Vienna hardcore veterans Perfect Sky have recently dropped a new video for “Hunting Demons,” a standout track from their 2024 EP of the same name, released last year via WTF Records (NL).
The video arrives as an honest glimpse into a song that hits closer to home than most in the band’s catalogue—a track shaped by personal struggle and transformation.
The group’s roots go back 25 years, formed out of the ashes of Proud of Ignorance during the vibrant but compact hardcore scene in late ’90s Vienna.
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Trading bass for vocals and old-school hardcore for a heavier, more metal-influenced sound, Perfect Sky built their identity in a pre-digital world where music traveled through word-of-mouth, letters, and packed shows—not algorithms.
After disbanding in 2003, they stayed silent for 15 years until a chance reconnection sparked the idea of playing again. It was spontaneous: a jam, a good feeling, and soon, a new lineup with old friends.
What followed was the EP Hunting Demons, with the title track reflecting on years of addiction and a life turned around by love, stability, and fatherhood. “Her presence was reason enough to stop thinking about drugs,” they told us—clear, unsentimental, and direct.
In our full interview below, the band breaks down the meaning behind each song on the EP, talks about their long hiatus and what brought them back, why “Crucified” by Iron Cross still hits after 30 years, and how their views on political violence haven’t changed since “Die For A Lie.”
We also talked nostalgia, letter-writing, Slipknot covers, and hardcore records that never left their rotation.
Read the full interview below for all of it—early memories, personal lows, high-volume comebacks, and the gear that keeps them grinding.
Hey there guys! Let’s kick things off by taking a trip down memory lane. How did you guys start out 25 years ago? Can you tell us about the early days of PERFECT SKY and the music scene back then?
Perfect Sky emerged from the former VSHC band Proud of Ignorance. At that time, I was still playing bass in POI. When our singer left the band, I gave up the bass and became the singer from then on. And we also changed our style: instead of classic old-school hardcore, we played with a lot more metal influences.
Overall, the sound became way harder than before. And that’s why we decided to change the band name to Perfect Sky. The scene back then was really good. a small but strong scene with a lot of cohesion.
There were already some really cool HC bands in Vienna in the nineties. And a lot of people showed up at the concerts. The dance floor was always full and the atmosphere was at boiling point. That was a great time.
What are your memories of the music scene when you first started? Digital music wasn’t really a thing yet, and MySpace was just around the corner. How did that environment shape your music?
I have nothing but great memories of that time when we started our band. everything was still so real; no social media like we know it today. Perfect Sky was never on Myspaceor any other similar platforms.
First time on social media was after our reunion in 2018 on Facebook and Instgram. Back then, people still communicated through letters or by telephone. I had letter contacts on all continents…from Europe to the USA to Indonesia and other distant countries. I loved it, it was an exciting time.
What happened between the time you split up in 2003 and reformed in 2018? Was there a specific moment or inspiration that brought you back together?
There wasn’t much happening during that time. I was the only one among us who continued making music. I was the singer of the metal band CAY-OS for a while. After that, I had another project where we only covered songs by Slipknot, Machine Head, Killswitch Engage, and other bands. Both bands were a lot of fun, but they just didn’t have the spirit I love about hardcore.
That’s why I was really happy when I met Roman again after a few years with hardly any contact. It didn’t take 10 minutes before we were already talking about old times again. I asked Roman if he still had his drum kit and whether he wanted to have a jam session with me. We did that two weeks later and were immediately hooked again. It didn’t take long after that to reform Perfect Sky by putting together the perfect line-up with Mark and Chris.
The latest EP is titled “Hunting Demons.” Can you tell us what the title means to you and what inspired this set of bangers?
I chose Hunting Demons as the title for the EP because the song is something very special to me personally and means a lot. In the song I look back on hard and turbulent times when drugs dictated my life. I am now 46 years old and only 5 years ago, when I met my current girlfriend, my life turned 180 degrees. At first she knew nothing about it and didn’t even have to take action because her presence was reason enough to stop thinking about drugs. A good year later our daughter was born and now I am experiencing turbulent times again, but in a positive sense of course. The other songs were also inspired by experiences. By everything that surrounds us every day, the media, news, friends and family.
Would you be willing to give a brief commentary on each track of the new EP? We’d love to hear your thoughts on each song.
I OWE YOU NOTHING: A song that reminds us that we can rise above ourselves, no matter how many setbacks we suffer and how often we fall. It’s all about believing in ourselves and getting our ass up again. To keep moving forward, no matter how many stones are thrown in our way.
RACIAL ABUSE: The message of the song is very clear. Nothing new, of course, but we cannot talk about this issue often enough. We cannot remind people often enough that racism is not an option, it`s the beginning of the end.
FTW: This is a song that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Do you know those days where you wake up pissed off, where you don’t give a fuck about anything. FTW is probably the first thing that comes to mind then.
WE`RE NOT THE SAME: This song reflects the status quo of our society. A society that has become increasingly fast-paced and in which gratitude and humility are rarely found. Material things such as status symbols, money and power have top priority.
HUNTING DEMONS: I already explained what Hunting Demons is about in the previous question. It’s a very personal song.
ANGRY YOUTH: Anyone who knows the 90s movie “KIDS” knows exactly what this song is about. It’s about kids/teenies with no prospects who just live from day to day and who would need a helping hand.
CRUCIFIED: it`s a HC/Punk classic by IRON CROSS that needs no further explanation.
Why did you choose to re-record “Angry Youth” from your debut album? What significance does that song hold for you?
Actually, we only re-recorded the song because it was our favorite song from the debut album and we knew we could do it better. That´s all.
You’ve included a cover of “Crucified” by IRON CROSS on this EP. Why did you choose this particular song, and what does it mean to you?
“Crucified” was one of the first songs we heard when we first came into contact with hardcore. The song has been with us for almost 30 years and still inspires us as much as it did on the first day. That’s why we decided to record the song ourselves and put it as a bonus track on the EP.
What are some of your favorite releases from other bands last year and in 2025? Can you make us a special recommendation list?
That’s a really difficult question to answer because there are so many good bands coming out with new releases all the time, and i’m not sure in which year the releases came out because there’s so much stuff coming out. But I can give you 10 of my all-time favorite records if you´re cool with that as well.
- MADBALL – Droppin` Many Suckers
- UNBROKEN – Life Laugh Regret
- GORILLA BISCUITS – Start Today
- MORNING AGAIN – Martyr
- STRIFE – One Truth
- RACIAL ABUSE – No Need
- AGNOSTIC FRONT – One Voice
- 25 TA LIFE – Keepin It Real
- SICK OF IT ALL – Live In A World Full Of Hate
- CROPSEY – Cropsey
A couple of years ago, you released “Die For A Lie” in response to a terrorist attack in Vienna. How has your perspective changed since then?
My view on this has not changed at all. It’s still horrible enough to see how much suffering, grief, anger and desire for revenge terrorist attacks trigger every single day. We all have to understand that there is only one path, a common path that we must take together. I hope that this will happen one day and that the bloodshed of innocents will finally come to an end.
Thanks so much for your time. Feel free to add anything you like. Take care!
Perfect Sky would like to thank you for doing this interview with us. We really appreciate that.
Hardcore Still Lives!!! Trailerpark Hardcore 2025!
