Terror

Terror arose from Los Angeles as a beatdown hardcore outfit whose sound merged punk rock with thrash metal, the project of East Coast transplant Scott Vogel, who had previously fronted Despair, Sludgefest, and Buried Alive. The group first appeared in 2002, and its second album, Always the Hard Way, brought wider attention in 2004 by climbing to number ten on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and number 19 on the Top Independent Records tally. Vogel and drummer Nick Jett have remained the only unchanging members while later releases—Live by the Code, which entered the Billboard 200 in 2013, the Will Putney-produced Total Retaliation from 2018, and the stark Pain Into Power of 2022—kept the band prominent within American hardcore.

Vogel formed Terror in April 2002 soon after settling in California, and an early four-song demo quickly spread through underground circles. The band next issued a 7" on Takeover Records, then added guitarist Todd Jones (ex-Carry On) along with First Blood alumni Nick Jett (also of Carry On and Piece by Piece), bassist Carl Schwartz, and guitarist Doug Weber. After extensive road work the lineup secured a deal with Bridge 9 and tracked nine songs in a Cleveland studio; the resulting EP, Lowest of the Low, appeared in January 2003. The group spent the balance of that year on tour, including European dates alongside Biohazard. Jones departed, Frank Novinec stepped in, and the band moved to Trustkill Records, issuing One with the Underdogs in 2004 and Always the Hard Way in 2006. Schwartz exited before Christmas 2005 to focus on First Blood and was replaced by Jonathan Buske, while Novinec joined Hatebreed and yielded his spot to Martin Stewart (ex-Donnybrook!).

Terror returned in 2008 with the studio album The Damned, The Shamed and the archival live recording CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live 6/10/04 The Bowery Collection. The 2010 release Keepers of the Faith introduced guitarist Jordan Posner, who had replaced Doug Weber, and bassist David Wood, who took over for Jonathan Buske. This configuration endured across three full-lengths—Live by the Code (2013), The 25th Hour (2015), and Total Retaliation (2018)—plus the EPs Hard Lessons/Only the Devil Knows (2012) and The Walls Will Fall (2017), the live album No Regrets, No Shame (2010), and continual touring. In 2021 the band reconvened with original guitarist Todd Jones to record Trapped in a World, a collection of re-recorded career highlights, then delivered its eighth studio album, Pain Into Power, in 2022; Jones produced the sessions, which included a guest appearance by hardcore veteran George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher.