Band: Alive Inside
From: Vienna, Austria
Their formation story:
(Luis, vocals): “In the past, Oliver and I played in several bands together (GoldenX, OnXPoint, etc.). He later moved to the US for a few years, and during that time we tried to start a new online project, but it never really worked out.
"After he moved back to Vienna, the two of us linked up with an old friend, Flo, and started jamming in early 2020. Before the pandemic hit, we wrote our demo, and during the lockdowns, we recorded it. Later, Chris—an old bandmate of Flo’s—joined us on second guitar (they previously played together in Make My Day and Blindfolds).
"Two years ago, Roman—a true Vienna hardcore legend—completed the lineup on drums. So our current lineup is: Luis (vocals), Roman (drums), Flo (guitar), Chris (guitar), Oliver (bass), and Mike (Make a Change) as a sixth member, who has filled in on bass on several occasions.”
Their sound in their own words:
“We are definitely influenced by the OG ’80s Youth Crew bands, but even more by late ’90s bands like Ten Yard Fight, Floorpunch, and Battery, as well as Vienna’s own H-Street. We’re also extremely inspired by 2000s bands like The First Step and Our Turn, and by later bands like Mindset.
"I would say our sound is a Youth Crew hardcore mix of all eras, maybe with a bit of NYHC influence. We try to add our own flavor, but we’re not here to reinvent anything—we just want to do our part in keeping the old-school hardcore spirit alive, play the music we love, and spread a positive message.”
Latest release info:
“The Only Way Out just came out this April and is our second 7”, but it’s the first recording with Roman on drums, which really elevated our sound. We recorded it last summer at our friend Fips’ studio. The process was really relaxed, and we’re very happy with the outcome.
"A highlight of the recording was doing a full day of crew and guest vocal recordings at our rehearsal space, where a lot of friends from the Vienna hardcore scene showed up. The crew photo on the back cover is from that session.
"For the release, we’re once again working with Passion Means Struggle Records (Germany), who also released our first 7”, A Promise, last year. This time, we also took the lead with our own newly founded label, Vienna Crew Records. The vinyl release is a collaboration with WTF Records, Dedication Records, Noise to Help Records, and Spook Records.
"A CD release for Asia will be handled by XThinkPositiveX Records, and our longtime friends at Smiling Is Not A Crime Records hosted an exclusive prerelease on their Bandcamp (with a free download).”
Future plans:
“In May, we’ll be playing a weekender in Germany with our good friends Eyes of Tomorrow. We also already have some new songs ready, and our next recording is scheduled for early this summer.
"We also have a pretty cool live recording sitting around that we want to release—we just don’t have an exact plan for it yet.”
What other bands from their region should we check out?
“Vienna Hardcore is currently at an all-time high. There are a lot of great shows happening, and a strong, active crew.
"Bands you definitely need to check out are Influence (a new band where I played bass until recently), Compete, Dice Throw, our brothers Perfect Sky, and In The Cage (Roman sings in that band). Also keep an eye out for Make a Change (2012 Youth Crew style), who are planning a reunion later this year.
"For something outside of hardcore, check out Touch by Touch, a synthpop band by a good friend of ours who also helped us out on drums in the past.
And for more Vienna hardcore—especially live videos—check out my YouTube channel."
Alive Inside on social media: Instagram
