Immersed Zine

North Carolina Straight Edge Hardcore

Written by Chris Ponds | Photos by Zack Allen

About The Band

Starting out with a tweet from vocalist Josh, about wanting to start a straight edge band, Divine Right began as a different project with bassist and drummer, Kale and Carson, and another friend. As life would have it, this project beginning in 2022 didn’t fully work out, but the bunch having already formed a bond didn’t give up and their friendship grew through their love of straight edge, hardcore, and other interests (rumor is Divine Right has their own D&D league). They knew Mikey, guitarist, from seeing him around shows and after throwing the idea of a new project around with him and the addition of Mikey’s brother, Zach as another guitarist, Divine Right was formed in June 2023.  Upon asking the band what their core values are we could have guessed being straight edge really holds this bunch together but beyond that they are just good buddies. They are friends at the core of being a band and they all share the same views: “when it comes to acceptance, what’s wrong in the world & recognizing it, and using a voice to speak out against violence” (Vocalist, Josh). Their beliefs are evident within the lyrics of the EP and that is truly the fundamental of hardcore lyrics that really draws me in. Where is this energy and aggression coming from in beat down bands if not towards the establishments that keep us down? Too often I speak about the hardcore scene and the people we elevate later being proven very unworthy of the DIY scene’s support. With a group of people that obviously care about each other, the scene, the world, and standing up for what is right we are given the opportunity to support a band with a vision of what is sacred in the world, each other. Music for me, never begins and ends with the sound. Divine Right’s lyrics speak on various issues happening in our world currently. Along with this, respect must always be shown when a new project takes themselves seriously during the early stages. By this I mean investing the time and energy (and money) to properly record and produce an EP this solid as their first release. I’d put any of these five songs in a playlist among their straight edge predecessors: Have Heart, Focused Minds, and Mindset. The talents of each member shines through with sludgy bass lines, sharp riffs, skilled vocals, and crashes on the drums that all come together for hardcore lovers, straight edge or not.

THe bops!!!

If you don’t know how this goes: I analyze these lyrics fully projecting my own life experiences, opinions, and ideas onto them. I have not asked the bands or writers what their intended meanings were. I consider their interview, what I know of them (which is as much as you know), and the lyrics themselves. That is all. Let’s get it.

• Pretense

“Elected Officials who we’re taught to trust

But we don’t buy the lies they try to feed us

Preying on the frail and weak

Silencing those who try to speak

Genocide of the frail and weak

Punishment for who try to speak”

A lot of the lyrics on this first release are direct and leave room for very little interpretation. I think this works as a tool in hardcore to really make your ideals known in a world so infiltrated. We are immediately met with a direct call out of all elected officials. The band started in June but did not record until November so I cannot fully write off the line about genocide as a direct call out in regards to the genocide happening in Gaza, Palestine. I would be almost shocked if it isn’t with the surrounding lines regarding silencing those that try to speak and “preying on the frail and weak.” If not directly about Gaza, at least it would have to be referring to the global systems that are causing so much international warfare? No.

• The X Has Yet To Fade

I will fight for honor, I won’t die in vain, They push the death injection, The pills remove the pain, I will not buy deception, No matter what the strain, From this path I will not stray

The X has yet to fade

I cannot only discuss the lyrics for this or any of the other songs though, as is the beauty in anything metal-centric, we are met with beat down worthy hits track after track. I am not straight edge but this chanting “the X Has Yet to fade” almost calls me to a life giving up the vices. That is kind of the power of punk and the straight edge movement in general right? At least to make us look in a mirror and consider our life choices and the intent we pour into those choices if nothing else.

Though I am not edge, this song hits home for anyone with family members or loved ones struggling with addiction. A lot of my personal anger at the world probably derives from a constant history of alcohol and abusing prescription medication so obviously I am a fan of the “I will not buy deception” line and think further defends that you can truly enjoy this genre and this EP especially, even if you don’t fall into the subculture. Hardcore is for the people after all.

• Scattered Limbs

“No mercy No excuses No sympathy No illusions

You’ve thrown it all away Scattered limbs of a family tree In a state of disarray Your blood is dead to me”

To me this song is giving so much Hands of God energy, not even just for the typical hardcore “no mercy” outcry that might be immediately tripping something off in my brain. It’s the vocals that are finely attuned. The band does a great job of fooling you into thinking they have done this for a while. Vocals that sound well practiced really make or break a first release within this genre but what shifts this from novice to a solid outbreak EP is the well-rounded concept of feeling angry at the world and demanding change paired with sludgy bass and seemingly intricate yet perfectly simple guitar carried throughout the project.

• Salvation Ends

“Say your prayers, Confess your sins, Gone are the days of passing judgement onto those, Your false salvation’s at an end,

Salvation ends”

As a traditional metal fan, I will safely call this my favorite song on the album and I recognize that everyone loves it’s predecessor the X Has Yet To Fade. I get it. But hear me out. Listen to it with me. We come in with a fast drum sequence into the deep “Salvation ENDS!” I just know this is a song that will take someone tired and drained from a day of moshing and reignite them with energy to jump off any object they can find near them into a crashing sea of peers. This is the biggest call to classic nineties hardcore to me with its multiple noteworthy instrumental breaks, each one worthy of a time stamp for you to listen to with intent (I won’t do that to you, but just know I want to and go listen to it). For a moment around timestamp 1:56 you enter this peaceful world of ambient metalcore. This leads up to balancing riffs worthy of the title beat down band.

A song truly worthy to be the title. This song truly sums up each members talents. This is the one I can’t wait to see live.

• Is Our Destiny Sealed by God?

Have I come to be who you thought I’d be?

Are you proud of who I am?

Am I making strides?

Am I making you proud?

Would you look me in the eyes ?

Have I made you proud?

Will you be there when I die?

Have I made you proud?

Would you look me in the eyes?

Have I made you proud? Just let me die.

I have to give credit to the list of questions that overtake the lyrics in this song, titled within itself as a question. We are first told a story with lines like “Six feet in the dirt, On a lonesome hill, Speaking to a stone, Releasing my own guilt” obviously discussing topics of grief and maybe we get hints of anger and confusion regarding pride and the past person’s views of the speaker. Ending with the questions “Would you look me in the eyes? Have I made you proud?” Ending on a hard note “Just let me die.” followed by a melodic fade out. This is a song that make me think I wish I picked the brains of the writers.

Interview

What are your goals for 2024?

Later in the year we want to try plan a few runs here and there around the east coast. Maybe a split with another band. We also have plans for a vinyl release of the EP later on, so keep an eye on that!

What do you have coming up to tell people about? / anything specific you want to say?

From the time you’re reading this, it’s less than a day until the Magnitude “Of Days Renewed” record release show and we’re very stoked about that! We’re doing our best to get our record release show planned and bring some friends down for that sometime in the spring. Other than that, we really appreciate everyone for checking out the EP and hope to see y’all at a show someday!

• released February 2, 2024
• Recorded and Mixed by Jordan Faett at Soul Craft Studios in Richmond, VA in November 2023
• Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music
• Design by Josh Allen
• All songs written by Divine Right
• Divine Right is:
  Josh – Vocals
  Carson – Drums
  Kayla – Bass
  Mikey – Guitar
  Zach – Guitar