New Zealand heavy hardcore mob XILE (members of TOO LATE and ANTAGONIST AD) have recently inked a deal with German heavy hardcore label BDHW (Beatdown Hardwear) and released a beast of an EP called “Grafton”, dubbed after their home suburb of Auckland City. The record comes out swinging, unleashing big punches of metallic, bursting hardcore that’s able to push forward heavily. We sat down with the band to learn more about their craft, local scene, European partnership, and more! See the full interview below.
BDHW Records commented:
Xile are a heavy hardcore band from Grafton, New Zealand. While holding fast to a style reminiscent of their country’s most aggressive hardcore bands (The Burial, Promise of Bloodshed, Antagonist AD), the 5 piece blend in flavours of European beatdown (Nasty, Malevolence, Desolated) to create their own guttural, yet polished, sound.
The vocal message is clear, from religious discontent to the violent state of our modern world, mixed in with darker lyrics of Slayer-influenced murderous escapades.
The music behind the lyrics is aggressive and relentless. There is no shortage of riffage here – technicality is matched with half-time simplicity by vocalist Luke and guitarist Dylan, the EP’s primary songwriters. The death-metal background of drummer James is also evident, with his technical prowess holding down the rhythm section through the entire release.
Hey guys! Thanks for taking some time with IDIOTEQ! How are you? How’s beautiful Auckland doing this December?
Hey ! No worries , were happy to be here. We’re all well, we just jumped out of a couple trees into a lake and had a BBQ with a few stone cold VB beers, lifes easy here in NZ !
How’s the current ‘new EP era’ going? Are you satisfied with the feedback you’ve received so far?
Were loving it , the feedback has been great, its still kinda fresh and shows are getting better and better as everyone learns the songs.
What themes do you touch in these through these brutal jams? How does it relate to you personally? Is there stuff you discuss with the band while enjoying a beer (a juice?) together?
Theme wise XILE varies between Religion and Aggression/hate to more metal style SLAYER influenced lyrics about murder , crime and insanity.
We don’t take things to seriously and appreciate the freedom creating music gives you. Whatever comes out ….. comes out.
Do you feel there’s a subject that you are looking to address more on your next records?
On the next record the “Grafton LP” there will be more of the same haha more aggression , more relentless assault of that kiwi style.
Are you happy with the collaboration with Beatdown Hardwear? Do you plan on broadening your reach by teaming up with more DIY labels?
We are stoked with the Support from BDHW and Toni , we couldn’t be more happy with everything they’ve done and look forward to the future and building the relationship.
Are you guys booking live gigs to promote this new beast? When can we expect you to destroy European stages?
Yes we’ve been circling NZ and just announced our first Australian tour in feb 2017. We want to be in Europe ASAP Hook us up if your’e reading this !
By the way shows, are you satisfied with how your local scene has grown over the years, in terms of new bands, attendance and other stuff like zines? How thriving is it?
The New Zealand scene is small and very DIY if you want something to happen you need to make it happen yourself , we run 90 percent of our shows and book weekenders with our friends. The local scene is on its way up !
Can you recommend some hot local names for us to check out?
Check out BliND THREATS , NAILGUN, SALVAGE, ONE OUTS , OUT COLD, SAVING GRACE, SUPERIOR VISION and the other bands our members play for TOO LATE & ANTAGONIST AD.
Both record and gig-wise, what’s on your ‘best of 2016’ list?
Oh man thats hard ! i always see this question and always think that i never think of the years of things being released, like i was just about to write NASTY Shokka haha and that was 2015 so I’m bad at these. Gig wise NZ shows Hamtown Smackdown a annual Hardcore festival and the recent Sworn Enemy run we did was a lot of fun.
Ok guys, thanks a lot for your time! What is the way you want to go with XILE and how do you see your future with this project?
Thanks for having us! The only way is up for us, were hungry! See you soon , stay safe!
