Band: Witherhorde
From: Merseyside, UK
Their formation story:
(Ted, vocals): “We all managed to find each other just at the right time, we were all calling it a day with previous bands and were looking to do something different. Each of us came from different styles, Olli (bass) and I from a deathcore band, Dylan (drums) from an emo/post-hardcore band, and Ethan (guitar) from a straight edge hardcore band.
“We had all become a little fed up with the growing presence of hate and discrimination in hardcore, particularly towards transgender people, queer people and women in the scene, and we wanted to show people that it isn’t just for the guys wearing windbreakers and 110s showing off their egos at shows, that it’s a community and a space not owned by a certain group but by all. It’s not a space to be gatekept, but to be welcoming and inclusive.
“Every set we play is for the queer community within hardcore, and we strive to keep our shows free from hate and abuse in every form. Witherhorde shows are a space to express yourself freely along with others, without the fear of scrutiny or rejection. It’s a space to dance violently, against violence.”
Their sound in their own words:
“Harsh chainsaw guitar tones, indecipherable deathcore style vocals, insane blast beats that make you throw your hands in the air, shotgun snare hits and most importantly, violent two-steps, hardcore grooves and breakdowns for the moshers.”
Latest release info:
“We really wanted to get the EP out as quick as possible and let people get a feel of what Witherhorde is, lots of inspiration for designs and lyrics came through movies and games, with samples from things like Lord of the Rings, Silent Hill and, of course, Oblivion. The lyrics (although not very discernible) talk from the perspective of someone gaining the power to break and burn their wrongdoers through their own pain and anger, like they’re ascending to some higher form but at the cost of self destruction.
“Other than the live drums, the whole EP was tracked in a bedroom. The whole process was done just by the four of us all just with our knowledge from past projects and previous works. We were lucky enough to get into a proper room to track the drums through a members university project, we didn’t want to compromise with having midi drums on the EP given that they’re a big part of the motion and feel of the songs. Once done we wanted to go with Jake Gore for the mix and master, who really captured the harsh and heavy sound we were after.”
Future plans:
“We’re working hard on getting up and down the country and showing local scenes what we are about. You can expect to hear us drop something before the year is done, and we’ll be improving on the sound and exploring where this project takes us next as musicians. We’re always trying to push our limits and see how ridiculous we can get.”
What other bands from their region should we check out?
“We owe a lot to our friends for supporting us and getting Witherhorde where it is now. We’ve worked alongside our good friends in Demeanour with us releasing both our debut EP's on the same day.
"We’re also doing a ‘double EP release show’ on the 14th of August in Liverpool. We’ve capped the tickets for the show so there’s plenty of space for the moshers and it’s on its way to hitting capacity already, so be sure to check out their EP, My Own Fate, and see if you can grab yourself a ticket to the show (or risk major FOMO).
“Another big favourite of ours are Smother, who we’ve done a couple shows with now, and would love to sort something out together in the future. Some other projects featuring members of Witherhorde are Monroe, Pain Program, Rozemary, Vored and even some others in the works.”
Witherhorde on social media: Instagram
