Interview: Scott Vogel / Bryan Harris (TERROR / DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR)

Hi guys! First off, I want to thank you for the great concert, awesome performance!

Bryan: Thanks Sofia!

Scott: My pleasure!

What do you think about the bulgarian crowd?

Scott: Absolutely perfect! Good energy! I think people really care about our lyrics, I can see that in their eyes! Life's good! Perfect show!

Can you tell us something about the ongoing tour, Your Enemies Are Mine 2012? How are you managing with the other bands?

Scott: These guys, they are absolutely great! It's awesome to have a young band here, Take Offence, which I think is one of the best new bands...I don't want stay here and keep saying how great life is, but everything is good overall. No problems, no egos, no attitude...Just good shows every night.

Bryan: Hardcore the way it should be.

In the past you've done other tours with Death Before Dishonor, which time is this?

Scott: We did like a short tour once with Ignite...I don't know...Maybe five or six times...

Bryan: Yeah, probably five or six times. I think it's the third time in Europe, but first with Terror headlining. The other one was Ignite and before that was the Rebellion tour with Madball.

Do you have a favourite european location where you like to play often, considering the fact that you tour more Western than Eastern Europe?

Scott: Damn...You could say one thing now and tomorrow you could go somewhere else and change... I think both of our bands are blessed to get to go places and people sing along and ask us if we need anything and give us demos of their bands...It doesn't really matter where the best is...There is no epicentre of european hardcore. We're just very lucky to be here.

Bryan: I'm with him on that. We go to a lot of cool places. This show was great, it was amazing. Athens was great last night. Macedonia the night before, it was a great show, but the club was big, the people were crazy, however you don't get the same effect...That doesn't mean the show sucked, no, the people were fuckin' awesome. Every show's great in its own way! There's no best place, we're just very lucky people. You'd be very ignorant if you say there is one better place than another.

Scott: For example, we play in Germany constantly. And it's still great! I'll say Germany is one of the best! But here, especially to have a package of three US bands...that's insane! That's what makes it so special, we get to only come here once in every so often!

Bryan: Yeah, Terror probably have been here by themselves to a bigger show maybe once in a while. Even, for us (DBD), we came here first with Ignite, it was cool, then we came here by ourselves and it was fuckin' awesome, but then we come here with Terror and it's just as crazy! And this is an honor for us, because I know a lot of bands don't come here all the time. This is great!

Scott, I want to throw at you a couple of questions regarding the new album of Terror, "Live By The Code", why did you pick this title and what stands behind it?

Scott: "Live By The Code" to me means: Go to shows, buy demos, support local bands, support new bands, respect the bands that made this shit, like Agnostic Front, make sure the scene is growing. Also, on the flip side, don't support fake bands, keep the bullshit out of our scene, keep nazis out of our scene...Hardcore is not about beating each other up! When you say in your heart that you are a hardcore kid and this is for life, that this is the way to carry yourself and the way to live...and that's what it's about...live by the Code! I could keep going forever, but people have to decide for themselves. I'm not the judge or jury, I just think that as hardcore kids, there is a way for us to carry ourselves and live our lives and make sure that this shit is growing while staying positive.

Have you already finished working on the new album? If not, how is the writing and recording process going on so far?

Scott: Right now, Nick and Jordan are writing many songs, probably up to twenty. We are just listening to them. I'm writing down phrases and lyrics, ideas that I like. We are going to do it just like the last record, we are getting in a room with Chad Gilbert who produced our last record, who I can't give enough thanks to. We are going to chisel out the songs and we'll be done by june 1st. We're gonna make a great Terror record! A fuckin' really good hardcore record!

Bryan: "Keepers Of The Faith" was the best, you gotta step it up! You're gonna beat it!

Scott: We're not gonna beat it, we're gonna match it!

Bryan, how about Death Before Dishonor, do you have any plans of recording a new album?

Bryan: Yes, definitely! We've been working on some things on this tour. We have two guitar playes, one tours with us and one doesn't (Frankie, he's happily married and is making babies). I wanted to have a new record sooner than later, but it didn't happened. Hopefully, by the end of the year we'll have a new record and we won't be coming back to Europe until the new record's done. We have some stuff done, it's been almost three years since our last record, so we'll make sure that it's done right before we put it out. We don't want to rush it at this point.

This one goes for both bands, will there be any guest vocalists on your new albums?

Scott: I want Ben Cook from No Warning, but we'll see what happens.

Bryan: I just actually sang on the new Last Hope record, "More Than Ever", it was pretty cool, sounds really good! I love Last Hope! It's coming out in May. Guest vocals?...I don't know...Scott Vogel? I wanted Zoli Teglas of Ignite to sing in the last DBD record, but he had some Pennywise fantasies he was holding to, some whales and pelicans to save.

Scott: That's why I want Ben Cook to sing in our new record, you gotta get someone who doesn't sound like you.

I know that you don't like very much bouncer presence at shows. Has it ever happened that bouncers were wearing hardcore shirts and wanted to mosh and stagedive?

Scott: It's pretty simple. The Scene can please itself. If some piece of shit is here, trying to fight people, then the Scene should make them leave. 97% of the time, bouncers are more of a problem, than good. Just like barricades, man. People put up barricades and other people break their fuckin' backs on them. It's like that: Book a hardcore show as a promoter and have a hardcore show as it's supposed to be, or don't book a hardcore show at all. We don't need bouncers and barricades. There are bouncers who sometimes help people on the stage, there are bouncers that become stagedive props, but that's the far and few in between.

Bryan: There is a reason at times for bouncers I think, but at the end of the day, if you are just a hardcore dude, just have fun! It doesn't matter! There is an insurance and shit...But as a band, let's just fuckin' have a hardcore show! Put us on the floor, put us on the stage! Who gives a fuck? We're here to play!

Scott: It's cool when you see a scene that employs your friends as bouncers.

Bryan: Yeah, that too! We come from a place, called Boston and there the bouncers at shows are friends that know what's up. Because they used to beat up the old bouncers, so, now they just hire us.

Are there any people at concerts who piss you off and you cannot stand, along with some bouncers and nazi supporters?

Scott: If you're too drunk, stay in the back. If you're gonna be falling...I don't know...It's simple! Either you're here having a cool time or being a fuckin' retarded nuisance. It's not hard to tell. Yeah, don't fall through the drums, don't grab the microphone and try being a clown...but still that can be fun too. You can tell, when someone's being a dick, get the fuck out, if you're just having fun, have fun, it's not that hard.

Is there any band which you haven't toured with yet, but you want to?

Scott: Agnostic Front.

Bryan: You've never toured with Agnostic Front? Roger, take Terror on tour, please ! Let me tell you something, the first time we came to Europe, Terror were supposed to be on tour with Agnostic Front, but they dropped for whatever reason, so they asked us to go on the tour instead and we did and it was the greatest time of my life and now I'm here in Europe.

I have a question, regarding Terror's EP, Rhytm Amongst The Chaos. Why aren't you playing any songs from it, there are several great tracks in it?

Scott: Cuz we have 437 songs...

Bryan: Prove it!

Scott: That's really the reason, we have so many songs...You like that EP?

Definitely!

Scott: You know the song "Disconnected", David (bass) wants to re-record it on the new record, so we'll see what happens.

Scott, can you tell me something about your side project, S.O.S., did you make some shows with them since you released the EP, are you planning on playing together in the future?

Scott: No, it's too hard since everybody is in a band that tours full time or has a serious life. I wouldn't be surprised if we play sometime, but if we don't...I don't know. I'd like to.

Are there any new bands you are currently into and would like to mention?

Bryan: Rude Awakening, Yellow Stitches.

Scott: Naysayer, Dead End Path, Title Fight, Backtrack, King Nine, and definitely Take Offence, they are fuckin' amazing!

Bryan: They are not even that new, more should know them than they do, they are fuckin' awesome, real dudes!

Well, these were all my questions! Thank you once again for your time and the great concert! Good luck with the rest of the tour!

Scott: Thank you!

Bryan: Glad to see you again, Sofia! I'm drunk.

Interviwed by: Constantine Jelev