If you ask anyone who is either into hardcore - or has been at some point in their life – what their relationship with the scene is, you are likely to get a different answer from everyone. Some people will prefer the community spirt of hardcore, while others will enjoy the cathartic release of screaming the words to their favourite songs, and some really just want to go crazy in a pit for 30-minutes. However, not everyone stays with hardcore forever. People’s attitude and tastes change, and sometimes people drift away to other areas of music. That’s absolutely fine, but every so often, you hear something that reminds you of what made hardcore great in the first place. You think of the first time you heard the trumpets that signalled the start of ‘New Direction’ by Gorilla Biscuits, or the goosebumps you got from the razor-sharp energy of ‘Expectations’ by Youth Of Today.

Enter World Be Free. A band comprised of various key figures in the hardcore community, pulling from over 30 years of collective inspiration, and with one goal in mind; to create a classic sounding hardcore record. “I think musically, we really wanted to create something we felt was missing in hardcore at the moment,” says guitarist Andrew Kline, when asked about the agenda of World Be Free. “I wouldn’t say we are recreating the wheel, but we wanted to be a breath of fresh air for the current state of hardcore.” Upon listening to World Be Free’s debut album ‘The Anti-Circle’, it is evident that they have achieved what they set out to do. The songs are fast and pack a punch, but have the same anthemic quality you are likely to find on a timeless Revelation/Dischord release. “We grew up on all the classic NYHC records,” continues Kline, “and we wanted to take that influence, as well as that from other classic hardcore bands, and create a sound that is all our own.”

As briefly mentioned before, the members of World Be Free are no strangers to hardcore. Formed by vocalist Scott Vogel (Terror/Buried Alive), who was looking to do something different to his current band. With Kline himself being a member of the highly influential Strife, the two have a passion for heavy hardcore, but envisioned a band influenced by Gorilla Biscuits, Dag Nasty, 7 Seconds, Minor Threat, Uniform Choice, Warzone, and others. “We love heavy music, but we also have a steady diet of more melodic DC hardcore and NYHC,” he enthuses. “In our mind, the perfect show would be kids – boys and girls – singing along, and stage diving with smiles on their faces.” Vogel then contacted his former Despair bandmate Joe Garlipp (also of Buffalo band Envy), and they started writing songs. The band then enlisted the help of legendary drummer Sammy Siegler, who’s CV of classic hardcore bands is almost too long to list, and someone who Kline says that both he and Vogel knew would be the perfect drummer. “We hit him up, and he was very enthusiastic,” explains Kline. “He said that if he was going to do it, he wanted it to be great, and not just a thrown together side project. This really motivated us.” The last addition was yet another veteran of the NYHC scene; Arthur Meow Similos, who has served time with Underdog, Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, and more. “Arthur came in right before we went to record,” remembers Kline, stating that his playing took the songs to another level. “He added a new dimension of melody, and authenticity. He truly is the perfect fit for World Be Free.”

One of the most notable differences between World Be Free and their other projects is Scott Vogel’s vocals. Followers of his work will be used to the visceral approach that he has applied to all of his bands, even back when he fronted Slugfest in the mid-nineties. “Scott was really interested in trying something different with World Be Free,” explains Kline, admitting that he had no idea how Vogel would sound or what he was planning to do with this type of hardcore. “We tracked all of the music, then Scott hit the studio with (Terror drummer) Nick Jett, and I think he nailed it.We wanted to keep the record as raw, and live sounding as possible with no auto-tune, and very few overdubs. I think that helped keep the intensity of the record.”

However, there’s no denying that the hardcore scene is certainly one for making superlative statements. How many times have you heard “The greatest of all time” about an album, or “They said it would never happen again” when a band reunites? Probably more than you think. Even though there was a degree of anonymity about the band at first, when word soon spread of the member’s pedigree, the term “supergroup” was instantly bestowed upon them. “We really tried to avoid that label…” confesses Kline. “We are just five friends playing music. It just so happens that we have been in some cool bands in the past.” Things were kept under wraps as the band begun, so that the music could speak for itself. “When our first song premiered, there was no mention of any of the band members or our other bands. I think that was very important in establishing the band as something new, and something real.”

So after all these years of playing hardcore, when many people start to fall by the wayside, we have to ask, what is it about the genre that keeps the members of World Be Free enthused? “Everyone has different tastes, and different things going on in their lives,” begins Kline, before insisting that you can’t beat the raw energy of a hardcore show. “Nothing can replace it. There currently are a bunch of new bands, such as Give, Angel Du$t, Violent Reaction, Union of Faith, Praise, and more who are putting out some really good music. This is what keeps me enthusiastic about hardcore. Finding new bands keeps it exciting.”

There’s no doubt, that much like the members of World Be Free, hardcore has more than its fair share of lifers. But as time goes on, when people leave and proclaim “It’s not like it was back in the day”, it’s easy to want stay at home, sticking to the records you know and love. The whole aesthetic of World Be Free drives you to get back out to a show again, which is ultimately another one of the bands goals. “We see a lot of older reunion bands drawing big crowds, made up of people who don’t go to shows that often these days, if ever,” Kline muses, presumably speaking of bands such as Judge, and Burn, both of whom reunited in the last few years to critical acclaim. “I think hardcore really needs some bands that can connect to these older listeners. Ones that can inspire them to come out to shows again, check out some new bands, and maybe reignite their fire!”

If you were to claim that hardcore isn’t like it was back in the day, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Kline openly admits that there are many problems within the hardcore scene today, and some of them probably can’t be changed. You see it at shows all the time, and it makes you wonder if the true message of hardcore has been lost. From the kids who want to stand outside all night and don’t watch any bands, or the pseudo-tough guys that set out just to hurt people with nonsensical “crowd killing” at shows. “I don’t know if World Be Free can make a change, or even reinstate any message,” he says, but is adamant they can instil what hardcore means to them in others. “I know we can be a positive example of everything we love about hardcore, and hopefully that is a step in the right direction.”

‘The Anti-Circle’ certainly is an example of what makes hardcore special, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of the genres golden era. Kline explains that naturally, there was only one rightful label that could release it. “We had the chance to work with the few other labels, but we really felt Revelation Records was the right fit,” he says, before looking at the labels past and present roster. “Their back catalogue is untouchable, and with bands like Down To Nothing, Rival Mob, and Violent Reaction, they are still consistently putting out amazing releases.”

It doesn’t stop there for World Be Free, and when ‘The Anti-Circle’ drops, it really is just the beginning. “We really do want to do as much as possible with the band,” says Kline, regardless of its member’s respective schedules. “Everyone is busy with their other bands and such, but we want to tour as much as we can. Once the record is actually out, we will see what the demand is and take it from there. It’s an exciting time for all of us.” Long term, Kline expects them to steadily keep creating music and touring. He concludes by saying that “the ball is already rolling” and they have begun work on their next record before ‘The Anti-Circle’ has even been released.

Don’t expect this to be a flash in the pan, or just a vanity project for its members to assert any sort of status. World Be Free are very much a real band, and one that are important for the hardcore scene right now.

‘The Anti-Circle’ is released on February 5th via Revelation Records, and is available to pre-order now.