Band: Cold Vein
From: Philadelphia & New York
Their formation story:
(Acre Qiu, vocals): "In mid-2023, I cold-called my friend Alex out of the blue. 12 years ago, we played together in Passage, a NYC-based melodic hardcore band. We hadn't spoken in 10 years.
"I ended up visiting him in Philadelphia. After realizing the boy still rips on guitar, I appealed to him that we should form a band called Cold Vein and someday somehow play a tour in Cambodia, his ancestral land. He had never been before, and I believed that hardcore would take us there. Let's write some heavy songs to accompany our outlook on the current state of affairs, and then let it resonate with people who feel the same way. The great gift of being able to unleash.
"Having grown up in China and still involved with the Chinese Hardcore scene, I was also itching to have an excuse to go tour there again. Cold Vein was a project to turn nothing into something, a way for us to transmute our predictable adult schedules and hard work into something amazing, something unforgettable. We will need 2 other crew members who share our work ethic and aspirations for expansion, not an easy task to fulfill.
"There isn't much to say other than we got very very lucky. Alex pitched his homie Tyler to play bass, and I met Harnak (a drummer that didn't have 4 other bands...) through a random online encounter. We just concluded our first midwest tour, and made it back very much alive with friendships still intact. It was an incredible reception and we couldn't have done it without each other."
Their sound in their own words:
"Expire, It Dies Today, Thick as Blood, Norma Jean, Trapped Under Ice, Make Move, Jukai, Neuromancer, Ted Kaczynski, Gundam 8th MS team."
Latest release info:
"Formation's message crystalizes to this: Alone we are strong, together we are stronger. The ability to cooperate with others is one of our greatest assets. We use the Heaven and Earth sign to signify we want the full stack.
"It feels surreal to be able to have friends do guest vocals on the album: Matt from Deject, Jaime from Make Move, Terry the Tyrant from Queens. I wrote these songs with certain homies in mind to record with, so you might be getting a call from me for the next album."
Future plans:
"2025: we will write some more new music, then tour the East Coast - then we'll head out to China and Japan to play the CNHC Fest."
What other bands from their regions should we check out?
"NY: Rabbit, Missing Link, Dog Breath
Philadelphia: Beef, Scarab, In Jest
Beijing: Unregenerate Blood, Return the Truth, OWN UP!
Shenzhen: Shoot the Gun"
Cold Vein on social media: Instagram
Tagged: cold vein
