D. ( VEGAN JUSTICE )

***“I'm vegan for the animals and that is a reward in itself, I can look at myself in the mirror. I'm straight edge to be the best version of me.“***

Vegan JusticE is an anonymous militant VEGAN “90’s style” metalcore band from Europe.

What was the moment or experience that first pushed you toward veganism?
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?
How did your friends, family, or local scene react when you made that shift?
Was it an immediate commitment, or something you grew into over time?
I became aware of animal rights from hardcore and was a vegetarian for most of my life. When I ditched meat as a teenager it was hard, I had to cook my own food and there were very few veggie substitutes. I was scared of the commitment of going vegan thinking I might die and I sure as hell didn't want to be a vegan drop out. Pivotal moment for me was XRepentanceX at a show saying - “all you vegetarians cut the crap!” And I was like, “I should cut the crap.” I had already given up dairy two years before so I just needed to be confronted to make the final decision. A few people in my circle became vegan too, a little after me. Going vegan was the easiest thing. Best choice I’ve made and my only regret is not doing it earlier.

For you, how connected are veganism and straight edge—are they inseparable or distinct choices?
Do you see veganism as an extension of straight edge ethics, or its own independent stance?
How do you respond to people in the scene who embrace one but not the other?
It goes hand in hand, but it’s two separate things. I think straight edge is more of a personal thing. You could be edge and don’t don't give a fuck but if you are vegan and are against exploitation it’s kind of cognitive dissonant to use drugs with all the human exploitation, gang violence and suffering it brings. Cigarettes are probably tested on animals and so on. Lead by example I guess.

What role did the hardcore/metal scene play in shaping your beliefs?
Do you feel like the scene today is more or less aligned with vegan values than when you started?
Not gonna lie hardcore (and skateboarding) shaped my life in pretty much every aspect. I do everything outside hardcore like work, family etc with a hardcore mentality. Do it yourself, don’t take shit, never quit.
When I got into hardcore the general scene was very integrated with vegan / straight edge and politics. My local scene though was more of a drunken violence type of guys. I was a bit fed up with the political scene at the time because there was a lot of fake bs going on. Most of the preachers from back then abandoned everything they said they stood for and are bourgeoisie pigs now.
When hardcore got more and more ignorant I got fed up with that too and realized that hardcore made me the person I am based on the values from the old scene, now kids are growing up in hardcore that’s just music and mosh. So I started pushing veganism, politics and to some extent SxE in my projects.

What kind of impact do you hope your band has on listeners?
Have you ever heard from someone who changed because of your music?
Do you think music can genuinely shift people’s behavior, or just reinforce existing beliefs?
When we started Vegan Justice we just wanted to make a gnarly demo to fan the vegan flames and promote animal liberation. If you are vegan we salute you if not we’re gonna fucking kill you type of mode. We were actually pretty well received even outside the ”90’s style vegan metalcore” subgenre, so maybe for our next record we’ll try to encourage people instead.
I’ve heard that kids got into veganism from other bands I'm in. Stupid as it may sound, but I really think a sick ass breakdown can make you change your mind. All you need is that first step, the real change will grow on you with time.

Do you see veganism as inherently political?
How do you balance music with direct action or activism, if at all?
What issues within the broader movement do you think aren’t being talked about enough?
Living vegan is the most political thing you can do and I bet vegans are more concerned / active in other political and social issues.
People say boycotts are lame but the long term impact is way bigger than someone throwing a brick or casting a vote every four years. It’s an action taken 3 times a day, every day. Speaking for myself, I'm a low risk activist - other people in the band aren't and that's why we are masked and anonymous. It’s a really bad career move for a band not being able to tell anybody about it.
Looking back, would you approach your message differently?
What keeps you committed when it gets difficult or isolating?
Where do you see the vegan / straight edge movement going in the next decade?
What would you say to someone on the fence about embracing these ideas?
I think going hard is the right way, then at least there is no doubt on where you stand and it’s what people will remember in the ever flowing flood of information. The state of the world is depressing but to me it’s an everyday proof that we are on the right path. I'm vegan for the animals and that is a reward in itself, I can look at myself in the mirror. I'm straight edge to be the best version of me. Being addicted to drugs is not gonna do me any good when the collapse is coming, could be from climate disaster, domestic or world war but better be prepared.
The plant based hype has died unfortunately

Final Thoughts:

First band that made you think differently:
I was into Earth Crisis and other bands with ideologies but what really hit home for me was the chaotic and emotional “Holyname” album from 108. Not the religious part but the rejection of mold. -
”How can I slake my thirst on desert sand”.

A lyric you’ve written (or heard) that still hits hardest:
I listen to Trail of lies a lot in the gym. Words of wisdom!

One misconception about vegan straight edge:
I don’t know but I found our record in a record store in the UK. A sticker attached to it said “FFO: Day of Suffering, Earth Crisis. Buy it now before they sell out”, which was pretty funny but I wanna make it very clear, we have within this band accumulated 100 fleshless years so it’s not gonna happen. Ever!

One non-negotiable value when being vegan / straight edge:
I don’t care if you break edge but if you recognize the endless suffering of animals and have a really easy way to stop it and then choose to give up on that: The lowest circles of hell awaits you.

One thing the scene needs to do better:
You can see people drown in ”scene points” for one demo that matches the current hype. At the same time the quiet work horses that swept the floor after every show for 10 years almost gets gatekept from their own scene for being uncool or weird looking. We need to remember that hardcore is for misfit crazy people and It’s what you put in that matters.