"Krone" interview

Terror: “There used to be a lot of violence here”

A life dedicated to 2-step and breakdowns: Californian hardcore heroes Terror around singer Scott Vogel (r.)

(Bild: Atiba Jefferson)

For metal and hardcore fans, the Impericon festivals are a long-standing institution. On April 7, bands such as As I Lay Dying, Nasty and Terror will be stopping off at Vienna's Simm City. The latter are regarded as one of the most uncompromising and controversial bands in the hardcore genre. Frontman Scott Vogel gave us deeper insights in the "Krone" talk.

When Scott Vogel founded the band Terror with a handful of like-minded people in 2002, he was already almost 30 and had several years of experience in the scene. His new band achieved cult status early on with the first albums "Lowest Of The Low" (2003), "One With The Underdogs" (2004) and "Always The Hard Way" (2006), until the fifth album "Keepers Of The Faith" (2010) made the band famous across the scene. In addition to the sometimes very aggressive lyrics, which meander between humanity and politics, Terror's attitude and show were particularly impressive. Founded in Los Angeles, the collective was considered the most aggressive band on the scene for years. Concerts were repeatedly canceled or stopped, various band members were heavily illuminated and instigated stress themselves.

At just over 50 and with a significantly changed lifestyle, frontman Vogel now looks back on this time with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the scandals and scandals were a decisive factor in Terror becoming one of the best and most feared bands in hardcore, but on the other hand, with a more sensible approach, they could have stirred up a bit more dust in the music business. Even if their last musical feats were a long time ago and Vogel and co. are already among the "elder statesmen" of the scene, nobody can fool them live. Vogel tells us in a very personal interview how they are still able to perform so furiously as they get older and why the scene code has by and large not changed.

"Krone": Scott, as the frontman of Terror you have been shaping the hardcore scene for more than two decades, but you also enjoy touring with thrash metal bands or have sung guest vocals for Cannibal Corpse, for example. Are style boundaries foreign to you?
Scott Vogel: I grew up in Buffalo, New York and the death metal scene there was huge. Most people think Cannibal Corpse was from Florida, but the band formed in Buffalo. There were a lot of death metal and hardcore bands that played together early on. I'm honestly not the biggest death metal fan right now, but I love the sheer power and craziness that comes with it. We've also toured with Cannibal Corpse and The Black Dahlia Murder, we've done a few shows with Obituary. That's also a great honor for us and a lot of fun.

Is it also a personal interest of yours to perform with bands from other genres? Playing big metal festivals and getting out of the usual rut?
We've been on the road long enough as a band to do what we want to do. A lot of people like us, a lot of people don't - it's absolutely fine. We want to meet new people and win new fans. But that only works if you move out of the usual circles.

There have now been 22 years of Terror, with many highs and a few significant lows in between. Do you still remember the early days when you started the band?
I've been able to make a living from music for a while now, but I'd say our longevity is down to the fact that we never really got big. We built a reputation and loyal fans, but never made it into the big leagues of the genre. So we were never able to take off, but always remained modest. We never cared whether we were headliners or not. I also don't care if younger bands who are currently enjoying a hype play a better slot than we do. Our egos are in check and we just keep working. Sometimes 100 people with simple amplifiers without a big stage is enough - those can even be the best gigs.

The older you get, the fitter you seem on stage. How does that work out?
(laughs) People know me as someone who wasn't averse to a drink or a party, but I've long since left that pattern behind me. When I have a sip of wine these days, I notice it immediately. In the past, I would have had to drink a bottle of vodka to get the same effect. I'm now 51 and have to take better care of myself. I do yoga and try to walk in nature as much as possible. That's actually enough if you're disciplined.

Hardcore is more of a lifestyle than a style of music. Do you still live by the same principles and ethical patterns today as you used to? 
We're on tour almost constantly at the moment because it's the only way to survive financially, which is of course exhausting and sometimes I get fed up. Living on 51 from one pocket and constantly being surrounded by other people can be really annoying. But the mindset is still the same. Hardcore is a way of life for me and the basic principles of it will never leave me.

You said it yourself - a band like Terror has to tour, otherwise you'd probably have to take a normal job and change your life.
We certainly have to play more often than we'd like, but at least we usually manage the time management well. In 2023, we were on the road for almost five months in a row, which of course frees up a lot of time. Normally, you spend a month on the road, a month at home and then the whole thing starts all over again. But it's more fun in big chunks.

What do you actually do when you're not on stage or in the studio with Terror?
I prefer to have a kind of hibernation and rest. Otherwise you'll see me at concerts, ice hockey or baseball games because I'm a huge sports fan. On tour you're surrounded by people so often that I do as little as possible with others at home. I spend a lot of time with my girlfriend and go on long walks. Sometimes I also go to the movies alone, I don't mind that at all. I like to retreat into my cave at home.

You didn't have the easiest childhood and you've often mentioned in older interviews that hardcore saved your life. Is this music still as important to you as it was back then?
I know a lot of people from the scene and a lot of them have great talents and skills that you can often make use of yourself. There are barber stores, tattoo artists, mechanics, plumbers, fitters - people help each other wherever they can. If I need someone, I call someone from the hardcore scene. When I'm in contact with people, it's usually someone from the world of music. We are a big family that supports each other. The community has long since outgrown music, because many people are involved in other areas of business. This is also because it's often difficult to make a living from music alone. If I need a place to sleep anywhere in the world or lose my passport, I'll find hardcore kids to help me. That's the magic of this scene.

Economically, there are probably safer areas than being a singer in a hardcore band. Apart from the music itself, did that ever worry you?
We've been pretty lucky. I'm not rich, but I can take time off whenever I want and I drive a pretty cool car. In hardcore it's taboo to talk about money and earnings and even if I made a lot of money I would play it down. (laughs) I don't have millions of dollars in my bank account, but I can travel wherever I want, keep my car and get the things that are important to me. I live a pretty low-key life and don't have any expensive hobbies. But well, I play several tours a year in Europe and I'm sure some young kids in Buffalo who are just starting out in music would tell me to shut the fuck up. (laughs)

Is hardcore also competition for you? For the young kids, for example, who are naturally chipping away at the throne of the old guys and want to dust off the big tours themselves.
It's not possible without competition. But I see it more as the kids keeping us young. When you're on tour with younger bands, you inevitably live in the present and aren't stuck in the past, which happens to a lot of people all the time. I know we released our most important album 14 years ago with "Keepers Of The Faith", but we want to stay contemporary and toxic and not keep repeating ourselves. The boys show me that hardcore is still alive and that alone is very important.

Do you actually still live in Los Angeles?
No, I moved back east to Buffalo right after the pandemic hit. I lived in Buffalo for about 30 years and was in Los Angeles for almost 20 years before I went back. For the last five years, I thought about moving back, but there was never time. The pandemic has stopped the world and I've used the time to finally make this move. I'm incredibly happy about it.

Leading a life like yours has many advantages, but also some disadvantages. What sacrifices do you have to make as a professional musician in a rather small band?
I've missed a few birthdays, weddings and funerals. It's very hard when important people in your life have important moments, but you're traveling on another continent because it's your job. This doesn't always meet with understanding from others either, but you have to make this sacrifice. There is no alternative. My attitude used to be much more extreme. I was all about terror. As I get older, I see things in a more relaxed way. If an event is particularly important to someone in the band with family or close friends, then we will at least try to avoid a show or tour. Even if it doesn't always work out.

With you and drummer Nick Jett, two founding members of Terror are still on board after 22 years. You've swapped the bass position what feels like 20 times. How important are terms like friendship or camaraderie in a band like this as you get older?
We survived some wild years in the band, where there was a lot of drinking and brutal violence at the concerts. But today we are all very relaxed. There are hardly any arguments anymore, everyone just wants the best for each other. We now have musicians in the band who have bought houses and had children. That was completely unimaginable 15-20 years ago. Nick and I also had moments when we couldn't even look at each other, but that's completely over. With age came a lot of peace and that's also a reason why we're still alive as a band.

Was there a particular moment when you pulled yourselves together and changed? Was it simply necessary at some point?
Between 2005 and 2015 we were probably at the peak of our craziness. There were really wild excesses, unbelievable arguments and things that you're not proud of in hindsight. But we took ourselves by the nose and have been much more relaxed and also much nicer to each other for about nine years now.

I remember a concert in Oberwart in Burgenland, a long time ago, where it got so wild in the mosh pit that you almost stopped the concert ...
We also had concerts where I was so drunk that I went backstage after the first three songs and said the evening was over for today. I was so shot, so full of rage that I didn't feel like going on stage anymore. There was a lot of violence and I was a person full of problems. But I don't want to talk about that anymore, those are things from a different era.

Are you well on the way to becoming a kind of Mick Jagger of hardcore? How long can you, as an over-50-year-old, continue to whirl around the stage like this?
I see myself more as David Lee Roth than Mick Jagger. I'm 51, I feel very healthy and stable both physically and mentally. I've also minimized my drinking and take very good care of myself. So I hope I can hold out for a few more years. But of course, every day there's a new pain somewhere. As long as the energy is right, people want to see us and I can still jump and sing, we'll keep going. Besides, it's always about the next album.

Terror live in Vienna
This year's Impericon Festival will take place in Vienna's Simm City on April 7. Alongside Terror, bands such as As I Lay Dying, Nasty and Future Palace will be performing. Tickets and all other information about the concert highlight are still available at www.oeticket.com.