CAGED XVX

“Our action must not only be guided by love for other living beings and take place at the cultural level, but must also be intertwined with other social and political struggles that aim to dismantle the status quo in all its forms.”

CAGED XVX formed in 2018 and began taking their first steps in the hardcore scene the following year, releasing the EP “Burning Rage Of A Dying Planet” on the German label Bound By Modern Age Records. Within a few years, two LPs were also released, “A Prison Built To Slowly Die” (Ugly And Proud Records) and “The Fall Of The Damned” (Genet Records). Several tours in Europe and the UK have marked the band’s activity, allowing them to express their message and their music: a sound fully inspired by end ’90 and early 2000 edge metal, with lyrics focused on human, animal and Earth liberation. In May 2026 they added a new bass player to replace the former one, who stepped in as the second guitar.

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
Each one of us obviously had his/her own personal path; as for me (Marco) it all started when a friend of mine became vegetarian and it made me curious about the reasons why someone would stop eating meat. It was a thing that never crossed my mind before, but it touched me so deeply that I decided to go vegetarian myself. I didn’t realize that animal suffering is not only about eating meat until a couple years later, when I finally became vegan.
Did your path into veganism come before or after getting into hardcore / straight edge? / Was there a specific band, record, or scene influence that opened that door for you?
A few months later, I discovered both hardcore and straight edge when I went to see some friends playing a show in a local hardcore band, supporting a straight edge band on tour, Reaching Hand from Portugal. The band itself hasn’t been very influential to me over the years, but it opened the door to one of the biggest turning points in my life.
How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
My family wasn’t very supportive about this choice, they barely approved being vegetarian, believing that if you don’t eat meat you will suffer from severe nutritional deficiencies, but in the end they accepted it. Luckily most of my friends were very supportive instead, also because some of them are vegan themselves.
Was it an immediate commitment, or something you grew into over time?
I started out as vegetarian and then went vegan after about one year. Straight Edge was never a big deal as I never even tried drugs or cigarettes. Quitting beer was no big deal.

For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
For us, these two choices are obviously closely linked, because we cannot imagine a path to individual emancipation that ignores the struggle for the freedom of other individuals, human and non-human alike. This certainly makes the choice to live a straight edge lifestyle a political act, as it is connected to a broader struggle for total liberation. Both stances are political choices; veganism has a very strong and clear political basis while sXe can be less obvious and just connected to the self but, you know, it’s hard to fight the system when you’re drunk or stoned and the state monopoly stamp on smokes and booze is not exactly the main course in the anarchist cookbook.
Do you see veganism as an extension of straight edge ethics, or its own independent stance?
Being vegan isn’t automatically linked to being straight edge, but for reasons of ethical consistency, there are many similarities. It’s no secret that many companies in the tobacco industry test their products on animals and that many alcoholic beverages contain animal-derived ingredients used in fermentation processes, etc. A drug-free lifestyle is certainly more ethical, and this aligns well with those who choose to no longer consume animals or their “byproducts”.
How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
What we could tell them is simple: educate yourself and act accordingly. The choices we make in our daily lives still matter, especially in a historical period where breaking free from the single-track mindset of consumerism has become increasingly difficult. Choosing to put an end to a certain type of toxic social behavior and everything related to the meat industry is something that improves your life and allows you to raise awareness among many people around you about certain issues. 20 years ago we used to say stuff like “being straightedge-but-not-vegan after the ‘90s is for republicans.”

What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
This environment has had a decisive influence on shaping the people we are today. Beyond our individual, personal, and political journeys, punk and DIY have taught us that direct action is the answer in almost every aspect of life. In this context, we explore alternatives to social interaction, community, and solidarity that are virtually absent from everyday life, which is based on toxic power dynamics and consumerism.
Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
Here, we need to make two distinctions: between the scene in Italy and the scene outside our borders. In Italy, the vegan movement has regressed by twenty years. Far fewer people identify as vegan, and far fewer bands advocate for it. Obviously, this entire process of regression has gone hand in hand with the decline and near-disappearance of the animal liberation movement in Italy, which once counted a large number of punks among its ranks. The straight edge movement in Italy is attracting new young people, but it hasn’t seen large numbers for many years. Internationally, there has been a major resurgence of the straight edge scene, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world, with a few rare bands here and there. However, we’re not talking about numbers comparable to those of the 1995–2005 period.

What kind of impact do you hope your band has on listeners?
We try to spread a message of total liberation hoping that hearing a voice outside the box will make people think. We are always ready to debate if someone has something meaningful (some people are only trying to tease and are not interested in a useful conversation) to say.
Have you ever heard from someone who changed because of your music?
We are aiming for a change in the present state of things and we can say that our message reached out to some, because it’s not uncommon that someone come to us saying they really appreciate that we have something more to say than just the usual slogans or, in a few cases, it’s crazy to think about, that our band made them change.
Do you think music can genuinely shift people’s behavior, or just reinforce existing beliefs?
We’ve been influenced by certain bands and lyrics in the past, sometimes it was a profound impact, in other cases it was a smaller turn. As you grow, your well-established beliefs are harder to change, but it can still happen if the situation is right and you are open-minded enough.
Do you see veganism as inherently political?
Veganism is inherently political—otherwise, why refuse to eat animals? There is no real dietary or fashion-related reason that can be reasonably justified. Its value lies solely in the fact that it is an ethical stance. Stopping the consumption of other living beings and their “byproducts” allows the people around you to become aware of a problem: the meat industry is a threat to the biosphere and to the Earth itself.
How do you balance music with direct action or activism, if at all?
Music does not play the same role as direct action, which literally saves lives, but it still fulfills an important function: giving a voice to those who have none. It can raise awareness among a group of people who may one day take action toward total liberation.
What issues within the broader movement do you think aren’t being talked about enough?
Within the movement, we cannot emphasize enough the direct and undeniable link between the capitalist economic system and animal exploitation. The latter is not merely a standalone issue caused by an anthropocentric worldview, but is also the result of a production system that treats all human and non-human individuals as commodities in the pursuit of profit. Therefore, our action must not only be guided by love for other living beings and take place at the cultural level, but must also be intertwined with other social and political struggles that aim to dismantle the status quo in all its forms.

Looking back, would you approach your message differently?
No, we wouldn’t do that.
What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
This is a personal matter, but as far as I’m concerned (IVAN), the choices I’ve made are now an integral part of who I am. Many years have passed since I made them, and to go back on them would be like betraying my very being.
Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
There’s no easy answer to this question. It depends a lot on how things unfold in the world. Before the pandemic, hardcore wasn’t exactly thriving, but now there are bands that emerged from that scene and are filling sports arenas to capacity. We hope that our movement comes back into vogue, because despite its contradictions, it has done a lot of good for hardcore and, to a very small extent, for the world as well.
What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
Read and educate yourself. We are priviglied as we can choose not bring so much harm in this world. We won’t be perfect but at least we can make some good choices that stand for justice and compassion for all living beings.If you're undecided, this isn't the right choice for you. No one is forcing you to do this. But know that by making these choices, you will—even indirectly—do good for yourself and others, and they will leave an indelible mark on you.

Final Thoughts:

First band that made you think differently:
(Marco) I started listening to hardcore with Earth Crisis, Morning Again and Refused but, at first, it was more the sound than the ethics that drew me to them. I know they’re not a sXe band but my real gateway were Fugazi. It was pre internet so I used to learn about new music from local radios and magazines and I read this long article on sXe on a mainstream magazine and they quoted Fugazi as the natural offspring of Minor Threat. The funny (sic) thing is that they also reported Vegan Reich and a bunch of other hardline bands as a “dark and violent side” to the movement to stay away from. (xMichelangelox).
A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
“Night of justice, knight of justice. Liberation's crusade's begun.”
Earth Crisis in “Wrath Of Sanity” song (xIVANx)
(Marco) The lyric is still “the hardest kids still put an X by their name”.
Past the politics and the ideals, it’s also a matter of identity (xMichelangelox)
One misconception about veganism:
Being a vegan straight edge isn’t an extreme choice; rather, it is extreme to continue feeding off suffering or to be complicit in a blood-stained market like the drug trade.
One non-negotiable value:
Hating the masters, Veganism/anti-speciesism and straightedge go along with the least negotiable value, that is anti-fascism.
One thing the scene needs to do better:
The scene needs to improve its interpersonal relationships. It must build resilience against the toxic and oppressive dynamics that our society imposes on us every day. It must create a true safe space for everyone. We still have a lot of work to do in many directions but one hits the hardest: gender issues and abusive behaviors based on gender and sexual orientation. There’s always great discomfort in reading about new allegations concerning this or that band and one or more of their members being a sexist, misogynist and abusive prick. We have taken great leaps forward in comparison to 20 years ago but I reckon that we’re still a white-hetero-cisgender-male-dominated scene but we should be mature enough to overcome this for good and make it a safe space for everyone, except abusers.