Southern California hardcore has always been built on lineage, and Blood & Tears feels like a natural extension of that tradition. Featuring brothers Nic, Alex, and Danny Samayoa—names longtime listeners will recognize from bands like Fury, Forced Order, and Illusion—the project brings decades of shared history, both musical and personal, into sharp focus. While the three have circled each other in different bands over the years, Blood & Tears marks the first time they have fully come together as one unit.
The result is Brotherhood, a four-song debut demo that lives up to its name—rooted in family, shaped by years of hardcore immersion, and driven by a no-nonsense sound that is as timeless as it is punishing. Guitarist Isaac Hale (Knocked Loose, XweaponX, Inclination) is also part of the project.
In the conversation below, Danny and Nic reflect on their early entry points into heavy music, the long road to finally starting a band together, and how Blood & Tears is just getting started. Since I chatted with the brothers, they played their first show at Midnight Hour in San Fernando, California, and that's where the live photos in this article were taken.
How did you guys get into heavy music? Were your parents huge music heads?
Danny: Our parents were definitely into music when we were growing up. Driving around with our mom, we must have listened to the Fleetwood Mac - Rumors CD hundreds of times. With our dad, it was a lot of classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, etc., and also a bunch of Rock en Español stuff like Mana, Juanes, and Miguel Mateos.
I personally remember getting into punk bands like Pennywise because of our neighbor who was into that stuff, also our older brother got me into a lotta nu metal. Then, in high school, I started getting more into hardcore and metal.
What were some of the first hardcore bands that you got into? Do you remember some of the early shows you attended that had a huge impact on you?
Danny: From what I remember, I think I got into the classics like Minor Threat and Bad Brains first, then I started diving into a lot of the current hardcore bands of the time. Bands like Ceremony, Have Heart, and Bitter End were big ones for me.
The first concert I remember going to was Warped Tour 2004 in Fullerton. Then, hardcore gigs, I just remember a ton of shows at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. That place was a huge part of our lives growing up.
Nic: Yeah, what Danny said. Any show between 2005 and 2008 was very impactful to us. Bands like Have Heart, Ceremony, Terror, Internal Affairs, and Violation, as well as the Sound and Fury festivals, played a big role for us, too.
When did the idea behind Blood & Tears begin to formalize? You have played in bands together throughout the years, but this is obviously a bit different.
Danny: We had been wanting to do a band together for probably 20 years, but it just never came to fruition. We had a bunch of bands when we were younger, but never any with all three of us. The idea really got rolling when Isaac [Hale] hit Nic up to start a band, and Nic pitched him the idea of doing one with all three of us. A week later, he had a demo written.
Nic: Yeah, I think Isaac and I were at our homies' wedding and had chatted about doing a demo, but it never went anywhere. At Sound and Fury, we brought it up again, finally put together a plan, and decided which route we wanted to take. He was hyped about doing it with us 3.
How would you describe the band’s sound?
Nic: The vibe is definitely a mix of Death Threat, Terror, and Madball. The focus was on having a lot of mosh parts and good sing-alongs.
You tracked everything on the demo with Taylor Young, a producer and musician you have a long friendship with. Tell me about the sessions.
Danny: I wasn't in the studio when Isaac and Alex were tracking the instruments. I came out to California a few weeks later, and we all went in and recorded all the vocals. It was awesome. I had never done vocals in any band before, so I was a little nervous that I'd sound like ass, but I think it came out cool. Our dad was also in there with us and did a part in Spanish on "Rose Hills," so it was fun having us all there.
Nic: Taylor’s the GOAT.
How much commitment are you all putting forth into touring and all that? Is their new material coming out later this year?
Danny: We definitely want to play as much as possible, but I don't see us doing any super long tours since Nic's got a family and I've got a job out here in Philly. We're already planning some weekend runs and one-off shows this year, so be on the lookout for those.
Nic: We probably won’t ever tour, but we wanna play as much as we can, given all our schedules and commitments. We're already working on new music.
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Blood & Tears on social media: Instagram
Tagged: blood and tears, forced order, fury, illusion
