and do it. I didn’t think we’d last this long but I’m pretty fucking happy we did.
We’ll just finish up with some easy, shorter questions, Scott. Now, I know it might be like picking a favourite child but favourite Terror album?
I have to say the new one because of the layout, if it was for the songs though I’d probably say Keepers of the Faith. I also like Lowest of the Low too you know? I can think of all of them and remember good times and bad, good tours and whatnot. Our first record Lowest of the Lowest of the Low was great, we were free and didn’t have any expectations and that was like six-thousand shows ago and I had so much energy and every show was important. I can remember when it came out and on the way to a show if our van was breaking down I’d think that this was the end of the band and we were dead like “We cannot miss this show!” Now when it starts breaking down it’s like “Oh my God, do I get the day off? Is this really happening? Cool!” But I would have to say the last two records because of the line-up. I know the people in our band now are so grinded and so into it and the line-up is so real now and the records just came out great. I love Keepers of the Faith, but from the layout of the new record and everything it says and stands for; just everything about that makes it my favourite record.
Is there a band you haven’t played with that you one day wish too?
Well we’ve played shows with Agnostic Front but we’ve never toured with them and I’d really like to tour with them. Another group where there’s all this talk that we’re going to play shows with or tour with is Jedi Mind Tricks. Touring with Agnostic Front would be great. I mean they’re like the ground breakers, the forefathers, almost invented this shit but doing a tour with Jedi Mind Tricks would be like…I don’t like- do you listen to them at all, they’re like a hip-hop group?
Ah no, sorry, I’m not really into that thing.
They’re like this hip-hop group that has this angry energy and it’s really in your face and the main guy in the group is a friend of ours and we’ve done songs with him before and he comes from the hardcore scene so he knows what it’s about. He knows a lot about hardcore! And every time I see them play, when they get on stage I always look at the crowds and… it’s not hardcore kids but it’s very similar. I’m always like “Man I wish we could get up there and play to them and see what happens.” I really want to do that show and we’ll see if it becomes a reality.
Okay, quick last question, which do you prefer? Big open air festivals or club and basement shows.
I mean ill always give it to the smaller club shows. That’s what I grew up on, that energy can’t be topped. But I’m not this closed minded idiot that dobs out big stuff. If it is like a big festival and I look out and I see the barricade and I see the people and the layout, I want to conquer that. It’s all about the energy you give and you hope the crowd feels that and gives it back. I’m down with both but if I had to choose, put me in a tiny little sweatbox and let it go wild!
Alright, Scott. Thank you so much for your time and the best of wishes from everyone at the 59th Sound for the upcoming tour and Soundwave!
Matthew Sievers
With an idea to keep hardcore ‘pure’ and ‘fun’ Terror show no signs of slowing down as they ready to tear Australia a new one with their appearance scheduled for Soundwave 2014.
Hey Scott, how has 2013 been treating you and Terror?
Everything’s been wonderful. I did experience a little back problem in April. We were on tour with Hatebreed and I slipped a disc in my back and we had to cancel the Lamb of God tour. And that was a pretty big opportunity for us to go on tour with them, and we had to cancel it! But you know, that’s life. There’s always other tours to do so other than that, life’s pretty fucking good!
Terror recently announced a tour with Counterparts, Power Trip and Code Orange Kids. It’s an obvious question but are you excited for this tour?
(laughs) Well, it’s a Canadian tour and it’s always a little a weird to get in to Canada so once we get over the border I’ll be very excited for it. It’s a nice time of the year, not to hot, not to cold. Those are three bands that I think are pretty cool musically. I don’t know the people in Counterparts but we’ve toured with Code Orange Kids a couple times and played shows with Powertrip and have just hung out with them before. So I think it’s a really cool line up and it’ll be really cool.
So let’s talk about Live by the Code. What kind of response did you get from the release and was it what you had hoped?
Yeah definitely! We put out Keepers of the Faith, the record before that and it got a lot of attention, it got good reviews and that nonsense. That was great but when it comes to put out a new record you’ve kind of set the bar really high for yourself. I’m not trying to play it up too much, it was just a good solid hardcore record with a good feel to it. So coming off that we had to do something just as good if not better.
And did you feel you achieved that?
Oh definitely! I mean one of the things was the layout. I think both records are very good, musically and lyrically equal. They’re not the same record but I think both are equally as fucking powerful and have a lot to say. I think in Keepers of the Faith we found ourselves. I mean we had an identity but on that record we really found it. So with this record we used the same formula, the same producer and we were very comfortable with ourselves and not really questioning what we were doing. Then we really pushed ourselves in the art department; the layout department as we wanted something really special in the layout. And I think that is something that really separated it from Keepers of the Faith and really pushed it to the next level. The whole layout and what it says and everything we put into that you know?
Definitely. So let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Soundwave! Just how excited are you to be coming back down under?
(laughs) We love coming to Australia and we’ve done Soundwave three times. But on our first time it was not the monster it is now. I think there were only two stages and it wasn’t as massive but it was still great. Terror can thrive on a massive stage or a tiny stage; we’re up to any challenge. But last time we came two years ago it was with H2O and they’re one of my favourite bands to tour with and we did the Sidewave shows with them. It was just perfect! We got treated great, the shows were great, and the weather was great, even got to go to the movies a few times. I think I even got acupuncture in Sydney which was good because on tour that doesn’t really happen!
What things do you intend to do on your down time over here?
Well what I like to do on my down time is: go for walks, go to the movies and maybe get a massage ‘cause I’m old, I’m like forty and I’ve been playing in a hardcore band, jumping around like a fucking retarded monkey for far too long! I also like to go shopping for some new shoes sometimes and there are some cool friends over there I’ll hang out with. My band is really into the beach; I used to not really be into the beach but they got me into it. I can do like two hours at the beach and they can do six hours at the beach.
So you’re a bit of a romantic?
(laughs) Yeah I guess so. I used to think the beach was all sweating in the dirt like, “Why would people want to sit in the sun and get dirty sand all over them?” But I’ve grown accustomed to it I guess.
Over the years Terror has been together, you guys have become pretty iconic in the hardcore scene. When you started out, is this where you saw yourself back then? Like did you think “in ten years, I’ll be doing this, this and this most likely?”
Honestly no. I was in like two or three semi-serious hardcore bands before Terror and all of them lasted about two years. I would never believe that this band would last eleven years and counting and tour the world over and over and go through all the highs and lows and stick together for it to become my career. I don’t want to call it a career but I live off the band. When we got together and played a show there was this energy; you could tell there was something powerful about the band. That was when Hatebreed were breaking through and playing Warped Tour, doing stuff a hardcore band would never do, that was like our opportunity to really go out there and do it. I didn’t think we’d last this long but I’m pretty fucking happy we did.
We’ll just finish up with some easy, shorter questions, Scott. Now, I know it might be like picking a favourite child but favourite Terror album?
I have to say the new one because of the layout, if it was for the songs though I’d probably say Keepers of the Faith. I also like Lowest of the Low too you know? I can think of all of them and remember good times and bad, good tours and whatnot. Our first record Lowest of the Lowest of the Low was great, we were free and didn’t have any expectations and that was like six-thousand shows ago and I had so much energy and every show was important. I can remember when it came out and on the way to a show if our van was breaking down I’d think that this was the end of the band and we were dead like “We cannot miss this show!” Now when it starts breaking down it’s like “Oh my God, do I get the day off? Is this really happening? Cool!” But I would have to say the last two records because of the line-up. I know the people in our band now are so grinded and so into it and the line-up is so real now and the records just came out great. I love Keepers of the Faith, but from the layout of the new record and everything it says and stands for; just everything about that makes it my favourite record.
Is there a band you haven’t played with that you one day wish too?
Well we’ve played shows with Agnostic Front but we’ve never toured with them and I’d really like to tour with them. Another group where there’s all this talk that we’re going to play shows with or tour with is Jedi Mind Tricks. Touring with Agnostic Front would be great. I mean they’re like the ground breakers, the forefathers, almost invented this shit but doing a tour with Jedi Mind Tricks would be like…I don’t like- do you listen to them at all, they’re like a hip-hop group?
Ah no, sorry, I’m not really into that thing.
They’re like this hip-hop group that has this angry energy and it’s really in your face and the main guy in the group is a friend of ours and we’ve done songs with him before and he comes from the hardcore scene so he knows what it’s about. He knows a lot about hardcore! And every time I see them play, when they get on stage I always look at the crowds and… it’s not hardcore kids but it’s very similar. I’m always like “Man I wish we could get up there and play to them and see what happens.” I really want to do that show and we’ll see if it becomes a reality.
Okay, quick last question, which do you prefer? Big open air festivals or club and basement shows.
I mean ill always give it to the smaller club shows. That’s what I grew up on, that energy can’t be topped. But I’m not this closed minded idiot that dobs out big stuff. If it is like a big festival and I look out and I see the barricade and I see the people and the layout, I want to conquer that. It’s all about the energy you give and you hope the crowd feels that and gives it back. I’m down with both but if I had to choose, put me in a tiny little sweatbox and let it go wild!
Alright, Scott. Thank you so much for your time and the best of wishes from everyone at the 59th Sound for the upcoming tour and Soundwave!
Matthew Sievers