Interview with Terror's Scott Vogel!!!

Terror and Death Before Dishonor came to Greece for one show at the 21^st of April and we just couldn’t miss it. And above that we grabbed the chance and get to ask some questions to Bryan Harris (Vocals for Death Before Dishonor) and to Scott Vagel (Vocals for Terror) Let’s check what they said about their bands, hardcore music, the music industry and more… Once again, we'd like to thank the following parties: Nick for doing the interview, Scott Vogel & Terror, Bridge 9 Records, and the Greek show promoters: Playfalse Records and Hard Times Athens.

Interview with Scott Vogel

T.Y.S.: You are about to release, with Bridge 9, a CD/DVD that contains rare video material and live footage from a concert of Terror back on 2003. How did you come up with this idea?

S.V.: The background story of that is that, Ian from Blood For Blood, about 10 years ago when we were just starting as a band was making some videos and stuff and one weekend he came by and recorded to live shows that we gave. One of those is the one on the DVD. We actually never thought of this live-footage but when Bridge 9 presented the idea, it sounded cool, the footage was ok, the sound was ok so we we were really ok with that. And you know, probably there are people that have dropped out of hardcore and only know this era of Terror and there are people that are knew to hardcore and don’t know anything of that period so I think its something good for everybody.

T.Y.S.: What do you think, has changed for Terror, since that that period?

S.V.: You know, it’s a different line-up, it’s 10 years ago, we have put out 10 albums since then, everything is completely different. Back then, we would play one show every couple of weeks and was the most exciting thing in the world and now we play one show every day, we give interviews. I don’t want to say that things are worse or better, it’s just completely different.

T.Y.S.: How does it feel when you look back at these days of Terror?

S.V.: This is like a documentation of the first 6 months of Terror. We didn’t even have a record at this time. The band went on for 10 more years, to do whatever it did, so it’s crazy I would say to look back at these days.

T.Y.S.: Which is the greatest thing that you have achieved with Terror till today?

S.V.: Just, the Keepers Of The Faith album. Everything about it. The music, the recordings, the layout, the concept. There was a lot of work in it and I am really proud of that album.

T.Y.S.: What are Terror’s plans for the future?

S.V.: After completing this tour we will start recording and we should be done by early June. So the new album is going to be out just after the summer.

T.Y.S.: The hardcore scene is growing bigger every day. Do you think that this happening the wrong or the right way?

S.V.: I think that there are a lot of problems. A lot of people take the word hardcore on their band and they don’t even know what it is, they don’t care. But I also do think that there is still a real traditional hardcore scene at every part of the world an that it always going to remain that way and that’s cool. Now there are so many bands and it is so easy for them to tour around and that sometimes “hurts”. When I was growing up there will be like one show every three weeks and there was probably only 300 hardcore kids where I lived but all 300 went to these shows no matter what. It just seemed to be better then. Now, there are so many shows and I mean some shows really suck. There are shows with nearly 20 kids. And also there are a lot of bunds that suck, and a lot of shows with bands that shouldn’t be touring at all. I mean, I am all good for go out and start working, but I think that if you are not ready to tour then you shouldn’t do it. And then you know, there is this big “music thing” that some bands before they even have a record, they have a fucking manager. You shouldn’t have a manager or have someone booking you a tour until you prove that you can do it yourself. I mean, no booking agency or manager should care about a band until this band proves that it is gonna stick around and do it on its own.

T.Y.S.: Do you think that we can blame the music industry and the record labels for that?

S.V.: Yes, of course. I think that labels take for example 10 bands that they think they might be good and throw them all at the wall. They do everything for the one sticks and starts to pick up some following and the other nine just sink and the record label has these other nine bands under their little contract and just lets them fail. Its just disgusting.

T.Y.S.: What is your opinion about illegal downloading and the how do you think that it affects the bands? Would Terror upload their new album for free on the internet?

S.V.: I don’t really know the reality o this, but Terror has asked Century Media to let us off their label and we really want to put out our next record out ourselves. So, I mean do the vinyl ourselves, the CD ourselves, record it ourselves. As for the free download, I don’t know if we are gonna put it our for free but maybe we put it up really cheap and say “hey, we did this ourselves, we play hundreds shows every year, if you want to help us out and have some sort of moral support for a hardcore band pay 5 dollars”. That’s our ultimate goal. We had a meeting with Century Media, asking them to let us off their label but they haven’t answered to us yet. So we are just waiting. Also, about the downloading thing, people might say it sucks and stuff but in the end there is no debate about it, it's happening. There is no way to stop it, it’s too late, so you have to see the good with it. I think, bands like us, we can now go to Indonesia and have kids sing our lyrics and I think that’s because they can download our records because I don’t think that our CD’s have a great districution there, maybe they don’t even have the money to buy our CD’s. So I think bands like us are lucky now to be able to travel to these places and that’s because of the downloading thing. On the other hand, when Terror was on Trustkill we used to get royalty checks for record sales and now we don’t get shit. So, you got to say “this is what happens", and make the best out of it.

T.Y.S.: Is there something you want to say about the bands you are touring with at the moment?

S.V.: Death Before Dishonor is one of my favorite bands to tour with. I think if you take everybody on this tour, Terror, Db4D, Take Offense everyone is very similar. Everyone is very different too (age range, were we‘ve grown up, were we come for), but everyone on this tour is so similar. Absolutely no egos, or any problem at all. It’s just like hardcore kids hanging out.

T.Y.S.: Would you like to name some band, that without their existence, Terror might have not been here playing hardcore music?

S.V.: Sure! Warzone, Agnostic Front, No Warning, Judge, Suicidal, Madball, N.W.A. I think that’s enough.

T.Y.S.: You‘ve played to Greece many times already so I guess you‘ll have something to say about the Greek audience. Is there something in particular that you remember from your past shows here?

S.V.: I remember when we played here with Madball, Jordan was stage-diving and acting like a fucking maniac and that was really cool cause you don’t see him like that very often. I also remember when we played here with Hatebreed, and that was a really cool show!

T.Y.S.: So, it seems that you like it playing here?

S.V.: Yes, of course, we wouldn’t come back if we didn’t like it.

T.Y.S.: Is there a message you want to send to the hardcore kids?

S.V.: Hmmm, first of all I think that they have to seriously check out Take Offense. I really think that they are one of the best new bands that I have seen in a while. Also, listen to more Hatebreed and have fun!

T.Y.S.: Is there maybe something else you want to say to your Greek fans and to the readers of T.Y.S?

S.V.: I am sure a lot of bands say that but Terror really mean it: “We don’t really feel like we come to Greece and we are cool and special. We are just hardcore kids and we are very humbled to be here. So, please keep coming back to the shows and show us love and we will come back for us long as we can.

Interview: Nikos Tolis

nikostolis@gmail.com