Distance is usually one of the biggest obstacles to starting a band. For the members of Omnicide, it became part of the band's identity. Spread across Glasgow, Leeds, and London, the straight edge outfit has embraced the challenge of operating from opposite ends of the UK, channeling their shared commitment to hardcore into a debut demo that celebrates accountability, sobriety, and the values of straight edge.
Vocalist Lachlan tells No Echo the earliest conversations about Omnicide happened after last year's United and Strong, riding through London in guitarist Kieran's car. "The earliest discussions of Omnicide were in Kieran's car after United and Strong last year," he says. "We were driving through London, talking about how much we both wanted to start bands and work on music."
The conversation began with one style of hardcore before taking an unexpected turn. "We'd spoken a lot about bands like Hellbound and then got onto discussing beatdown and bands like Bulldoze, which is crazy considering how our sound developed," Lachlan says. "From that talk, we decided the worst we could do is try to make it work with the distance."
From there, the rest of the lineup came together naturally. Lachlan recruited drummer Spike through the Leeds hardcore scene, while bassist Lewis was already a close friend of both him and Kieran. "The rest is kind of history," he says.
Although Omnicide draws influence from multiple corners of hardcore. "We take a lot of inspiration from Youth Crew," bassist Lewis explains. "Our sound is somewhat a mix of that and late-'00s/early-'10s UKHC. It's no secret that Survival are a big influence on us. It's direct, raw, and in-your-face straight edge."
Kieran's path into hardcore came from punk rather than metal, something that continues to shape his songwriting. "I've been trying to do youth crew/stomp-sounding hardcore," he says. "So it comes from that kind of Floorpunch, Abolition, Righteous Jams sound. Youth Crew without the in-your-face positivity—or youth, in my case."
The band's recently released demo reflects that philosophy both musically and lyrically. Spike jokes that it came together through "blood, sweat, and a lot of coach travel," while Lachlan says the songs were often written after long shifts working at a pub.
"I wrote pretty much everything lyric-wise after long shifts at the pub," he says. "I think that's a testament to how much we stand on business when it comes to sobriety and straight edge."
The songs aren't simply declarations of personal lifestyle choices—they're also about strengthening the hardcore community around them. "It's about holding people accountable within your scene," Lachlan explains. "It's about upholding the straight edge values and enjoying a life less plagued. It's also just about proving that we as people could make something like this and wear it on our chests."
Lewis describes the writing process as equally organic. "The demo came together mostly through messing about with different riffs in long practice sessions," he says. "Lots of tweaking, trying different things, and seeing what worked together. It's a love letter to straight edge and living a clean life."
With members spread across three cities, Omnicide plans to turn geography into an advantage rather than a limitation. "We want to play as many shows as possible," Kieran says. "We're from all over the country, so we want to use that to our advantage and play as many areas as possible, as well as make a mark in our local ones."
The band is already working on new material, with another EP beginning to take shape alongside hopes of collaborating with other straight edge bands on future split releases.
Lachlan sums up the long-term vision in two words: "World Omni-nation."
As for the UK's current hardcore landscape, the members are quick to recommend a wide range of bands, including Turn Your Back, xNecessary Demisex, Claymore, Coexist, Blood Money, Mashaal, Agency, Regress, Make Way, Low Life, King Street, Sentience, Headstone, Hour of Reprisal, Impale, EGO, Inflictor, Blood Feud, Prozpekt, and, as Kieran puts it, "literally any Rucktion band."
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