A lot of the best crossover has an apocalyptic vibe, right? It’s probably something to do with that raw and scorching sound that evokes people getting their faces melted off, Sarah Connor dream sequence style, or maybe just the relentless burning of our own world - literal and metaphorical - that we see all around us nowadays…
Either way, European thrashers SCORN definitely have a bit of that about them, as evidenced on their ripping debut EP, Cruel World. Billed below as “an observation of a world in collapse," the band soundtrack this accordingly with an onslaught of ferocious riffs, echoey vocals, and some clear actual hardcore influences.
Currently just a duo of guitarist Dom Delicious and vocalist Eli Youth (who also plays bass and some guitar on the record), the pair have nonetheless been able to get out and about pretty regularly with friends filling in for live shows, and they make it clear to me that they have every intention of locking down a dedicated line-up so they can hit the road even harder soon.
I caught up with both of them to discuss origins, influences, plans for the future, and more.
Where in Europe are you guys from? How did the band come together?
Dom: SCORN doesn’t currently have a specific home base, although we’ve generally worked more through Vienna, Austria, where I am based. Eli is living in Berlin, Germany, but is originally from Stockholm, Sweden. We’ve known each other for many years through the European hardcore scene, but started interacting more online during the COVID lockdowns.
Gradually, we got closer and eventually started working together musically in 2023 when Eli helped out on bass in my other band, Dregs. It was also planned that Eli would produce a future Dregs LP; this collaboration eventually evolved into its own thing instead.
Who are some of the main influences on the band?Eli: SCORN would not exist without two bands: Iron Age and Medea. They are a shared love between us, and also the main reason I got into crossover in the first place; however, for SCORN specifically, we’d agree that Forced Neglect, Living In Fear, and Mindforce have been the largest inspirations, with us also heavily consuming Illusion, Power Trip, Doomsday, Prowl, Guilt Trip, Wraith, and Enforced.
How did Cruel World come together? What was the writing process like, and what are the tracks about?
Dom: The general idea of Cruel World was already envisioned before writing the music, so we knew what emotional and lyrical vibe we were going for. Sonically, we had a pretty good idea of the direction we wanted to move in, but as people coming from hardcore and punk rather than metal, it would take some work to write riffs we were satisfied with.
Although we live separately and come up with riff ideas at home that we share, the main writing sessions for the EP were done together in person. We ended up spending about two weeks together, only writing and hanging out, demoing everything in the box (which later developed into a full EP pre-production) before recording.
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Eli: The recording process took place in several locations over a few weeks, whenever we found time to work on it. One day was spent recording drums in a rehearsal space in Berlin; the guitars and bass were recorded over a weekend in a rehearsal space in Vienna; and later, the vocals were recorded in a single session per song in a different rehearsal space in Berlin.
Regarding what the tracks are about… we’d prefer not to spell everything out for each song and rather point towards reading the lyrics, but in short, the EP is an observation of a world in collapse - societal, environmental, and spiritual. We present topics like blind faith and greed, wrestling with addiction to power and systems of control, while also exposing the very human struggle for purpose and connection.
How would you describe your tour experiences so far? Any highlights?
Dom: Even though touring with SCORN is in its early stages, it has been great! People seem really stoked about us, and it feels fucking cool that our music and performance resonate so much. Some turnouts were unbelievably good for such a new band - and that is something we definitely don’t take for granted.
Compared to touring with our previous bands, nothing crazy has really happened yet. Some rough times in a crappy van during the January tour, where cold air was leaking in, and no proper heating, and some venues were about freezing degrees as well. Ask us again next year, and we might have some more fun stuff to share [laughs].
Do you feel like crossover is in a good place within the wider context of the hardcore scene today?
Eli: Honestly - not really. Not when it comes to representation (at least regarding mainland Europe). That’s our perception, but we would love to be proven wrong. We hope this changes!
What are your plans for the year ahead?
Eli: As soon as some personal stuff is dealt with, we plan on booking in as many shows and tours as possible for us. We’ll hopefully sort out having the EP pressed on vinyl, and other than that, we will spend time writing new material. Ideally, it would be sick to have a full lineup at some point this year, too.
Are there any big, specific hopes or bucket list items you’d like to achieve with the band?
Dom: We haven’t really thought much about such things - we’re doing this to express ourselves, have good times with friends, and see a bunch of cool bands. It would, however, be incredible to tour the world, witness the underground scene of new places, and meet so many different characters.
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SCORN on social media: Instagram
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