Giver: Politicised Hardcore Shrouded In Darkness

The world is a tumultuous place right now, and Giver are staring down the political storm and not giving an inch. In fact, it’s something that’s become more ingrained in their mission as they’ve gone on.

Dealing in ferocious yet melodic hardcore, the Dresden-based quintet originally started out with very few ambitions (“Our goal was to make one EP and play a couple of shows,” says bassist Chris Schmidt), but on their forthcoming second album, the excellent Sculpture Of Violence, they’re taking a far more serious tack with their goals. “We see the band as a platform,” says Chris. “One we can use to engage with different issues on a political and personal level.”

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Formed from the ashes of various punk and metal bands, the group initially had a more straight-ahead hardcore sound. But a heavy darkness soon crept in, as their personality came more to the fore, even incorporating elements of blackgaze into their sonic storm.

“The new record is even darker than we’ve been before,” Chris says of the vibe on Sculpture Of Violence. “We’ve got very slow, doomy parts on it, as well as some very fast punk ones, and I also think it’s a bit more metal. But it’s definitely got more dark.”

In concert with this, their stance as a thought-provoking, socially-conscious unit has become more blatant than ever. A favourite lyrical topic is mankind’s magnetism towards violence.

“The title of the new record is supposed to be a metaphor for humankind itself,” explains Chris. “We’re all shaped and formed by different social categories, and by the way we’re brought up by our parents and media. Some of the things that shape us are based in violence, and it’s hard to break the cycle, because when you’ve been socialised in the world we live in, you tend to reproduce what you’ve learned.”

Across 10 tracks that fly by in just over half-an-hour of creative hardcore, Sculpture Of Violence is trying to break that cycle. It’s an energised way of getting a message of peace across.

Giver's new album Sculpture Of Violence is due out on February 7 via Holy Roar Records.