COLD WORLD are a hardcore/punk band from Vienna whose roots go back to the second half of the ’80s and are closely connected with the legendary EXTREM. From the very beginning, they followed their own path – fast, brutal hardcore without giving a fuck about trends, labels or what the local scene thought of them. Through SOUND POLLUTION, their records reached far beyond Austria, and after a long break COLD WORLD returned even more extreme than before. With Erwin and Dierk we talked about the beginnings of the Vienna hardcore scene, EXTREM, their old records, DIY, record collecting, the reunion and what hardcore means to them after more than twenty years.
Hello Dierk and Erwin. At first introduce yourself for readers. Tell us a story how did you get into punk/hc scene and in fact how did you discover punk? How was your very first touch with hc/punk (records, gigs, people)?
ERWIN: I´m 42 years old, born and raised in vienna. By the way my mom’s birthname is Mrazek, means small cloud or so in Czech, right? Grandpa was from Bohemia, haha! enough ass kissing;-)). As my mum was a rockabilly then hippy girl in her youth I started to listen to guitar based music very early from the age of six or so and got my copy of MOTÖRHEAD’s „no sleep til hammersmith“ right when it came out in 81! Nuff said! Became a metalhead at the age of 12, started to grow my hair at that age and was there when the first records of HELLHAMMER, SLAYER, METALLICA, CELTIC FROST etc. came out, always looking for the next „harder“ band. And by checking the thanx lists of all these records we found names like DISCHARGE, G.B.H, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, AGNOSTIC FRONT and so on….and there were the „harder“ bands! We were a small gang of 10 or 12 long haired kids and at the age of 15/16 became something like the fanclub/followers of CARNAGE (= pre PUNGENT STENCH). STENCH drummer Alex was working at a recordshop back then (he’s still running one these days) where we used to hang out. They also carried HC and PUNK records and there we met DIERK, already playing bass in EXTREM! He invited us to their rehearsalroom where I first met PETER…and what can i say – HC-PUNK captured me at that very moment listening to EXTREM, and it never let me go since then;-) PETER & DIERK supplied me with tape after tape, from the KENNEDYS to MINOR THREAT to MDC, NEGATIVE APPROACH, ADRENALIN O.D.,SEPTIC DEATH!!, POISON IDEA, E.N.T. and so on………
DIERK I’m the same age as Erwin. I remember hearing the odd RAMONES and SEX PISTOLS song on the radio when I was a kid but that didn’t affect me too much. KISS did it for me when I was 9, I became obsessed, collected all their releases initially on cassette with my pocket money, made every relative buy me them for birthday, christmas and what not. MAIDEN, AC/DC where there, too, but then I got into ADAM & THE ANTS‘ 2nd LP as well around the age of 13, mostly for their tribal drumming and upbeat tempo. The booklet in the „Kings of the Wild Frontier“ LP showed pics and artwork from their early punkdays which made me curious and upon hearing „Plastic Surgery“ from the „Jubilee“ soundtrack and discovering their first LP „Dirk Wears White Sox“ I wanted to know about the 7″es that got released previously. What to do in times before the internet with sold out records and no blogs? Place an ad in a local music mag. Surprisingly I received an answer (you had to send a stamped adressed letter to that mag which forwarded it then. Noone would ever go through anything similar today). The answer was from a guy nicknamed Kodak, one of Vienna’s original 77-Punks. I went to his place, bought those 3 ANTS 7″es, heard a lot of impressive Punk stories for a 14-year-old and kept returning week after week for more stories, borrowed his mixtapes of all the old UK Punk stuff and got hooked. I bought a few more records off him like the SCHUND 7″ that he had co-released with the band some 2 years earlier. The money for that pressing apparently came from his short lived marriage with the SCHUND singer – the Austrian state at that time gave away some money to newly wed couples as a starter into a bright common future. So why not just get married and spend it on releasing a Punk 7″? Kodak got into Reggae and Ragga in the early 80s, wanted to do a record, became MICKEYMAN for a while and released the infamous EXTREM/ MICKEYMAN split LP. When he gave me a copy it was the first time I heard Hardcore Punk (around late 84, early 85) and was shocked. It was way too dangerous and dark for me but on the other hand I couldn’t stay away. He got me in touch with Thomas Glaubitz, a serious Hardcore fanatic living a bit outside of Vienna who I started writing letters to, receiving tapes and records in return. A storm came into my life. The crucial records in the very beginning aside the EXTREM split (and even more their 1984 demo!): DRI „Dealing with It“, STARK RAVING MAD „MX“-12″, RATTUS „Ratcage“ LP, GISM „Detestation“ 12″, GASTUNK „Dead Song“ LP, NEGAZIONE „Condannati a Morte“ 7″, any MOB 47, HERESY demo and flexi, RAPED TEENAGERS 7″, SEPTIC DEATH 12″, BARN AV REGNBUEN 7″, LÄRM split LP and first 7″, SIEGE demo, „Cleanse the Bacteria“, INFERNO „Tod & Wahnsinn“ come to my mind now. It just didn’t seem to stop. Thomas, by the way, is still going to most shows these days, still buying shitloads of records. At the same time I got to meet Peter, EXTREM’s drummer, at Kodak’s flat and we started keeping in slight contact. Thomas told me about a place in Linz called KAPU that started hosting Hardcore gigs recently and despite my parents not being exactly happy about my new found love for loud vaccum cleaner like sounds and odd looking friends I started hopping on the train with him regularily: NEGAZIONE, INFERNO, BGK, SCREAM, EXTREM, NIKOTEENS, NUCLEAR, ZSD, thrashing, stagediving and sweating my young little ass off. It just made sense to pick up a pen and get in touch with people all over, from Brazil to Finland, the UK, USA, Germany and on and on. Letters, records, tapes and fanzines started pouring in. I keep saying that my perspective of the 80s has nothing at all to do with what is commonly being regarded as the 80s. Most Punks from that time will tell you the same story. Still that wasn’t enough. Having no idea how to play a guitar I talked my parents into lessons at a Jazz Conservatoire with my teacher being a greasy haired, fully bearded hippy. When he asked me what kind of music I liked and I answered „Punk!“ he just rolled his eyes and said with his teaching I’d be over that very soon. And over I was – with him, one year later. Still I have to say that my rhythmic preciseness and clean chord striking was initiated in that formal training. Those necessary power chords however were shown to me by Peter from EXTREM, who also turned himself into a fantastic guitarist over the years. I started hanging out at his place more often and he musically took me under his wings. Unfortunately EXTREM’s initial line up was slowly falling apart in the mid 80s and I only got to see them live twice and once in the rehearsal room. In early 87 Peter asked me to join them on bass. Well, actually he didn’t really ask me but rather tell me that I need to get a bass. Enthusiastically I didn’t disagree and maybe a month later we recorded material for a full album. 4 of those songs got relased as the „Wir sind so frei“ 7″. The LP never happened.
Is there any serious person, a band, a record or whatever which influenced you most in the beginning? What was the main impulse and stimulation to start the band? Any previous experinces with playing in band? Was there any crucial impact from your drummer Peter previous band EXTREM?
ERWIN: My buddy Norbert, the first guitar player of COLD WORLD and part of our kiddy metal gang forced me to buy a guitar and then a bass to form a band together at the age of 15. we wanted to sound like anthrax/metallica, haha! We had a band for a couple of months, not worth more words, but when we were at the EXTREM rehearsal room the first time we knew that’s the music we wanted to play – hardcorepunk! So PETER & DIERK were my „godfathers“ concerning our music! By the way I played in EXTREM, too (bass after Dierk left EXTREM) from 88 til we split in 91 or so!! So all 3 current members of COLD WOLRD played in EXTREM, almost no one knows that fact.
DIERK: I’ve answered most of this question already above. We had built a rehearsal room in my parents‘ basement. EXTREM started rehearsing there even before I was in the band and I started dragging my younger brother there to dash through my first own riffs. He was a natural talent, just sat behind the drums and hit the kit like that. My first gig with EXTREM was in support of HERESY and KAFKA PROSESS, I soon organised my first gig in Vienna (COLERA with EXTREM supporting), we spent a month on the road (Interrail) in summer to sell our newly released 7″, played some gigs in Germany with the wonderful PUKE, in Sweden (RAPED TEENAGERS!), Norway (at Blitz!). That fall my brother Mark started jamming with those 2 other young lunatics we had just met, Erwin and Norbert. I soon got a bit disillusioned with EXTREM as the new stuff was getting more rockish and rather tame, also thanks to a short lived 2nd guitarist who gave a shit about Hardcore Punk. So when I heard a rehearsal tape of that barrier of fast, chaotic noise that those 3 weirdos were making a decision was soon made: I saved them from becoming MEGALOMANIC APPLETREES and COLD WORLD was born. Probably late 87 or early 88. Crucial recordings at that time: HERESY split LP and „Thanks!“ 7″, ELECTRO HIPPIES anything, ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT demo, EXTREME NOISE TERROR split LP, first 2 AOD LPs, LÄRM „Noone“ 7″, FEAR ITSELF LP, SOB 7″ and 12″, etc.
What was the main „goal“ of the band in the beginning? I mean to increase speed limits, to being provocative, to play an extreme music, to be a part of an „alternative“ scene? Is there any progress/difference nowadays in comparison to the „early times“ in those goals? A tools (in one word: internet) how to „push“ and promote a band are totally different than was in 80´s and 90´s, right?
ERWIN: Having fun was the initial goal, learning how to play, rehearsing, loving what we were doing, being creative – creating our own music. And on the other hand at those teenage years – voicing our believes, our opinions, our political stance. The police was bashing the punk scene in vienna back then, storming squats, treating punx like criminals in the 80ies and early 90ies. Wild times, totally differnet from today as punk & punkoutfit became mainstream. Musically we wanted to emerge from the beginning , get better and better and faster and faster. Back then post punk and arty farty music like FUGAZI was the deal but not with us, haha. We wanted to keep it fast, brutal and away from any mainstream tendencies like the sticker on our first record said: „THIS IS NO FUGAZI SHIT“ – made us many friends in vienna, haha, on the wrong side from the beginning. Today we enjoy the time at the rehersal room, studio, the few concerts. We are still doing it for us, for our love of our music. If somebody likes what we are doing -that’s great, but we are not doing it to become anything, famous or cool or to get girls like so many other bands. We´ll do it as long as we are able to create something new, better than the songs, the records we did before and as long as we have fun together as a band! Yes , the internet. It´s not my best friend but what does it help – it ´s a useful tool for a band and it´s a hell faster and cheaper and easier to comunicate than it was when we had to write letter after letter, copying demo tapes, running to the post office and so on 20 years ago. And we were able to keep our contacts alive or reactivate them by using the internet, makes sense!
DIERK: Pretty much what Erwin said. Being provocative wasn’t an initial goal, that came on later around the time of the LP when Peter already was in the band, replacing Mark who got tired of playing fast (Norbert didn’t last, he left after the first demo). Too many smart asses in Vienna not knowing shit about Hardcore Punk and its history but playing the big know-it-alls. We took a cynic opposite point of view and added some pseudo macho image before tough guy HC really reared its ugly head in Vienna (If it had I’m sure we wouldn’t have used it). The anti-Fugazi sticker was rather directed against the wast majority of Vienna’s scene than the band itself, who didn’t touch me but were a very good live band. Funny how personal a few people took that sticker so I guess it was worth it. Today my main interest in regards to COLD WORLD is to let various even far away influences outside of Hardcore stream into our songwriting but have the music itself definitely still be Hardcore. So no mish mash of styles at all but trying to stay away from too much repetition while sticking to our own ground. I guess that’s why a lot of people have problems categorizing or understanding our sound, labeling us Grindcore when there is no downtuning or Metal when there’s not even one palm muted guitar riff on a whole record. I can’t simply rehash what I’ve done 25 years ago, I’m not nostalgic enough for that. Of course the internet has changed everything and I’m pretty fine with a lot of it. However to me there is no Underground and Overground anymore when both sides are using the same promotion and distribution tools. For a lot of kids it has rather become a matter of taste than attitude to dig a new Hardcore band instead of Lady Gaga. Also, who would have thought that one day buying a record would probably become more Punk than stealing the music? Still I don’t miss soaping all those postal stamps at all.
Mainly the picture on the CD „So far, so fast“ had to confused a lot of people including me. I was confusing when I saw the album picture inside the Sound Pollution catalogue haha. It´s quite fun that the picture and even the anti-FUGAZI sticker fulfilled the purpose but also did something more with confusing of potential fans. Shame that I omitted this one initially because of the picture and maybe lack of info about CW. Did you ever get any hate message or was there any figths with those tough guys? Was a scene in 80´s/early ´90s more direct? I mean today´s rumours behind your back as anonyms on a web forums but a direct confrontation a face to face?
ERWIN Actually we wanted to provoke with the picture. Inside there was another shot on which we took ourselves for a ride!! So anybody must have realised that it was a joke, making fun of ourselves. I think it was the same old story: people see what they want to see. Life´s never that simple except if you are simple;-) As a reaction we were dissed and badmouthed behind our backs by parts of the scene, but as we have already said before: We never cared what people thought of us, not then not now, so it doesn´t bother us. By that time there were just a few tough guys in the scene and I was considered being one of them. Today this means skinhead or macho, back then it just meant that you were a pretty hard slamdancer and had a fight every now and then. So what? Punk never was pacifist or was it?????? I think the scene never was direct and its getting worse with all the anonymity on blogs and boards – seems dissing makes the world go round, haha!! Never met anyone with the balls to confront me with something negative concerning the band face to face but I very often met and meet kids who kiss my ass and later I hear them talk shitty behind my back…again I don´t bother. It´s their problem, not mine.
DIERK Punk certainly has a huge pacifistic side, at least from Crass onwards. While CW wasn’t part of that tradition the band sure was not part of the opposite movement that became big in the mid 90s. I’m aware we drove some potential fans away because of the cover of the LP and the first 7″, then again we never were out to please anyone but ourselves. But of course we did a few stupid moves that we wouldn’t repeat today. The gossipping (about us) today is more or less the same as 20 years ago with the addition of the internet. On the split with EXTORTION we dedicated 2 songs to that issue. Direct confrontation barely ever happened, a bit more back then than today. To me that’s strange because I’m actually into critical discussions. But Punk these days is unfortunately a lot about self righteous behaviour and narrowed down thinking patterns to make sure you please your peers. Sometimes I get the feeling there are more self restrictions today both musically as well as contentwise than the desire to be free of them. A band of such genius as the BIG BOYS would utterly fail in DIY Punk of nowadays because their diversity would not be considered Punk at all.
It seems that you didn´t get much support from your surroundings (other bands, scene…) and very often I read your own words that you didn´t fit into the local hardcore scene that time.What was the reason? Could it helps you to build up your own style/attitude to stay aside? I was pretty surprised to hear that you got much more respect from (death) metal scene than the punk one! How´s your experinces with contribution between both scenes (punk vs.metal)?
ERWIN: concerning LACK OF SUPPORT: It was back then like it is today in Vienna – for every nice guy/girl in the scene you have two assholes talking shit behind your back, anonymous in blogs and forums, spreading rumours and fairytales. Kindergarten! The faces have changed but the song remains the same. Met a guy at a punk gig a couple of years ago, we had more than one beer before he told me what a bodybuilder asshole this right winged singer of fucking COLD WORLD was and if I knew him????? That’s Vienna’s self acclaimed punk scene, I couldn´t care less about it. we have our own „scene“ if you want to name it that way, friends and more open minded people who don´t judge people by rumours or looks or age. These jerks don´t even know that they are as prejudiced and stupid as any right winged asshole. They play the bigmouth for a couple of years and then you never see them again, real punx, haha. The barking dog´s the one that never bites 😉 I don´t need silly dresscodes and all those formulas to feel punk. OWN STYLE/ATTITUDE: As we never wanted to fit in any scene or outfit (Punk, HC Punk, Grindcore, Straight Edge, Metal whatever) and never wanted to start a „career“ we simply did what we wanted to do and didn´t care if anybody liked our sound, fuck, this is no pop music! That´s what punk is all about for me, no gods no masters – do whatever you want to do, never give in to anything or anybody as long it doesn’t hurt anybody innocent. Anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-sexist – but that’s normal to me and should be for any human being. Sadly enough it isn´t, thats why I´m gonna be „aside“ my whole life I think. SUPPORT BY METAL SCENE: Was relativly „big“ in Vienna in the early 90ies as we played with CARCASS, NEUROSIS, DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, AGNOSTIC FRONT. they respected our music because there were just a handful of extreme bands around that time. so that’s it, it was something new and extreme for them. For the vienna punk scene which was a small stupid mess at that time our music was too radical and not intellectual enough ;-)) Who cares? PUNK vs. METAL: I don´t think that way. i like almost any kind of extreme music as long as it has no shitty nazi lyrics of course! At the moment in my car player: BAD BRAINS, DEATHSPELL OMEGA, WOLFBRIGADE, TRAGEDY, BOB MARLEY, ABIGOR & MORRISSEY! So what?
DIERK: I didn’t care too much about the local support, I was more interested in the international one. It was great that labels from Spain, USA and Germany supported us. Although we could have spared the Lost & Found experience which of course was not a good one. Cold World always took more influences from abroad than from home because here there was not much interesting Hardcore Punk. The local Death Metal scene started right in our surrounding, PUNGENT STENCH forming and DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA saying to this very day that their first visit to Vienna, meeting STENCH and hanging out with us at the EXTREM rehearsal space changed their perspective on what can be done and turned them into a „real“ band. Actually I even played bass for DISHARMONIC at their first gig. We still keep being good friends and they recently spent a night at my place before flying to Holland for a gig. However as a true, correct Hardcore Punkrocker I openly hated Metal which is fairly ridiculous in retrospective as that local scene consisted of more creative people than the Punk scene and of course I also listened to a good part of their releases. I’m glad I got rid of those personal limitations in time.
To speak about the international support, with whom did you get in touch in 80´s and early´90s? Bands, labels, int.people? Any cool stories from that times? I mean travelling abroad to meet „pen- friends“ or go to a gigs, tape/record trades etc.
ERWIN Dierk’s the better man to answer that, I think I was too drunk to remember details most of the time. Hmm, some funny stuff: I made a pissed drunk interview with GORILLA BISCUITS in the late 80ies, they were shitting their pants and did let out some really stupid and right wing statements, but I think they were just afraid and frustrated, haha! Had lunch with HR of the BAD BRAINS – I love the band but hate their sexist rastafari-religious stance – but he was so stoned that he could hardly speak. And I really pissed off Ian Mackaye & FUGAZI as stage security by refusing to do anything against stagediving and taking a dive on my own …..the rest hides behind clouds of alcohol;-)
DIERK I was in touch with a lot of people from all over, too many to mention. So of course there are some good stories to tell. Jos from (back then) LÄRM picking me up at Amersfoort’s train station with 2 bicycles. Sleeping on the stairway in front of Gunnar’s appartment (SO MUCH HATE) in Oslo because he didn’t hear us (EXTREM) knocking like crazy. Running into Marco from NEGAZIONE at the Dischord house and getting to see the first of only a handful of ONE LAST WISH concerts when they mostly played the RITES OF SPRING LP. Hitchhiking to the UK with Alex from PUNGENT STENCH, me going to Nottingham to meet Kalv and Steve (HERESY), joining him later in Coventry at Lee’s place (NAPALM DEATH). Meeting SSD’s Springa at a pool party in Boston totally drunk (both of us). Curtis (Taang!) taking me on a ride around Boston while blaring the then still unreleased 2nd JERRY’S KIDS album through his car stereo. Roger Miret burning their roadie’s smelly socks when AGNOSTIC FRONT stayed with me along their first European tour. Chasing records wherever I went and trading all over the planet. Buying the original artwork of SEPTIC DEATH’s 2nd album from Pushead for cheap. I could go on, of course, but everyone involved back then would have stories to tell. They just happened while it was relevant to do what we loved to do.
To speak about scene in Vienna, how was in fact a punk scene (bands, zines, venues) there in 80´s/90´s? Can we speak about the real hardcorepunk scene and network of friends? How was generally responses on COLD WORLD?
ERWIN: DIERK can tell u more but as far as I am remembering it: almost no bands in vienna, one zine covering HCPunk and Metal made by the PUNGENT STENCH circle, lots of squaters or ex-squaters with more than aggressive attitude, and a gig every now and then with almost no dancing or audience response because everybody was pissed drunk, haha. THE HIGHLIGHT was a YOUTH OF TODAY gig around 90 (there´s abootleg of that gig) or so with the whole audience totally drunken and the band preaching their STRAIGHT EDGE lifestyle from the stage, it was so funny!!! And if there was dancing there always was fighting, I have to confess it included me often, too, but hell we were young and dumb 😉 And the responses to COLD WORLD were the same as mentioned before, no dancing just drinking..
DIERK: Very few Punkbands, mostly Alternative or Metal when STENCH became bigger. A „Hardcore“ scene got waterered down a lot by the Alternative scene as mentioned previously, but still there were a few active people/collectives. Not that we had a lot in common but either way we participated in quite a few of them to make at least a little bit happening. Local responses to CW: good by our funny, mixed surrounding of Bluesrockers, Metalheads, Experimental Musicans. The Punks however were mostly overchallenged – how to pogo to THAT?! So quite a bit of indifference. In the early 90s there was another fanzine from the early Flex surrounding, Erwin. You even wrote for that one 😉 Flex was a punk venue which at a different location is Vienna’s leading „alternative“ club for years. Just right when we quit in 94 a NYHC copycat scene started as did the Straight Edge scene with those what I call „Regular Boys‘ Haircut Sucks“ people in regards to that IMPACT UNIT song. I never cared about the clean, retro, conservative XXX thing but have to admit I initially enjoyed MADBALL, BIOHAZARD and PRO-PAIN. It wore thin quickly, of course.
Except the Flex club you´ve already mentioned and well-known Arena, EKH squat, were there any punk venues and squats? In Czech last squat was evicted 2 years ago. Actually you can set up a gigs in a various clubs with a huge stage etc.etc.You know the issue. Anyway did you play often gigs outside of Austria in early´90s??? Any touring opportunities?
ERWIN: Actually there was an exibihion at a Viennese museum last summer concerning that issue. There were squats from the early 70ies on (like the ARENA) till the late 80ies when the state closed most of them using force. Names were GAGA, ÄGIDI where punk gigs went along. In the early years of EXTREM our drummer used to live in 2 of those squats for a while. Today there is one “punk” squat beside the EKH called PANKAHYTTN, but it became more of a state financed project with social workers. As punk found its way into the middle of society you can organise gigs in so many locations, it needs no squats today. Also it ´s not so easy to play in a squat as their politics are mostly so extremely left wing that you get checked to your underwear before you can play there, the antifa-gestapo, haha. It´s no fun to play there under such stupid circumstances! Touring: We only played two very small tours in Germany 93 and 94 with FUCKHEAD and Bremen’s MUTANT GODS. Small venues but still great impressions end experiences, especially the gigs in former east germany, brrr.
DIERK: There was another exhibition (DIY) a bit earlier at the Pankahyttn, mostly concentrating on artefacts from that time (newspaper clippings, photos, posters/flyers, record covers, etc.). It definitely has become accepted to set up Punk gigs at regular venues but still i have a lot of sympathy for squats if they have their shit together (unlike the EKH, unfortunately). I got to see a few again over Europe while helping out in RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA in 2010/11 and enjoyed how focussed and dedicated a lot of them were in sticking to a valid alternate lifestyle. Honestly I had not followed the squat scene closely since the early 90s so my remark probably sounds stupid. One of our craziest gigs for sure happened at the infamous Stuka Club, out of the surrounding of the even more infamous LEMMING PROJECT (maybe that’s some info for the internet punk police to not have us play at their squat?). A night to remember – even though noone was able to remember most parts of it.
Could you comment and go through your discography? Anyway there´s almost 24 years between the 1st demo tape and the last 12”LP! Uffff….Anyway I really enjoy the bands´s progress on each release, I mean except brutal and angry hardcore/thrash you offer still something unique and a new but still in the diy hardcore/punk way.
1st Demo 1988
ERWIN: Dierk just joined and renamed the band from M.A.D. into COLD WORLD. We were heavily influenced by ADRENALIN O.D. and the whole Crossover scene like ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and did our first steps concerning hardcore – like a child’s first steps. Got some good reviews for it.
DIERK: Recorded on a Sony walkman – like DISORDER’s live LP. I just loved how simple things were done at that time. Even PUNGENT STENCH did their first demo through a mere cassette recorder. Our demo never got released elsewhere. We re-recorded all songs (except for one lame joke song) on a 4-track-machine operated by former EXTREM guitarist Helmut Heiland. He was mainly bored with Hardcore by then but loved our youthful, chaotic, enthusiastic approach and my bassplaying. In between those 2 recording sessions I got heavily influenced by Bomba’s 4-string-magic on RKL’s fantastic „Rock & Roll Nightmare“ album. Of course I wasn’t close at all to his genius but it sounded wild, so fair enough 😉 My vocal style was supposed to match SOB’s Tottsuan before they went Grindcore. I thought I succeeded but the STENCH dudes kept kidding me that I rather sounded like Mille of KREATOR. What an offense at that time, haha! A few years ago Erwin said it actually was not too different to how BURZUM sounded some years later on. Take your pick. Erwin only did vocals on one song he wrote himself because what I came up with for that one was a disaster. He sounded much better than I did and had to pick up the mic later on due to those results. It was a wise decision made. Tough luck, big boy! I still like this recording. Think we wanted to release it as a 7″ but that never happened. It eventually found its way onto vinyl at the end of our LP.
1st LP (SACRO EGOISMO), 1992
ERWIN: Reunited after a split of almost 2 years we progressed deeper into our high speed direction. The HC scene by that time was very arty-farty and we chose tho walk in opposite direction influenced by HERESY, SEPTIC DEATH, SIEGE as well as NYHC. I still like the record despite of its bad sound because some of the songs have a timeless power. Funny that we got kind of dissed by the Vienna scene and labeled Macho HC because of that record. Seems none of them spoke English because most of the lyrics were lovesongs!!!! Dierk and I had lost our first big loves back then and we felt the need to write about it, haha. So I hereby claim the invention of EMO-HC to COLD WORLD, “the godfathers of Emocore” ;-))
DIERK: Bobs from ACTIVE MINDS especially encouraged us to continue. My brother didn’t want to play fast anymore so it was clear that Peter would be joining us. Of course we took advantage of this situation and accelerated the speed further. The LP was recorded as a 3 piece with me on bass and guitar because Erwin said he wouldn’t be able to play his own riffs anymore at the speed Peter and I were taking the songs to. Gerhard joined us from the LP release party onward. He was a friend and a great bassplayer from a Blues/Southern Rock type of band. No kidding. The punks didn’t get our style so we had to find interesting musicians elsewhere. He said he absolutely had no clue how the fuck we were playing what we played and that he wanted to learn. He was great. I still think it’s a pity the LP’s sound turned out so tame because the rehearsals and gigs were a whole different chapter in terms of power and rawness. We covered „Terrorain“ on the album and SEPTIC DEATH’s drummer Paul told me later on he was blown away by how fast we had played it. Oh, and the lyrics… holy shit… Just skip most of them, please!
1st EP “You´re an Asshole” (SOUNDPOLLUTION & B-CORE), 1993
ERWIN: Our first real step into a more radical musical direction. We wanted to become faster as well as heavier. One of our best songs (“BAD SEED”) is on it which we still play live! The SIEGE cover of “CONFORM” was a tribute to one of our favourite bands. Although we were unhappy again with the sound we earned good reactions as the record came out on SOUND POLLUTION for the US and B-CORE for Europe.
DIERK: A mixed bag. This could have been serious if the sound was right, especially on the superlong title track that many people thought to be our tribute to NEUROSIS‘ „Souls at Zero“, which it was not because the heavy riffs were already conceived in the 80s. I remember early MELVINS left an impression on my side as well as BLACK SABBATH and Erwin probably came up with a Hardcore version of some STENCH intros. That song’s fast riffs and structure were serious SEPTIC DEATH worshipping at twice their speed. „Bad Seed“ was a typical Peter/Dierk joint venture at that time – we had a lot of crazy ideas for speed changes and wild rhythm patterns that sounded fairly straight on upon first listening. They were not, but weren’t forcefully constructed at all. They just came like that and we let them flow fast and easily.
2nd EP “Pretentious Assholes” (SOUND POLLUTION), 1993
ERWIN: Our milestone in the first phase of our band. I wouldn´t change a tone. First time we managed to have a good and brutal sound and the songs were the best we had by that time. Friends of the band consider “NO COMMENT” our best song ever.
DIERK: Kalv told me our version of „Consume“ sounded better than HERESY’s original. It’s too bad their LP suffered from such a bad sound. Anyway that time we were already mostly beyond stealing or copying riffs from anyone but let us influence from certain vibes. I wanted to come up with a record as compact and crushing as NO COMMENT’s „Downsided“ because it was clear right away that record had opened a new chapter in Hardcore. We did that record totally on our own with our bassplayer Gerhard recording and mixing and a lot of help from our dedicated friend Haig, a really good sound technician who always worked for us for free just because he liked us and our sonic mayhem. Some more subbass would have been nice but aside of that the record came out the way we wanted it. Of course it doesn’t sound like „Downsided“ at all, not even the song „No Comment“, our hommage to that wonderful band. It’s just our own little combo at its best.
1st CD ”So far so fast” on SOUND POLLUTION, 1993: a discography of the LP and both 7″es
2nd CD ”NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS” (LOST & FOUND), 1994
ERWIN: In my opinion this record led to our split in 94. Peter and I wanted to go into a slower and heavier direction (SORRY, I DON´T REMEMBER WHY!!), more metal and NYHC influenced while Dierk wanted to keep the speed up. As we hardly spoke to each other in that time everyone came up with their own songs unwilling to change anything, any line, whatever. We tried to manage to walk along both paths, highspeed and heavyness, and failed big time. Today after so many years I think it was a good album, good sound, some good and one great song but IT´S NOT US – it doesn´t sound like COLD WORLD!! All the troubles around this record and not knowing which direction we should follow we split in anger, not talking to each other for many, many years.
DIERK: The infamous Bernd Granz got interested in us and we drove up to the suburbs of Hannover to record that CD at 3CW studios. For whatever reason I thought this was a good idea as I liked the clean, thick sound Nico Poschke had achieved with his own band GIGANTOR. The mixdown and mastering was done after we had returned to Vienna, ignoring our demands we had written down. The CD sounds a lot tamer than the initial mix, which was actually really good. It’s still ok but could have been much better. Peter started using double bass while still blasting with one foot. I came up with one heavy song myself as I did like some of the 90s NYHC mongo stuff initially (as well as HELMET and PRONG’s „Cleansing“ era) but the label hated how we spread out into 2 opposite musical directions on one album, did some shitty, unapproved cover „artwork“, sent us 50 CDs and basically told us to fuck off. So technically this is another L&F bootleg and Bernd to this very day had better not come to Vienna because Erwin still would want him for lunch. After that disappointment we did 2 or 3 more new songs without much enthusiasm from my side, all slow and heavy, played one horrible last gig in Vienna and stopped calling each other.
3rd EP “HANDS OFF OUR MUSIC” (SHORT FUSE), 2008
ERWIN: Shortly after our split in 94 Dierk & Peter recorded these songs without vocals, taking the best we stood for in the past and did it twice as brutal. It was kind of a heritage of old COLD WORLD. When I first heard it I was speachless. I thought I could never do vocals for that as I haven´t sang for almost 15 years. We started to rehearse with MUNDI from RUISOSA INMUNDICIA on bass, first just to help me work out the vocals for the record but then we had the idea to play a 20th anniversary gig … and here we are today. Back to the record: the songs can almost be considered Grindcore, but watch closely – it´s still HC PUNK!!! I love the EP and that Clint, our Australian label friend almost forced us/me to do it!!!
DIERK: I bumped into Peter a year after we stopped, had a nice conversation about what’s going on and what went wrong. He and I decided to jam on a few ideas about how CW should have sounded like – the first time ever we came up with an open approach to songwriting. The songs sounded radical and good, we had fun and decided to record them ourselves quickly onto 8-track in my storage room. Said and done. Except for Black Metal I was finished with guitar based music back then, going into a lot of different directions with so many exiting new things happening. One was experimental electronic music. The idea was to let our songs remix/fuck up by various acts I enjoyed and was in touch with like FUCKHEAD, MERZBOW, FENNESZ and a few more. There was talk about a 12″ on Vienna’s leading avantgarde label Mego but in the end it didn’t happen. The FUCKHEAD mix and the MERZBOW cooperation on the bonus 7″ were done back then for that planned release. I brought a few new ideas outside of guitar music into those songs. Most of them worked, I’m still happy with this record. Erwin took a big step forward on vocals when he recorded them over 12 years later. This was my last recording until 2010. Around 93/94 I got asked by nowadays well known Austrian Indie band NAKED LUNCH to join them on bass. I really liked them back then but decided to stick to CW only. The bassplayer of DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA joined instead and even though this seemed very odd in the beginning it worked out perfectly and I’m happy for them even though their newer material is not my cup of tea. In 95 i spent some weeks in Klagenfurt practicing with DISHARMONIC ORCHESTRA but musically the vibe wasn’t there between us so we didn’t continue and DO was unfortunately put on ice for a while. What a pity after their outstanding „Pleasuredome“ album, my favorite Austrian record of all time! Musically I stayed active all the time afterwards, just differently by organizing mostly underground electronic dance parties and working as a DJ myself. From the late 90s onward I started going to a few Hardcore gigs again, too.
1st Split LP with EXTORTION (RSR), 2012
ERWIN: We recorded our side in 2010 already, kind of old upon release 😉 Most of the initial riffs came from Mundi so the record is much more straight hardcore again. We gave the songs our special COLD WORLD note by arranging them in our own way, still it´s not as heavy as the previous EP. But this way it perfectly fits the EXTORTION side as reactions proove.
DIERK: Former EXTORTION drummer Rhys stayed at my place some days along with Clint Shortfuse and we had a lot of fun. He didn’t even tell me he had played in EXTORTION but I found out afterwards and we kept in touch. For us it took some time to get into the songwriting mode again while Mundi was in full effect with RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA and SOTATILA. I think most of the songs are pretty good, maybe a bit too similar to what we were already doing in the early 90s which is why we went into a more radical direction after the recording. Mundi rather wanted to keep playing straight fast Hardcore/Powerviolence with CW so we parted on good terms. I was parting with RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA as well because it was time to seperate the 2 bands again. They still have my full support, of course. Martin of PUNGENT STENCH/HOLLENTHON mixed our songs. It was a fine job but soundwise we ourselves had already done some mistakes upon recording. All in all it’s a good comeback but there’s more to come. The first pressing sold out quickly but when you read this there will already be a 2nd pressing available, again via RSR.
Upcoming: 2nd SPLIT LP with HUMMINGBIRD OF DEATH (Deep Six), 2013
ERWIN: Already finished! Will be our definite milestone! Working as a 3-piece again (with me on bass and vocals) we recorded our most radical songs so far. The production is huge, quite professional and the songs are the climax of what we ever intended to reach with our band and as musicians. You´ll be surprised for sure. I´m happy as a father with his first born child. It took us almost 25 years to record THE SONGS we were after from the beginning! Our goal was to expand the meaning of our way of HC to its very boundaries, to become more and more extreme. It´s still HC but on the edge towards GRINDCORE, DEATHMETAL or whatever, there simply is no limit. Extreme Hardcore can be so much more than just following the usual formulas. But enough said, the record will hopefully be out in spring.
DIERK: Definitely our best stuff over all the years. Bob Deep Six asked me if we needed a label to release it which is great, of course. We are utterly thankful that TT from ABIGOR was kind enough to do the recording for us from A to Z and the sound has turned out incredible: Just the perfect balance between raw brutality and stringent thickness. The reformed ABIGOR releases along with recent DEATHSPELL OMEGA is some of my favorite stuff of lately. Finally some fresh air in blastbeat music. Working as a 3 piece again like in the early 90s is very fruitful even though very different because we all participate in the song writing process during rehearsals. Nothing is written in stone anymore while ideas flow in some pretty daring directions for a Hardcore band. Right now we have Lanz from AMESTIGON help us out on bass for gigs. A good friend and an openminded musician in so many ways, very happy he’s participating in our madness!
Looking forward to hear tracks from the upcoming HUMMINGBIRD OF DEATH split! To speak about milestone, in 1990 Pushead put together 100 best diy hcpunk records from ´80s for Thrasher magazine, the same did Ken from Prank Records for ´90s. Now you can do the same for me, but not 100 records just TOP5 should be enough haha. But add why should be choosen as „milestone“ ok?
ERWIN: Dierk, that´s more your cup of tea, uhm beer! You´re the bigger nerd;-) I just can name some of my 80ies TOP Bands: SEPTIC DEATH POISON IDEA HERESY EXTREME NOISE TERROR (the CHAOS UK split & Holocaust in your head) COLERA (ALL!!!) SO MUCH HATE (ALL) LÄRM DEEP WOUND SIEGE MINOR THREAT CONDEMNED? DIE KREUZEN BLACK FLAG (the pre ROLLINS years) ……and so on….
DIERK: That’s difficult because with passing time and put into historical context some things change. Certain „all time favorites“ from back then have not stood the test of time when other releases have become heavy weights. These ones for sure have had a massive impact and remain untouched still:
BAD BRAINS „Roir Tape“ – it’s from another dimension… DISCHARGE „Hear Nothing“ – a record that even today cannot be bettered RATTUS „Ratcage LP“ – maybe the most radical Scandinavian HC record GISM „Detestation“ – Industrial Music concept put to Hardcore and Metal. Unique, dangerous, just fantastic art DRI „Dirty Rotten“ and „Dealing with It“ – the beginning of extreme Hardcore, 2nd generation NO COMMENT „Downsided“ – the last real progression in extreme Hardcore before the start of retromania
The full EP called “Pretentious assholes”, is there any relationship with POISON IDEA EP called “Records collectors are pretentious assholes”? Haha. So to speak about the collectors or collecting a records, what about you? Any rare stuff in your collections? Doesn´t hardcorepunk in fact mostly about collecting and talking shits about fuckin´ records? Haha…
ERWIN: Dierk is thanked on the “DUTCH COURAGE” live LP, he will tell why☺. And yes the cover of course plays with the fact that we as almost all hardcorefreaks are collectors, nerds and kind of pretentious and is meant as an homage to POISON IDEA, one of the best HC-Punkbands ever!! I collect vinyl from music I love, it does not need to be rare – have no money anyway to buy it! But from the old days I´ve got some rare and expensive records that I wouldn´t trade for anything. They are my babies ☺!!! I Think everyone who loves music as we all do likes to talk about it and so on. There´s nothing wrong with that, is it? Better a hardcore nerd than just a nerd;-)
DIERK: The one and only PI! We depicted our own influences and obviously boasted with some rare records. I could have lived with a few less NYHC records, but that’s what Erwin enjoyed at that time (listen to „Average“, his song), so it’s fine with me. I was devestatingly boozing with Jerry A on their stop in Vienna along PI’s first European tour, broke my nose upon thrashing to „Discontent“ which he dedicated to me and provided them with the soundboard recording of that gig which resulted in the „Live in Vienna“ 7″. „Thanx to Derik“ – that’s me, haha! They also thanked me on the „Dutch Courage“ LP under „Dirk“. Almost got it right in the end 😉 I was a passionate record collector from my early years on and to a certain degree I still am. So yes, you can make me happy with that limited mailorder version of a record I like. But I’m not 100% anal about it any more, don’t need to own each and everything just because it’s rare. I only stick to releases I really like or that am telling a certain story of my own history. The rest may come and go. Either way my collection is still huge and evergrowing with many rare goodies. But I have no problem in selling records I don’t care about. As much as I love ANTI-CIMEX I traded away my „Anarkist Attack“ 7″ a long time ago because i didn’t like it too much, still don’t. But dare to put your greedy fingers onto my „Raped Ass“ 7″! Punk has become a lot about what you said, agreed. We just cover it up by declaring we are caring, political human beings out there for a change, don’t we?
A split record format is done very often and in a fact it´s the basic punk release. Before the 12” split with EXTORTION there´s none CW split! Any special reason for that? Can you imagine a band for a split in the 1st period of CW?
ERWIN: Actually I don´t remember why we never did a split back then. I think this format wasn´t very popular in those days and there were fewer bands around so everybody took the opportunity to do a record on their own. I think LÄRM and HERESY would have been great as splitpartners or our friends FUCKHEAD.
DIERK: Both LÄRM and HERESY were over before CW got going. The split format wasn’t that common back then and it never came to our minds either. Maybe G-ANX would have been nice because i loved their stuff and they were on Sound Pollution, too. I still don’t like the split 7″ format at all, it’s mostly a cheap excuse to release some half hearted material just because 2 bands shared a few beers along the road. The split 12″ on the other hand has become interesting to me for a few reasons: Since bands with mostly short, fast songs often fail in doing a good full album because it tends to get tiring after a while the length of a 7″ is just about the right amount of time to build up something exiting and relevant within our kind of music. However a 12″ on 45rpm usually sounds much better than a 7″, so 2 fitting bands with proper material for a respective 7″ together on one 12″ makes a lot of sense to me. I talked to Rohan (EXTORTION) about this because we didn’t want to do a split 7″ and he saw the same positive aspects. When HOD asked about a split 7″ we told them the same – which is why there will be another split 12″. It could be we’ll stick to this format but only with bands that have a meaning to CW. There’s absolutely no use these days to release anything that doesn’t make 100% sense. We found out about HOD early on because they nicely covered one of our songs on their first demo. As a band I enjoy them a lot because like us they don’t give a fuck about Punk rules or limitations and let their creativity flow in many different directions while at the same time they remain close to the essence and blast away like there’s no tomorrow.
All of your records (except the self released 1st demotape, right?) has been released by a various HC/punk labels. How did you get in contact with them and especially with Ken from Sound Pollution? To have a releases under the Nr.11, Nr.14 and Nr. 15 in Sound Pollution list is a really exciting guys!
ERWIN: The first record got released on a local label of a short lived former COLD WORLD singer (just for a few months when Dierk played bass and I was on guitar). The reactions were good worldwide. As I remember Ken contacted us to work together. His label was new and small that time. It got „big“ years later. We are still in contact with him and although we never met in person he kept being a friend of the band over all the years! Having 3 releases on SOUND POLLUTION exiting people like you, Ondra – this kind of honours us, thank you!!!
DIERK: We had differences with Sacro Egoismo about some truly unnecessary actions he did but hey, that happened such a long time ago. Our LP was requested by a lot of international distros which got us in touch with Jordi from B-Core and Ken Pollution through Sacro Egoismo, so something useful did come out of that album for us. Both Jordi and Ken always were more than correct towards CW and I still have to thank them for all their interest, effort and faith they put into our little band. And without Ken Pollution I doubt anyone would still care about us so many years later. I’m still in touch with him and he very much enjoys our new stuff since the reunion. This means a lot to me! I can still kick my ass, though, that I missed meeting him in person in the late 90s when HELLNATION played in Vienna! This meeting still needs to happen by any means. And Clint Shortfuse… where to start? The main reason why we got back together and a wonderful, grumpy, witty, übernerdish dude with the best and sometimes not the best taste of music combined in one character. I love him. Sandro RSR knew COLD WORLD from back then, he even saw us play in Leipzig in 1993. He, too, was absolutely correct towards the band, so one more big „thank you!“ towards another fine label that was kind enough to release our music. Aside of Lost & Found we were very lucky, I guess. But in regards to L&F we should have known better anyway.
I guess that you maybe unknowingly helped out to release a further European bands on US labels like Sound Pollution,Six Weeks, 625 etc. I remember some kind of disrespect towards European (especially East or from countries with no scene…) hcpunk from US scene generally, of course except bands from UK and Sweden heh.
ERWIN: The american scene was far more self focussed than the european scene. Except if you play pure Punk or extreme HC PUNK like we always did. Think it has changed over the years but on the other hand so many european bands just think it’s enough to copy american bands instead of creating something on their own, something that comes from inside of them instead of the newest retro trend from the States…so I can also understand that Americans are often bored by cheap European copycats! But quality makes its way across the sea anyway!
DIERK: I’m aware we were among the first European HC bands outside of the regularily favoured countries to have releases in the US but if instead some dedicated guy from for instance France or Canada would have shown interest we’d have been enthusiastic all the same.
An anticopyright is one of the crucial points in hc/punk scene. OK, but how do you see today´s internet blog´s and shitload of music available on the internet? I suppose that in the case of sold out or hard to find records it is really fine but I am not sure if stealing a hundreds of MP3´ by one click makes you punk. Just music without “a soul” or an attitude…I don´t know. Remember old times with dubbing of tapes, purchasing or trading cheap tapes with many new or cult bands with an easy xerox covers, with lyrics sheets, flyers and than trading with friends from abroad and on and on…
ERWIN: This fucking trend of downloading your music has already killed so many cool labels (SOUND POLLUTION for example) so even the stupidest punk must have realised that this kind of behaviour kills our own music, our scene. Downloading makes you an asshole but never a punk. Punk has got nothing to do with spending your time in front of a screen badmouthing people and bands anonymously on boards or blogs and downloading small bands‘ music for free. I support my scene by buying records, buying merch and not by getting it for free in the net or buying cheap bootleg shirts. Bring me one SKUNK that thinks downloading makes him a PUNK and I will show him what my punk is all about by bashing his head in. Sorry but hearing bullshit like that really makes me angry. I never had money in my life but I never stole my beloved bands‘ music. These people are no punks.
DIERK: Someone’s own music is none of anyone’s but the artists‘ business, so it’s the artists‘ decision to give stuff away for free or not, not the consumers‘. Of course it doesn’t work like that anymore and there’s nothing that can be done about it. Like I already mentioned above – who would have thought that one day buying a record would be more Punk than stealing the music? On one hand tape trading also was „stealing the music“, but you had to get involved, it took some sort of effort and enthusiasm and was all about spreading the music you loved. Nowadays people put everything online just because they can, often not even knowing or liking certain releases, free for everyone to comment on what many haven’t even taken their time to understand. You’re not helping any band by just putting their music online. If you really wanted to help the band you’d take your time to seriously listen to the music, the lyrics, do a proper write-up to show why people should be as exited as you are and then ask the band if it’s ok to spread that shit. Most every Punk band would gladly say yes, go ahead! On a similar level the whole bootlegging process has gotten out of hand in Punk: Certain people are making a living or good extra cash on manufacturing records and merch of bands that themselves never really made any money, hiding behind the supposedly holy sign of „anti- copyright“ when it has rather turned into a selfish „me, me, me!“. No wonder a few bands have started to fight back. Why don’t those bootlegging assholes simply contact the bands (nothing easier than that in times of web 2.0), propose them a deal and in most cases all will be love & flowers. Hardly any Punk band will ask for money but rather some part of the merch. Are you too greedy to give them back what they created?
I heard a story about a guy who still runs his label today (not necessary to name him), in the past did a bootleg of Assuck t-shirts, than Assuck did EU tour he came on a gig with bunch of free shirts for them and they fuck him a lot hehe. OK, what´s the rarest stuff you have in your collections and what sort of insane prices have you paid for record?
Erwin: Sounds good to me, the part with fucking that guy! Like Dierk said: Ask the band and give them their share or fuck off and get your ass kicked, hopefully;-) Rarest stuff: PÖBEL „es lebe hoch…“ EP – ultrarare vienna Punk, AF „United blood“ copy of first 200 with Skin Label, SLAUGHTER Fan Club EP „one foot in the grave“ (ordered the Demo Cassete and got the EP instead)
DIERK: At least he wanted to give them a share of the shirts, that’s someting I personally would have appreciated. I always was a serious record collector so i own lots of crazy stuff like ridiculously limited Pushead variations, old classics from all over the globe, but also dear stuff like a one of a kind acetate I was given by the wonderful Andrew Weatherall. I don’t pay big bucks for old records (I have most of what I wanted in Hardcore anyways), I rather buy new ones or classics of other genres that I was too stupid to understand when I was young. The most money I spent was $300 on a mailorder version of the SEPTIC DEATH 12″. I had sold my TEEN IDLES 7″ for the same amount a few days previously, therefore I can somehow regard this as a 1:1 trade. Not a bad one in my opinion. Aside of that I never spent anything even close on any record.
18.Additional one regarding this issue, there has been a strong discussion towards the US grinders MAGRUDERGRIND who has accepted an offer from Scion (Toyota). They released their EP under the Scion, get paid for studio expenses and EP is available for free download on internet. They arguee that sound is great, thanks to payment of an expensive studio and because of availability of the record on internet. So now we can´t speak about „stealing of music“ but is this way how to spread hardcore/Punk under the multinational companies like Scion? See NAPALM DEATH „Scum“ artcover and listen the 1st track called „Multinational corporations“and now see what helps out to hcpunk bands with releases….. What´s your opinion?
ERWIN: Actually It´s their business and I don´t care and I also don´t judge people before I know all details and just because the DIY punk police says so! Anyway, I don´t see any sense in it – recording stuff just for the internet no matter who pays for it!
DIERK: I’m with Erwin on this. Quite a few other respectable bands like BASTARD NOISE have played Scion Fest and I’m sure they have their reasons. Most punks use ebay, paypal, own credit cards, have their facebook accounts, quite a few fly to gigs around the globe, are married, work for big companies, etc. I am not sure if I can always take criticism serious from that side. I still strongly believe Punk should stay as independent as possible, but not for the pure sake of it. There are too many 10 Punk Commandments followers around anyway. I know Chris from MAGRUDERGRIND/COKE BUST and that dude is as dedicated as one can get so I can imagine they know what they’re doing.
Dierk, as you said, after the split of CW in 1994 you was involved in electro music and worked as a DJ. That´s pretty interesting! What exactly exciting you on this music and in fact the electro scene itself? Can you compare both scenes from your point of view? Is this scene less dogmatic than the punk one? In fact why did you quit hcpunk that time? Every time I was wondering about a reasons why let´s say total hardcore maniac quit it at all.
Erwin: (…..)AHHHHH, for me it all sounds like tekkno and I DON`T LIKE IT, except I´m totally stoned and it´s trippy;-)
DIERK: That’s because Erwin is a modern day Neanderthal man not too sensitive about variations in life! Hardcore was very boring around that time. The local scene consisted for a good part of talkabouts and wannabes without any idea of their own musical heritage, the topics and talks were lame. I was ignorant towards electronic music to the maximum, went to a big techno street party to ridicule the DJs and audience but somehow ended up curious about what was going on. A few more techno parties later and I was hooked. The vibe was exceptional in those days, the music full of originality, the audience a lot more mixed than in „Hardcore“ and made up of all kinds of creative types of both genders and in between. It was underground, lots of illegal or semi-legal events in sometimes crazy places and musically there was a lot to learn for me. We’re talking Detroit Techno here: Man/Machine made funk music and not that garbage free tekkno shit that i still can’t stand at all and which is just there because of too many cheap, bad, fast drugs. As I dug deeper I realized my love for Electro (which had quite a revival in the mid 90s around genius acts like Drexciya) and Technobass from the incredible Direct Beat label. This is where I focussed my DJ’ing around initially before getting totally hooked onto Ghettotech and Ghettohouse/Juke. I did a lot of parties with fantastic international acts, worked closely with DJ Godfather and DJ Assault for some years, did a few big names like Juan Atkins and Andrew Weatherall and DJ’ed myself a lot in Austria and a bit beyond. In 2002 I started a record shop for DJs with a friend of mine that lasted until 2010 when vinyl sales were over because almost every DJ had gone digital by then. We brought Grime and Dubstep to Vienna and booked a lot of nowadays big acts when they were not household names: Skream, Benga, Rusko, Caspa, Mala,… Dubstep parties had a great special flavor and wonderful audience in the mid-00’s before its commercial breakthrough. The whole electronic underground scene was definitely less dogmatic than Punk for a long time, a lot of it only got very conservative and boring over the last few years. There was no connection to Punk. Radical loud music is always good for letting your anger and frustration out, but dance music to me is something i enjoy when i feel funky and just want to have a good time shaking my ass the night away. I absolutely oppose the melting of those seperate worlds. Crowdsurfing, stagediving and circle pits at dance parties are about the most annoying achievements of the last years. This whole EDM media invention is just as useless as Nu Metal, so no wonder they share the same audience. But it’s big and will not disappear soonish. It was about time to get back to the core, to serious music, to a healthy surrounding sans all that corporate event bullshit hype.
Is a chance that hardcorepunk will exist in the next 20 years? Will be here still some people who reject the major society and will be active in this subculture? Where is a new generation of hcpunk youngsters?
ERWIN: There was, is and always will be a next generation! Look at us, we weren´t the first – maybe the 3rd or 4th generation in HC or so. The HC scene changes over and over after just a couple of years. Some old faces stay but the rest is new people, new bands. Take me – Í hardly know any people when I go to a concert – Í like that – again a new generation is at work! And just because these days more and more old bands reunite doesn´t mean time stands still! I´m not a fan of most reunions, old once famous bands with just one or two original members left who just play live for fame and don´t record any new stuff – fuck them! I´m not nostalgic and sentimental! Do something new or get lost! Don´t be afraid Punk will never die;-)))
DIERK: At least Peter for sure was from HC generation number one, haha! HC Punk has survived for +30 years, it will still be here in one form or another in 20 years. Just how influential or not… At this point I believe DIY Punk is taking itself way to important when it has lost a lot of its significance due to holding on to the same ideas without the slightest acceptance of a changing surrounding. „This was right in the 80s, it has to be right now!“ Drum & Bass and Punk although so contrary attract some of the most self righteous followers I have got to know over the decades. I think music as a whole does not have too much identification potential for any subculture anymore in times of web 2.0 because of its omnipresence. I tend to believe Street Art for instance has made a bigger statement than Punk over the recent years even though a lot of it has quickly become fashionable.
Last one: What are your plans for the future? Btw. I have to say that COLD WORLD is one of the most underrated bands in hardcore/Punk scene without no doubts. Do you feel or is there place for any kind of sentiment if you see bands touring over the world and are „big“ names in hc/Punk? I do not mean any kind of profit but much more respect! OK, good luck with everything and many thanks.
ERWIN: Playing live more often and recording some more records and playing gigs in countries I´ve never been before! Thanx for the compliments! Still it makes no sense for me to think „what could have been“ or „why them and not us“ (by the way that´s the kind of jelousy big parts of the vienna scene had towards us all the years) – we never were a big band but we never got involved with HC because of that kind of attitude: craving to become a „big“ band! We ´re in it for the music and the fun of it and not for the fame! Seeking fame and respect – thats a pop music attitude so fuck it! We finally earn our share of respect these days by people like you who like our music, it feels quite good at the moment as the reactions on the EXTORTION split are amazing! I´m happy with the actual situation but on the other hand we wouldn´t stop playing if nobody liked us! My attitude needs no „likes“, I´ll stay punk if you like me or not – that ´s what it is all about, isn´t it!!!???
DIERK: Time flies by at this stage in life. We regrouped a year ago, didn’t we? No, that was +5 years ago already. Plans? What Erwin said. Plus staying hungry and radical within our music and always questioning the status quo. I’m happy for any band out of our musical surrounding that gets around to do things, no reason for negativity here. We’re very pleased to be invited to festivals like PFOD, had a wonderful time in 2009 and are thankful to be back this year. That weekend will be our drummer’s 50th birthday, by the way! Just don’t buy him too many beers, grandpa is not a stable drinker anymore, haha! We are able to release our music on excellent labels such as RSR and Deep Six these days and get respect from some of the most amazing musicians from all different backgrounds. By no means I would trade that against being a „thumbs up“ band of the moment.