Scott Vogel of Terror
by Cameron Edney
Guest Staff Writer
American hardcore punk rockers Terror take no prisoners, especially when it comes to the bands unpredictable high energy live set. Last year the band released Keepers of the Faith a hardcore onslaught which to date is still receiving high praise from both fans and media around the world. Produced by New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert,Keepers of the Faith is certainly Terror’s finest album to date.
Currently on tour across Australia as part of the Soundwave festival I had the pleasure of catching up with the bands main-man to discuss the bands love of Australia, their most recent album and the bands future plans.
Kick back as it gets a little crazy with Terror’s Scott Vogel!
HRH: Hey Scott, thanks so much for kicking back with us today, welcome to back to Australia. You must be thrilled to be back here for the Soundwave Festivals?
Scott Vogel: Life is wonderful my friend, we really like Australia and this tours a lot of fun!
HRH: Tell us how you became involved with the festival, was it as easy as a phone call asking you guys to join the bill or was there more to it?
Scott Vogel: We were actually in Los Angeles recording and AJ who is in charge of the festival was out there. Chad [Gilbert] from New Found Glory was producing our record and Chad hit AJ up and said “you should stop by the studio,” which he did. He heard some of the new songs and asked us to do the festival, and we said we’re there my friend!
HRH: As you’re aware this festival line up is incredible this year, will you be checking out many of the other bands playing?
Scott Vogel: Absolutely, everyone has different bands that they want to see. H20 is one of my favorites, so I’m going to try and see them every chance I get. Iron Maiden, Slayer of course and Social Distortion, who is probably the one band that really got me into underground music so I’m definitely going to be checking them out! I will be walking around and checking everybody out.
HRH: Scott looking back on your last Australian visit what fond memories come to mind?
Scott Vogel: The last Australian trip we were with Stick To Your Guns who we always have a lot of fun with. What memories come to mind… every time we come to Australia everyone in my band wants to go to the beach, all the time and I hate the beach, so it’s always a struggle to stay away from the beach. Just stuff like that my friend, I’m sorry my memory is so not good, I wish I could give you a cool story but I can’t.
HRH: [Laughs] For the punters heading to Soundwave that are interested in checking Terror out live this week, how would you describe the live show?
Scott Vogel: [Laughs] I don’t know, that’s a hard question to answer. I don’t know, just come and check it out and let me know!
HRH: Whilst we’re on the subject of touring … you’ve been fortunate to share the stage with many great artists, who’s given you the best touring advice and what was it?
Scott Vogel: Uh that’s a good question… I can tell you who gave me the worst touring advice… our old guitarist Frank who now plays in Hatebreed. We’d get drunk for a couple of nights in a row and id say “I’m just going to have a couple of beers tonight” and he’d say “that’s just dumb”, that was the worst [laughs]. People don’t give me touring advice they just say why do you tour so much, so maybe the best advice would be for somebody to slap me in the face and tell me to stop touring so much [laughs]
HRH: [Laughs] Looking back over your career, what’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you whilst onstage performing?
Scott Vogel: I don’t know if it’s the craziest onstage but just before Australia there was a girl onstage with both of her boobs out dancing, then I looked back and she had her legs up against the wall and her vagina was spread. All I could see was spread vagina behind the drum set that was very strange [laughs]
HRH: [Laughs] It’s certainly not something that happens at every show [laughs]. How about looking out into the crowds, no doubt you’ve witnessed some insane shit going on whilst you’ve been playing?
Scott Vogel: The first thing that comes to mind is when we played a festival in Germany called With Full Force… it was one of the biggest shows we’d played. There were about ten thousand people in this tent. People started climbing up these light posts that were in the middle of the crowd and started jumping from, I’m gonna guess about twenty five feet and it looked really cool. People were freaking out and couldn’t believe it was happening. Afterwards you’re thinking… thank god nobody broke their necks. I don’t think the promoters and security were too happy but it looked really cool!
HRH: Tell us, as a vocalist no doubt you have to keep your voice in the best possible shape on the road, less interviews, less partying etc. Do you do anything specific to warm up and prepare for shows or would you much rather hit the stage running?
Scott Vogel: It’s really always the same; at the beginning of the tour after two or three shows I usually blow it out a little bit. It takes a couple of days to heal then it’s usually good for the rest of the tour. It’s always the same, luckily on this tour we’re going for two months straight, so the first week it was a little weak but now its strong as fucking steel!
HRH: Scott, I wanted to talk a little to you about writing and recording also… last year you released ‘Keepers of the Faith’ a kick ass hardcore onslaught which is still getting great reviews all these months on! Looking back over the whole writing and recording process is there anything you would have changed?
Scott Vogel: Actually no, if you were to ask me about our old records, I would have wished they were more like this record. This is the first time that everyone’s sat in the room together as a band. We had Chad from New Found Glory producing the record, the six of us sat in a room for five days and everyone gave their opinions and everyone had their ideas. We left the room with thirteen songs that we were all one hundred percent happy with!
HRH: Obviously this was a different way of approaching an album to ones you guys have done in the past. Tell us how intense it was during those five or so days locked in a room together. I would imagine at times you would’ve wanted to kill each other, did you find it more difficult to agree on various ideas and directions for the album?
Scott Vogel: There was a few times when two different people thought they were both right but for the most part it was more exchanging ideas. Everyone in Terror has the same vibe of what the band should be about, so when somebody had an idea and we played it and it was right, it was right. When someone had an idea and it felt wrong we’d all look at each other and say it doesn’t really work, let’s try something else. There were a few moments when people really wanted their way and didn’t get their way, but for the most part it was really smooth.
HRH: No doubt you’re still riding on the wave of the latest album and rightfully so, but I was curious to know, have you guys started penning ideas for the next Terror album?
Scott Vogel: Yeah, we haven’t even started that shit [laughs] we’re still on this one!
HRH: Mate we’ve hit the part of the interview where our readers get to find out more about the real you… what was the first concert you ever attended and how much of an impact did that have on you musically?
Scott Vogel: The first concert I attended was Bon Jovi opening up for Y & T, I was into hair metal. I actually think I saw Blue Oyster Cult and Bob Seager with my dad before that, but that was the first actual real concert that I went to without parental guidance. How much did that impact me? Not too much [laughs] I didn’t really take that rock stadium type route but it let me know that music was important to me and it was an introduction into loud, aggressive music I guess.
HRH: As many fans would be aware before Terror you were in bands such as Despair and Buried Alive, growing up did you always envision yourself as someone that would end up in this industry or were your goals different?
Scott Vogel: When I was younger all I really cared about was sports, I played sports all the time. I would go to school and literally I’d go play sports until the sun went down or I had to be home, that’s all I really focused on. When I got into the eighth grade I moved in with my dad and my step brother was into punk stuff which I checked out and I thought that was really cool but I couldn’t really get into the anarchy vibe I guess you’d call it and from there I found hardcore and from there I didn’t give a shit about sports, I didn’t care about anything anymore. I just wanted to go to shows and buy records, twenty three years later I’m still doing the same thing!
HRH: Let’s talk new music for a moment… are you currently listening to any new albums or new bands that are really exciting you?
Scott Vogel: On the Hardcore scene I think the new Bitter End album is really good. I listen to the new Hatebreed record a lot. Back Track and Dead End Pascale both put out seven inches this year that I really like. I’m really looking forward to the new Title Fight record. Other than that, I think the new Alpha Omega record is really good. I could keep going but I don’t want to name a million bands. On this tour we’ve been listening to a lot of nineties one hit wonder ballads, and Coldplay a lot shit like that!
HRH: There is no doubt that Terror has made a massive impact on the hardcore & punk scenes, who have you been surprised to learn is a fan of your work?
Scott Vogel: I’ve heard that Wattie Buchan from The Exploited talks about Terror and wears Terror shirts a lot which is really weird to me and really cool. Back in the day if someone had told me that… that would’ve happened; it would have blown my mind.
HRH: How about rumors … what’s the craziest rumor you’ve heard about yourself and or the band?
Scott Vogel: I think it was a show we’d done in Scotland once and people came up to us and said they’d heard that we wouldn’t play unless we got cocaine and strippers backstage before we played.
HRH: Just before we wrap it up… as we mentioned you’re in Australia of course for the Soundwave Festivals… What other immediate plans are in place for Terror, no doubt more tourings in the works… what do you have going on?
Scott Vogel: Soundwave of course then we head to South East Asia, then we do a U.S. tour and then back to Europe, then I’m gonna jump off a bridge.
HRH: [Laughs] Scott, thanks again for your time today, it’s been a pleasure, and enjoy the rest of the Australian tour. Do you have any last words for our readers?
Scott Vogel: Yeah check out the new Suburban Scum record!