FEEL THEIR PAIN

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
Davis: I was vegetarian for about 5 months when the documentary “Cowspiricy” came out. I remember coming home after work and putting it on and as soon as it ended I decided to be vegan.
Did your path into veganism come before or after getting into hardcore / straight edge?
Zack: It 100 percent came from hardcore, Safe and Sound was huge out here in my younger days and they really opened my eyes.

Was there a specific band, record, or scene influence that opened that door for you?
Davis: I’d say the biggest influence I had would’ve been from my best friend who’s been vegan over 20 years. He taught me a lot and showed me all the good bands like Raid and Canon.
How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
Zack: They were all proud of me, I was a vegetarian and I got bullied into veganism. Best thing that ever happened to me.
Was it an immediate commitment, or something you grew into over time?
Davis: Like I said before after watching Cowspiricy it was immediate. I was all in.

For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
Zack: They are distinct and separate. Veganism is for all living creatures, straight edge is for yourself.
Do you see veganism as an extension of straight edge ethics, or its own independent stance?
Davis: I really feel they go hand in hand with each other. But veganism is infinitely more important than being straight edge.
How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
Zack: I think it’s totally fine, improving in one way and not the other shouldn’t discredit self improvement of any kind.

What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
Davis: Hardcore allowed me to be myself and have a real sense of community. It taught me to question authority and not be afraid to fight for what’s right. Forever against the grain.
Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
Zack: Way less! Veganism and straight edge were a lot bigger when I was a teenager and the bands reflected that. I think every year that goes by, people are turning their backs on comitments.

What kind of impact do you hope your band has on listeners?
Davis: All I could ever ask for with any of my bands is to make a positive impact. Whether that’s pushing someone towards veganism/straight edge or getting someone into fast hardcore.
Have you ever heard from someone who changed because of your music?
Zack: Yes and no, I make a lot more of the blackened metalcore. Kids have come up to me and told me that they wanted to start making something similar.
Do you think music can genuinely shift people’s behavior, or just reinforce existing beliefs?
Davis: Yes to both. I know first hand that bands I’ve been in have helped people go vegan or rethink the bullshit they were taught.

Do you see veganism as inherently political?
Zack: Absolutely! Feeding into the farming industry and slaughter houses is putting money into the pockets of evil people. With anything in the world, there is always a paper trail.
How do you balance music with direct action or activism, if at all?
Davis: Actions will always speak louder than words. The entire reason we started Feel Their Pain is to help animals.
What issues within the broader movement do you think aren’t being talked about enough?
Zack: There’s not enough vegan solidarity, if egos died and we came together. We could make some huge changes together

Looking back, would you approach your message differently?
Davis: Not at all. If anything I would’ve gone vegan sooner.
What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
Zack: Definitely relied on music and documentaries when I was first starting out and had cravings. Seeing Earthlings totally killed all cravings.

Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
Davis: Straight Edge seems to be on the up and up but I’ve been around long enough to know that comes in waves. My only hope is that more people will go vegan and stop making bullshit excuses.
What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
Zack: Never push, open up dialogue that can get people to finding the answers themselves.

First band that made you think differently:
Davis: Youth of today and Earth Crisis.

Zack: Earth Crisis for sure, they opened my eyes to straight edge first, then I got into veganism. Arkangel is high up there also.
A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
Davis: I could pick 100 but for the sake of our name we will go with “Feel Their Pain” by INSTED lyrics “A moral opposition to the murder of animals.”
Zack: “These aren’t something, they where someone.”
One misconception about vegan straight edge:
Davis: That we are all militant dickheads who hate people that aren’t XVX.
Zack: That everyone who’s vegan or edge has an ego or a superiority complex. Trust me, there is no superior bone in my body.
One non-negotiable value:
Davis: It’s pretty simple - “if you’re not now you never were.”
Zack: Don’t let your morals dictate your ego. Even if people disagree with you, that’s their choice. I will and have never been better than anyone.
One thing the scene needs to do better:
Davis: Uplift and educate one another. To quote Chokehold - “Animal liberation, earth liberation, human liberation will only come through education.”
Zack: Be more welcoming, I felt like the biggest outcast my entire life. Finding hardcore definitely helped. But that clique bullshit was still super popular in my local scene.