DIVINE SENTENCE

Photo Credit: https://www.greghall.photography/

Q1. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! For our readers who are not familiar with you, can you talk a little about where you’re from, when you formed, that kind of thing?

We're Divine Sentence, a vegan metalcore band from Zurich, Switzerland. We formed in late 2021 and have been playing shows since the summer of 2022. Our influences come mostly from 90’s Metalcore.

Q2. What got you into heavy music in the first place, and what made you want to start a band and pursue making music in the way that you have?

Franz: Personally, I was introduced to alternative music by my drum teacher, who gave me a burnt Green Day CD when I was 13. I was born into a very musical family, so my parents threw a bunch of instruments at me as a kid and even made me sing in a choir, but I didn't feel at home in their more traditional musical world. The first instrument I really took to was the drum kit, which led to me getting into punk rock and eventually hardcore. I started a bunch of bands before Divine Sentence, starting in 2017, after making some friends in the local hardcore scene.

Basil: I got into hard rock and old punk rock via my parents (I guess), and then from there it was a meandering journey through different guitar driven genres (in the course destroying the family computer with limewire) until I read about The Chariot somewhere and realized that music doesn't really get better than that. I have been playing in bands since I was 15 or 16, when I first saw a local hardcore punk band and learned that it really doesn't take a lot to form a band and write songs. The bands I played in at the time weren't the best probably, but it was a lot of fun and made me learn that I really like playing music with friends.

Sofia: My (back then) best friend kinda got me into this whole thing. She was an emo kid and I wanted to be a supportive friend, you know, check out her interests (I was 13?). Now I realize she wasn’t really that emo, she just liked Black Veil Brides a lot. Well, through Youtube I found my way to 2010’s Metalcore and Deathcore. Suddenly I was going to shows and made connections in the Metal scene. I switched through genres like Beatdown and Djent/Mathcore, but what really stuck was Hardcore. The person that inspired me to even consider being in a band is Jess from Mortality Rate / World of Pleasure. The first time I heard her was on the Judiciary split. She is my inspiration to this day. The sheer power she expresses on stage and her vocals - just blows me away everytime.

So here I am, in a cool band, with cool people, playing cool places and having the time of my life!

Q3. What are some of the biggest influences on your sound?

Franz: We all listen to a lot of different music, and thus pull from a wide range of influences. I'm a punk kid at heart, so I try to let that influence shine through in our sound a little. There are definitely some bands that we can all agree on though. Our single biggest influence is probably xRepentancex, which is also a very important band for me personally, as their music is what convinced me to finally go vegan.

Basil: What Franz says, I guess. Personally and in regards to Divine Sentence, I like the chaotic branches of Metalcore a lot and at the same time, the melodic side of Metalcore (or melodic hardcore?) still lights a spark in my heart.

Sofia: I have to agree with Franz and Basil. There’s something very dramatic about this type of Metalcore, so of course it would go well with the message of veganism. It’s what brought us together after all.

Q4. The Promo is already getting a ton of traction, which is awesome! What can you tell us about the two songs?

The Promo ‘24 marks a step up, both in songwriting and in production quality. The songs had more time to evolve and we worked with someone outside the band for recording the first time. The two songs are quite different in style, but they span the sound of what we want to pursue musically: metallic riffs, melodies, panic chords, breakdowns.

The song “Flames of Justice'' especially stands out, since it’s our second song that isn’t about veganism, but about a topic that is as important to talk about. It serves as a bold declaration, emphasizing the critical necessity to reshape not only political landscapes but also societal perceptions of women. It challenges ingrained norms, encouraging a transformation in how we view and engage with women in the political sphere, questioning the very foundations upon which our political structures are built.

“The Hammer” talks about the necessity of a shift towards veganism in the wider population. While, of course, there needs to be direct action, outreach and "enlightenment" through activism, it is inevitable. In a dialectic sense, a vegan or anti-speciest view of the world will emerge from the struggle between different moral standpoints. Material conditions will make it essential to live like this – and "carnism" will be a relic of the past.

Q5. I read on your Bandcamp it’s the start of something bigger. Obviously I was intrigued. What can you tell us about that, or is it a secret for now?

Well, the release of a promo usually means there's more to come! We're not totally sure yet in what way, shape or form, but we are working on stuff behind the scenes.

Q6. Veganism is a major part of the band’s philosophy. What drew you to veganism and why is it so important to you?

Trying to live a vegan life really should be a baseline for every person. Of course living as vegan as possible doesn't automatically make you a good person, but when being able to decide whether to buy/consume animal products or not and still making that decision, you're actively contributing to harm you could really easily avoid contributing to. Obviously there are a lot of other factors at play in our daily life, but in most societies in the 21st Century, there really is no excuse to not at least try. And in opposition to a lot of other discriminatory effects in our world, where individual action doesn't really do a lot (e.g. climate change) partaking in the slaughter of innocent beings really comes down to every single decision.

We know sometimes it's hard to change one's own way of being, but it's never too late to decide to make the switch. It's never too late to go vegan, the future is what matters.

Q7. What’s the heavy music scene like in Switzerland? I know many people who are into this kind of music are likely familiar with Paleface, but are there other bands we should be paying attention to?

Switzerland has a small but dedicated scene. It's cool that Paleface is getting so much attention, proving that bands from our little alpine country can hang with the best and biggest in the world. Even though Switzerland has played a big part in the early development of heavy music (heard of Hellhammer and Celtic Frost?), Swiss bands have rarely gotten the attention they deserve. It looks like this is slowly changing. Some of the best current Swiss bands associated with the scene include Path of Resurgence (RIP), Fever Dreams, Deconvolution, Cage, Cancel, Barock Rain & Glaascats.

Q8. Is there anything else on the horizon for the band or any other things you want to tell our readers about?

We have a lot of cool shows lined up till summer and maybe there will be some touring in fall, who knows. You'll hear from us!

If you want to book us, just reach out via dm on Instagram or email.

Go vegan or go fuck yourself.