Sean McLennan

Terror are indisputably one of hardcore  music’s hardest and most consistent bands. Since 2002, they’ve built their sturdy and dependable reputation brick by brick, album by album, tour by tour, without ever compromising the conviction behind their music or intensity of their sound. “Tried and true” has become the anchor of Terror’s approach to music, and whether they’re going straight for the throat or erupting into an adrenaline-fueled anthem, their intensity is unrivaled when it comes to playing this style of music. 

Nearly 25 years later, Terror remain as explosive as ever on their newest release Still Suffer, out April 24 on Flatspot Records. The album’s mosh‑inducing, demolishing force smashes through speakers, as the unfiltered aggression of frontman Scott Vogel’s words transforms inner turmoil into both a cathartic and empowering release.

“Terror is in this great place, where we have people that really support us,” shares vocalist Scott Vogel. “There’s older people that have been with us from the start, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have younger kids click with us and give us their energy at our shows. I’m super excited to do this record with our friends at Flatspot…We just know who we are and we’re comfortable.”

While the collective headspace of the band is in a great place, the title of the new album itself is an eye-catching statement. It suggests a deeper, more personal struggle than what one might think coming from a band that’s widely recognized and well respected within the hardcore community worldwide. 

From Vogel’s perspective, the words Still Suffer capture his continued efforts to leave heavy alcoholism in his past. 

“For me, this record, from the title to almost every lyric on it, is about drinking heavily for 15 years, figuring out a way to stop, and thinking my life is going to be much better now, but instead, it being the toughest time for me,” he explains. “You realize you don’t have this mask on anymore. You don’t have this way to dilute all your problems. So, it wasn’t like I put down drinking and everything’s a rainbow. I really had to look at why I was drinking every day—until you address all the reasons head on, they’re not going to go away…that’s where Still Suffer came from.” 

Vogel shares how, for years, he went on stage buzzed, if not drunk, almost every single show. Then explains how it felt to see a room full of people and perform while being sober.

“For something I’ve been doing for 30 years, to look at all these people dead sober, I was freaking out. I was almost having panic attacks. It was super hard, to the point I was going to the doctor about it…I was so used to having this liquid courage where I would say ‘I’m gonna go crush this crowd,’ to looking, like, ‘holy shit, there’s 500 people staring at me, I can’t do this.’” 

With Vogel being someone who makes it a point to interact with the audience as much as possible during a Terror show— calling for crowd surfing and constant movement to get everyone involved and maintain the energy in the room—significantly cutting back on his drinking presented both touring and social challenges. 

Still, he acknowledges that he’s in a much better place now, and although it took awhile, he’s starting to see the rewards of getting away from it. He also feels the need to state, “For the record, everything I’m saying here, I will still have a beer. I haven’t been drunk in a few years, but I don’t want anyone to think that I don’t drink anymore, but it’s just a whole other world for me now.” 

Terror’s lyrics have always carried a raw and relatable weight to them, but on Still Suffer there’s a vulnerability to Vogel’s words that reflects both the ugliness and growth from those challenges he’s faced. Lines like “Look inside my heart, it’s fucking ugly” from the track “Promised Only Lies,” and “Forever doesn’t change, you’re damaged just like me” from title track, “Still Suffer,” strike with a sincerity and honesty that’s been a part of this band’s identity since the very beginning. 

On the other hand, a track like “Beauty in the Losses,” is all about empowering listeners to search for the growth that can be achieved from negative experiences. Vogel pulls words from both his scars and triumphs, or as he explains, the “highs and lows” from both his experiences and his observations. Both of which have the tendency to get him to start spilling out thoughts and emotions.

He goes on to explain, “To me, whether it’s hardcore, hip-hop, Tom Petty, Coldplay, I’ve always been a lyric guy. That’s the thing that gets me in  music…In order for Terror to be real, to be what it needs to be for me to be happy with it, then I, or we as a band, have to be saying something that connects with people, whether it’s some sort of pain or some sort of joy…I can tell you in one minute what every lyric on the new Terror record is about, because it’s almost all about one thing. But I don’t expect everyone to relate to exactly what I’m saying. Even if my meaning isn’t exactly what you’re getting out of it, you shape those words, hopefully in a positive way, to help you get through something or feel better about something.”

The sonic elements of Still Suffer bear a similar weight to the meaning behind Vogel’s words. While it’s undoubtedly a Terror record, the album showcases more of a dynamic range of hardcore components when compared to Pain Into Power—the band’s 2022 release that was their most vicious and to‑the‑point work since their debut Lowest of the Low. 

On Still Suffer, Terror lean into more tempo shifts, heavier grooves, bigger hooks, and incorporate elements of hip‑hop. Whether it be the crushing strength and hard-hitting hook in “Fear the Panic (Feat. Chuck Ragan),” the anthemic self-titled track “Still Suffer,” the ferocious beatdown of “A Deeper Struggle,” Jay Peta’s (Mindforce) intro beat in “Beauty in the Losses,” or the urgency of “To Hurt the Most,” all of the songs on this record stir into its more dynamic character. 

“We wanted to make this record a little bit different,” says Vogel in regards to the band easing up on the all-out speed heard on Pain Into Power. “There’s about 10 songs we play every show because those are the songs that go over best and that everyone knows the words to. So, we thought, ‘let’s kinda write a record that’s like our set list, where there’s a little bit of everything,’ and I think we were able to achieve that.” 

He continues, “These last two records we were actually in a room writing together. So, that means everyone at least had their voice whether their ideas got used or not. At least we’re all in the room throwing ideas out and vibing off each other.” 

While the band continue to find new ways to connect with audiences around the world through their music and messages of overcoming challenges, developing inner-strength, destroying old mindsets that no longer serve you, and rebuilding your mental fortitude, Vogel states that no matter what, “Terror is always going to be Terror.” 

“We don’t care about being the biggest or toughest band…Most importantly, we all just get along now. There were times where there’d be fist fights and arguments and people not talking to each other for a month. I can’t remember the last time two people in Terror argued; it’s been years…We’re happy and humbled to the people that come to our shows and still care about us. We just want to keep on doing this. So, there’s so much growth. It’s just crazy to look at how it was to now; it’s such a wonderful thing.” 

Still Suffer is out Friday, and you can preorder it from Flatspot Records. Follow Terror on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for future updates.