_{Photo Credit to Jake Stanton}

Thailand’s WHISPERS has the hardcore world buzzing as of late. From introducing Hong Thai’s in the pit to having their moniker ‘Bangkok Evilcore’ becoming known across the planet, we knew we had to reach out to chat.

Thanks to Flatspot Records, here is our Q&A with the band after their Australia tour.

For those new to WHISPERS, can you tell us how the band came together?
All of us are going to the hardcore scene in a different way and time but the whole reason is like everyone who falls into the scene is having fun with friends or music and moreover, you also can be yourself in this kind of underground music culture events. So after all that stuff happened we decided to make a band called Whispers but just only 4 of us without Get (bassist) and then he replaced our former friend (Dear and Dew) after Narok Bon Din EP was released. Fyi, everyone had their own band before, and after those bands broke up, we came together that’s it. 

Who and where did you get the inspiration for your sound?
At the beginning, we wanted to make stuffs like King Nine , Soul Search , Life Of Agony and some old school NYHC stuff like that but lately, we decided to do more heavier kicking ass sound like All Out War , Kickback , Merauder , Arkangel , Congress or any of an old school Japanese brutality hardcore stuff before Narok Bon Din was released.

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Bangkok Evilcore is such a cool name and description for your music, where did that come from?
This name comes from the fact that we were all born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. We want the whole world to know that on the other side of the globe, in Southeast Asia, there are people in this city who share the same passion and love for hardcore music. Through our work, we hope to connect with more people, while creating heavy sounds that resemble the voice of evil. And it would be great if this name could make people remember not only us, but also our city.

You released the EP Yom-Ma-Lok late last year through Flatspot Records, can you tell us a about the EP and the themes behind it?
We wanted to connect this album with our previous one (Narok Bon Din), which was also in Thai, to emphasize that this is truly our work. With the heavier themes in the songs—addressing culture, the Thai or broader Asian mindset, and the environment in relation to the global society through the perspective of our vocalist, Mike—Yom Ma Lok became one of the names we came up with together for this release.

There were some pretty cool features, like Jem from SPEED, Stephen Bessack from KICKBACK and Shaun Alexander from Demonstration of Power- how was it collaborating with them?
We made the Yom-Ma-Lok series very carefully. We have friends from different bands—different countries—that helped make our songs sound stronger than ever. We took a long time to make sure everything was going to be the best it could be, and this album means a lot to us.

As being one of the first Thai bands to really consistently play internationally, do you feel a sense of pride and/or responsibility to represent your scene?
With hardcore music, it’s easy to connect to people, and we’re so proud to be a part of this community. But of course, at the same time, we also want to see the hardcore scene in Thailand grow. What we’re proud of is not only for ourselves, but also in being a driving force for the younger generation—those who want to follow their dreams with their friends, just like we did in the beginning when we came together simply because we shared the same passion and joy for hardcore music. It’s also about creating a space where people who love this music can connect, exchange ideas, and enjoy it together. We want to preserve that spirit for as long as we possibly can. 

A little while back, you guys posted before going on tour that your drummer is out of leave for work. Since you are touring so consistently, do you all still have to work regular jobs or can you play music full time now?
Right now, Mike (our vocalist) and Es (our drummer) have both left their full-time jobs to tour with the band full-on, since we’ve been traveling quite a lot this year—and probably next year too. As for the rest of the members, they run a vintage clothing shop in the same market and still stick together. They’re also working hard to balance between their main jobs and the band.

The relationship between SPEED and Whispers seems to be very strong. When did the bands meet and how has it been touring with them across the world?
Jem and Dennis used to tour in Thailand while back ago with his old band so that’s first time we met and then we made a reunion again at a SPEED first show ever in Bangkok and that was huge as fuck for the Bangkok hardcore scene then we have more chance to  tour together by their help with Flatspot Records and many bookings company.
Going on the road with SPEED is the best thing thy we want to do every time and everywhere with them. We’re so happy to make it and we feel truly honored to have them supporting and guiding us, like a family we can rely on in difficult times.

You’ve played quite a few shows in Australia now, how has your time been here and is what you expected?
The Australia tour is one of the best so far for everyone. Especially, Beast Mode, Speed, Feel the pain, Keldon (The Half Man) and all the crew we have been working and hanging out looked after us and showed us the real fucking good way to spend our time together over there. And of course, everywhere we get the chance to go, we hope to see everyone — reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. We want to play our music and have fun together with everyone who’s waiting for us in their hometowns, while also learning from all the new experiences we share along the way.

Thailand and Australia are pretty close, so if anybody from Australia wanted to check out the hardcore scene in Thailand, what are some Thai hardcore bands you would recommend?
Right now in Bangkok and Chaing Mai (the North city in Thailand), there are quite a lot of new bands and fresh faces in the scene. They’re really interesting because they bring new flavors that are essential for the music community. At the same time, there are also older bands and familiar faces making a return, ready to support the new generation as well. So these are all the bands we mentioned that are still active right now:

Obskurus , Eternal Hate , 38 Special , F.O.D. , Chain Fight , Fordecision , The Shredders , Mutation , Born From Pain(TH) , Not Proven , A-Zero , Depressed , TBPH , High Voltage , Speech Odd , Fernantive, Grimtooth, Monument X, Herenity, and Rexrez, Burst Of Silence.

So many bands of those are from Holding On Records the one and only Hardcore label in Thailand by Gap’s our sixth member, the daddy and the mighty Bangkok legend himself.

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Do you have anything else you want to share with our readers?
We would like to give our deepest thanks to [NOISE ‘N’ VISUALS] for honoring us with this opportunity. Please check out our latest album Yom Ma Lok, and shout out to Flatspot Records, Holding On Records, Speed, Feel the Pain, Beast Mode, Australian Hardcore and all the readers. If you ever come to Thailand, don’t forget to stop by the Srinakarin Train Night Market — we’re there working every week. Lastly, we truly hope to see everyone wherever we go and to have a great time together at our shows.