We had an interesting interview with Laszlo from the future star of the Hungarian Straight Edge Vegan scene, Escalate. He immerses us in their commitment to important causes, their political and vegan philosophy, and their desire to proudly advance the music scene in their country. We learn a lot about their upcoming plans in this interview we have prepared for you with this band from New Age Records.
1. You are the youngest and the first Straight Edge Vegan band from Hungary to be signed to New Age Records in history. What was the opportunity that led you to this contract?
That’s a good question, I don’t really know the answer to, hahah. Our former record(s) were released on Ugly & Proud Records, but after Nikolay called it quits, we had to look for a new label. New Age Records was the first and only label we contacted, if they wanted to work together and luckily after exchanging a few mails, Mike said yes! We are still blown away by this!
2. There seems to be a rich Hardcore and Metalcore scene in Hungary. Is there a viable scene for bands of your musical type in your country that is regularly active?
Yeah, absolutely! There are bands such as Gear, Exterminating Angel, who just returned from an EU tour, also Touch and some younger bands are popping up too, like Wheelbite or Erased. The scene is mostly centred around Budapest like many other things in this tiny country, but it sure is growing! We are organizing shows too, trying to bring more bands to this side of the continent and allowing the kids here to hear new ideas.
3. Are there any artists or bands that have particularly influenced you in terms of Straight Edge and Veganism?
I was around 14 when we started listening to 80’s hardcore bands and Minor Threat drew my attention to straight edge, but at the time I didn’t feel like X-ing up, it had to wait until I turned 18. Throughout the years, I was moving from youth crew to heavier bands and more radical messages, Earth Crisis was definitely the one that influenced me the most to go vegan.
4. And since you have often been on tour in recent years since 2022, what is the best vegan dish you often eat on the road?
We are pretty sad people, so we eat a lot of sweets usually, Manner wafers being on top, hahah.
5. How was Escalate formed, in what year officially, and under what circumstances?
All of us were playing in different bands, but in the same building, and during the pandemic, we spent a lot of time there, since there was nothing else to do. This idea was growing on me to start a vegan straight edge band, because I felt the need to bring these ideas into the scene, and why wait for anyone else? I waited enough. So I asked Adam, if he wanted to play the drums in Escalate, and he was down! From there, the rest of the bands joined over time, Akos first, then Borzsi and Bandi followed, all from different cities. It was 2020.
6. Before forming Escalate, did you study music or form bands and what made you want to play Metalcore music?
As far as I know, none of us studied music, we just learned how to play the instruments by playing our favourite bands’ songs. All of us played in different hardcore/punk/powerviolence bands before, and metalcore had (have?) a pretty bad reputation in the Hungarian underground scene, which is more of a punk influenced scene. I wanted to show, that it can be different and that we have a common ground in our messages.
7. "Consequences" is your third recording if we count your demo and your EP "The Damage Is Done," but your first full album?
Yeah, that’s right!
8. How did you come to work with Scott Crouse of Earth Crisis, did you know this legendary figure before?
We don’t really know how he found us, we only have theories, haha. What makes it surreal, is that he was the one who reached out to us, and said the we should hit him up if we wanted him to do mixing and mastering for us, and we were just about to record two new tracks for the Straight Edge And Proud compilation, so of course we wanted! We had no former connection to him, but since then we were lucky enough to share the stage with them and talk in person.
9. "Let Them Sink," which was previously released on a compilation and seems to have been reworked on "Consequences," seems to be a cry of liberation and distancing from a destructive and toxic relationship. Are we wrong?
You are totally right. I’m all about supporting people in need, let it be a struggle with substance abuse, but I’ve seen that a lot, in my family too, how helping someone unconditionally who doesn’t want to change ruins your life.
10. "The Ortolan" uses metaphors to illustrate the fight against the abuse of power over perpetual consumption in a very engaged way. Can you elaborate on this?
"The Ortolan" is an endangered tiny songbird, that only eats during nighttime, so people capture them, and keep them in the dark to feed them up and then cook them in some kind of liquor, so that the filthy rich can eat them. To hide this cruelty and disgusting scene, they eat the birds with towels on their heads. I felt like there’s a connection between keeping them in the dark and keeping us in a place where we just keep consuming, but we cannot really do anything against the status quo.
11. "Earth First! The Politics of Radical Environmentalism" by Chris Manes inspired the cover of "Consequences," leaving, like the documentary, a radical image of the environmental movement. Is this the intended impression?
Yes, absolutely. In our country there are no history of such direct actions, and I wanted to get people talking about it, to give a new tool to the box in the fight against the anti-natural face of capitalism.
12. You said in an interview last February that you already have some new songs written and that you are constantly inspired. Should we expect a new record next year?
I don’t want to make promises, but yeah, it is highly likely that there will be a new record next year!
13. You participated in the Hardcore Help Foundation Summer Brawl on July 13th. How did it go, and why does the cause touch you?
It went really well, we got a surprisingly nice spot on the bill, there were great bands and amazing people, what more could we ask for?
We think that human, animal and Earth liberation are eternally intertwined, hence it’s as important to help people in need, like Hardcore Help Foundation does, as supporting the animal rights struggle. So we are always happy to be involved in a cause like this. For total liberation!
14. Is there a festival or city you would like to play in this year or in the coming years?
We want to play in all the cities, hahah! This year is pretty packed, but next year we hope we can return to the Balkans and play some places we haven’t been before too. As for festivals, we’d be happy to be on the bill of Ieper, Outbreak and Superbowl of Hardcore at some point.
15. Any other dates on the agenda before the end of the year, or are you planning studio sessions this fall?
We’ll start recording this new album sometime in August, and given our work schedules it will take some time. But after that, we’ll play a couple of shows in October, including Budapest, Novi Sad and a tour on the western part of Europe with our friends in Devour, Inclusion and Remain. And another show we are really looking forward to is the one with Undying and Bridge to Solace in November!
| ESCALATE MEDIA : |  SPOTIFY |
 BANDCAMP |
 INSTAGRAM |
We appreciate the frank and direct commitment of this band against animal cruelty, their connection with nature, and their deep philosophy on these subjects. It is clear that this band has something intelligent to say, as evidenced by Laszlo's responses to our questions. It is also important to highlight the actions they take to advance their local scene and allow other bands to be heard at the concerts they organize. We commend their determination to make a difference and will be watching their future stops and upcoming album. In the meantime, we strongly suggest you listen to "Consequences," by Escalate released last January for their debute on New Age Records. That's an explosive album recommanded.
