Escalate: There’s a Vegan Metalcore Resurgence, and We’re Here for It

Escalate is a metallic hardcore band from Veszprém, Hungary, fiercely committed to spreading a powerful message that starkly opposes the injustices faced by non-human animals and the environment.

Amidst the challenges of a global pandemic and the rise of authoritarian regimes in their country and across the globe, the band took the initiative to record a demo tape in 2020. This demo was subsequently reissued on vinyl, followed by their animal liberation-themed seven-inch EP, The Damage Is Done, through labels like 9 Lies, Final War, and Ugly And Proud Records.

Starting in 2022, Escalate began touring Europe and featured in DIY Conspiracy’s global straight edge compilation as well as Ugly And Proud Records’ compilation dedicated to the current European straight edge scene. The year 2023 was significant for the band as they began working on their first full-length, Consequences, recorded in Hungary and mastered in the United States by Scott Crouse of Earth Crisis.

Escalate’s uncompromising commitment to the vegan straight edge ideals and their powerful sound, reminiscent of the heyday of ’90s metalcore, has caught the attention of renowned California label New Age Records, who will release the album any time soon.

Consequences is available for pre-order from New Age Records.

How did you get together and what inspired you to start a vegan straight edge band?

Laszlo: We’ve known each other for quite a long time, we had some powerviolence projects together with Adam in the past too. There wasn’t a vegan straight edge band in Hungary, and it had been a while since we had a straight edge band in the country, and I felt like there was nothing holding this community together. I moved to Sweden and lived there for a brief time and I was really fascinated by the hardcore scene there! And then when I moved back to Hungary I was like fuck it, I’m going to start a vegan straight edge band even if no one will like it and then I asked all these friends if they would help me make it happen and they did!

Ákos: As Laszlo mentioned, we have known each other for many years. We all had other projects before Escalate. Personally, I used to play in metalcore, old school hardcore and crust bands. And now, due to the same mentality, worldview and Laszlo’s idea to create an XVX band, we came together. When he asked me if I wanted to join, I immediately said yes.

When I was young I was fascinated by the Hungarian hardcore scene with bands like Newborn, Dawncore, Bridge To Solace, Hold X True and American bands like Catharsis, Trial and Bane playing incredible shows in Budapest. How did you get into the hardcore scene?

Laszlo: It wasn’t that straightforward for me. I started skateboarding when I was 12, and most of the guys around me were listening to skatepunk bands, and some of these bands covered classic hardcore bands’ songs, like Negative Approach, Minor Threat, etc. So that’s how we got into it, and started to discover all these bands, and were looking for opportunities to catch them if they come to the country or at least nearby. But we were kinda ignorant of the local scene, because by the time we were at the age that we could go to shows Newborn and Dawncore were gone, I could catch Hold X True’s last show, but I didn’t care for them too much at the time.

There were a lot of awesome, fucked up hardcore bands in that era, like Something Against You, but these were more influenced by punk than metal, and the whole moshing and musically heavier, slower stuff was associated with machismo and hence let’s just say not really popular in the scene. So it took some time to realize that not all those heavy bands are singing about senseless tough guy shit, but after that, it really shifted in me and went down that rabbit hole of discovering more and more bands.

Ákos: I was quite young when my brother showed me some “heavy music” that influenced me but actually I wasn’t the biggest fan of the music he listened to. I was like 16 years old when I got to know the first real hardcore band. One of my classmates lent me a CD and he told me to listen to it ‘cause I would really like it. It was two albums by Youth Of Today: Break Down the Walls and Can’t Close my Eyes. I think that’s how it all started for me. After skatepunk, I had been listening to it. I couldn’t handle this kind of music at first, but at the same time I was fascinated by the rawness and energy of it and then I knew there was no way out. Then I got to know more and more bands and I also traveled a lot to Budapest and nearby towns to go to shows.

Hold X True and Bridge To Solace were my favorite ones from the Hungarian scene, but besides them I really liked plenty of other Hungarian bands, such as Karate Kid, Motivation or Think Again. For a long time we hung out with some friends from the block, but as we started going to gigs and then playing music, we got to know more and more people from other parts of the country who were also into hardcore. And later, when the internet became more accessible, it became easier for us to communicate, keep in touch and share music with each other, even though we lived in different places, far away from each other.

With Escalate joining the seminal ‘90s label New Age Records and other influential US hardcore labels signing bands from Germany, Spain or Poland, do you think the American hardcore scene is finally coming out of its bubble? Do you think the straight edge scene in Europe is bigger now compared to the US?

Laszlo: I think there are a lot of great European hardcore bands out there, it would be foolish not to admit it or neglect it. But on the other hand, I don’t know if any EU bands would have considered a US label in the past. It’s pretty easy to communicate now, the logistics, the traveling, but I don’t think it was always like that, so I would say it plays a huge role on both the band and label side, and that they can really focus on the values they share.

As far as the straight edge scene goes, yeah, I think there are definitely more straight edge bands in Europe these days that are putting that message out there, and I’m really happy to see that trend!

The cover of your new album Consequences features an image of tree spiking, which has long been a common tactic used by environmental activists to save trees. You also released the single “If A Tree Falls”, which shares its name with Marshall Curry’s 2011 documentary telling the story of Earth Liberation Front activist Daniel McGowan. While the ELF theme was popular in some ‘90s XVX hardcore, I can’t think of too many modern straight edge bands besides CLEARxCUT and Wake Of Humanity that have addressed it.

Laszlo: Yes, we believe that Animal, Human and Earth liberation go hand in hand, so we wanted to make sure that the cover represented that, or at least sparked some curiosity about what was going on and started a conversation. The sample was taken from the documentary Earth First! The Politics of Radical Environmentalism by Chris Manes. You can see some demonstrations from time to time here in Hungary, but none of these groups use any of these methods. I hope this can be an addition to their toolbox in the future.

What other themes do you touch on Consequences and what inspired the name of the record? Can you talk a bit about what inspired each song and did you try to make them more cohesive as a whole?

Laszlo: The name of the album was the last thing I came up with. It kind of sums up what can be expected from those who declare war on sentient beings, whether they’re humans, animals, or nature herself. And of course as a reminder that our own actions also have their consequences, which we are willing to accept if they are for these ideals.

Other themes we touched on this album are domestic violence in our scene, and who can decide who’s entitled to justice, ecofascists luring people into their vile ideology, abuse and massacre in the name of religions, the self-acclaimed moral high ground of some passive, self-destructive people, etc. We didn’t try to make them cohesive consciously, but it’s kinda our writing process, that we keep making songs continuously and just draw a line somewhere, where we think it’s all cohesive. We already have a couple new songs that are going to be somewhat different.

What have you changed in your music compared to your previous EPs? What are your main musical influences and did you add any new elements and influences to the album? Is there a resurgence of vegan metalcore in your opinion?

Laszlo: We got rid of the HM2, hahah. Well, I try to experiment with new chords/sounds, and for that, we had to make some adjustments in the sound so they can really come through. I think this record is closer to the classic vegan metalcore sound, but of course we didn’t try to deny our roots. My main influences musically were bands like Renounced, Serration, Sanction, Queensway, Chamber, etc.

There is a vegan metalcore resurgence for sure, and I’m here for it! Not in our country though, but in general, hell yeah!

In January 2024, you appeared alongside 120 other bands on the digital compilation A Homeland Denied to raise money for the children of Gaza. Did your support for Palestine burn any bridges and get you into any trouble?

Laszlo: As we talked about consequences above, we knew what we were in for with our stance on the matter. There were a few followers on Instagram who wrote some hateful comments, some that unfollowed us, but there haven’t been any serious reactions in real life. If there were any bridges burned, I’m happy they were, at least I can see who’s who.

Your previous EP The Damage Is Done focused entirely on animal liberation. As vegan anarchists, how do you feel about the huge divisions and arguments between the animal liberation, animal rights, and vegan activists over theory, strategy and tactics for ending animal exploitation? Are there particular groups and forms of activism that you support on a local or global level?

Laszlo: We did an interview not too long ago where one of our friends who is (or at least was) part of a vegan activist group asked us questions, and he brought up some pretty explicit alternatives and asked for our opinion. There was no question that we all agreed on the need for more direct action and education, but I just don’t think their disruptive activism is the best way to do it. And of course there are those activists who are even willing to consider the Right-Wing as an ally, but I think it’s just fundamentally antithetical. How can you speak out against speciesism while supporting the oppression of people? So I support a small fraction of this activist group that went separate ways, and Food Not Bombs on a local level, and I really appreciate any group that directly supports direct actions or anyone who got caught because of that, like Unoffensive Animal.

The cover artwork for the The Damage Is Done EP was quite provocative. What’s your take on militancy within the straight edge hardcore scene? I know quite a few people who are vegan straight edge and active in various activist groups and movements, but who are quite opposed to artwork with knives and guns, etc.

Laszlo: Straight edge is a radical stance against self-destruction and for self-improvement, that influences those around you too. If militancy in this case means walking around at shows and kicking beers out of people’s hands, I think it’s just stupid. As for the guns and knives: I can only speak for ourselves, but in my opinion, in most of the cases it’s just a metaphor for being radical, and that we don’t compromise, it’s not for encouraging anyone to stab or shoot anyone who’s not straight edge.

Ákos: We’re aware that the EP cover has been a bit divisive lately, but I think that’s the point. It brings veganism into the public discussion, even if some have a potentially negative opinion about the cover. Either way, we have achieved our goal of drawing attention to the issue.

You played our DIY festival for the second time in a row in 2023, and after your performance Diff, the singer/guitarist of ’90s hardcore punk band Petrograd, was pretty upset about the kids moshing to your set. How do you feel about moshing, crowd killing and machismo at hardcore shows, and the intertwining of the straight edge scene with that tough-guy beatdown culture?

Laszlo: I always think of moshing as if we were at a random house party and everyone was doing silly dance moves with each other. Of course, it’s more aggressive than that, but as long as I see everyone smiling, it’s all good. It’s up to the community to decide if crowd killing is part of the fun for them. Personally, I don’t like it, but I wouldn’t tell an audience not to do it because I don’t know their scene. Accidents can happen, and as long as it’s not intentional, I wouldn’t look at it any differently.

Ákos: I don’t like crowdkill, though I don’t think there is any problem with moshing. But habits can differ from one place to another. The audience reacts differently to music in general and to our music everywhere. The experiences gained at the gigs so far are very mixed but I haven’t felt that people entered the pit with the will to do harm wherever we played so far, ever.

Is straight edge political? Is it something that could exist outside the context of veganism and politics for you?

Laszlo: Yes, I think it’s political. If you just sit around not consuming alcohol, tobacco products and drugs, and don’t do shit, okay, it might be still better for you than self-destruction, but wasn’t the hardcore scene always about making a change? Straight edge is a tool—a weapon, if you’d like, just to come back to the question about guns and knives—that is meaningless without the political aspect, let it be human or animal rights.

We could talk for hours about the political developments in Hungary and the suffocation, co-optation and harassment of any progressive movements by the ruling far-right government and the fascists on the streets. Can you share some insights for those who are not aware of the situation?

Laszlo: Oh boy… Yeah, I don’t even know where to start, so I’m just gonna list a few things that are happening. There is a small circle around the ruling party that accumulates huge amounts of money, land and of course power. They basically get away with everything. They don’t even have to apologize or explain for things that in other places in the world would be the end of their careers. They put books with LGBTQIA+ content in bags so you cannot see their covers, even children’s books. Xenophobia is everywhere, it’s so normalized that it makes your blood boil. The government is balancing on the fence between the EU and Russia, and of course calling the war against Ukraine a military operation or whatever Putin’s phrase is. They are basically always looking for an angle on any issue where they can divide society and it really tears families apart. I guess divide and rule still works.

Ákos: Most of the media is controlled by the government, but they always say that the opposition media is overpowered. So the government in power decides what information will be put on their platforms, and the vast majority of the poorer, rural population only gets this highly manipulated news created by the propaganda machine, which also keeps these people in uncertainty. And from time to time, with a sack of potatoes or a little money, the votes of the most vulnerable are bought.

Please give us an overview of the current Hungarian scene and the activities you are involved in besides playing in Escalate. What other bands, zines and collectives are there?

Laszlo: There are a lot of great bands like Gear, Exterminating Angel, Still Cold, Touch and new ones like Wheelbite are popping up with younger kids, we are really happy for them! Reaction Zine is still going strong and we have new ones on the radar, like Miner X Core and G Zone. We are still running the To Defy collective to set up shows from time to time, but sometimes it’s just too much, because most of the members are also in Escalate. All in all, this is an amazing era in the hardcore scene here. I’ve never seen such unity and overall good vibes, even with the more punk influenced bands, communities, maybe thanks to our roots.

Ákos: The Hungarian scene has become a very good unit lately. Also, there are more and more new young faces at the shows and they are there with active interest. As far as bands are concerned, I would like to mention Erased. It will be worth paying attention to them as well!

Do you think hardcore is still a place where people can come together and envision something potentially revolutionary? Aren’t you afraid that by joining a label like New Age Records, instead of spreading your message to a wider audience, your records will just become another piece of plastic for vinyl collectors?

Laszlo: Hahah, so you’re calling us sellouts! Okay! Alright, jokes aside, I think yes, it came full circle. There were times, especially when I became familiar with hardcore, when I didn’t feel like it, there were no revolutionary ideas, it was just music mostly, probably that’s why we gravitated towards older bands, but now we are—not just we, as a band, but we as a scene—putting it all together, and it attracts people with the same mindset and they all gather at shows, which can, and hopefully will be, a catalyst of great things. As for New Age, we are very excited about this collaboration, not only because of how influential they are, but also because we feel we share the same values and can reach a wider audience without compromising our message.

We know there are active Food Not Bombs groups, animal shelters and other groups and initiatives you have done benefit shows for, what are some other groups worth supporting in Hungary?

Laszlo: Yeah, sure! You can support these groups directly anytime or just follow them and check if they have any event coming up:

• @hangyakozosseg (Hangya Közösség): They support numerous animal shelters and we’ll be playing a benefit show in April;
• @transvanilla.official (Transvanilla): Hungarian trans rights NGO;
• @malacvedo (Malacvédő Alapítvány): pig rescue organization;
• @utcajogasz (Utcajogász Egyesület): legal support for homeless people;
• @avarosmindenkie_avm (A Város Mindenkié): a group that fights against evictions;
• @autonomiahun: antifascist, anarchist group.

Find Escalate at Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, New Age Records and Ugly And Proud Records.