POISON IVY
1. Здравейте! As I did for my interview with Alen from the Balkan Hardcore Collective, I had to break out my Sofia Hardcore Tattoos shirt for this one! I actually have a pair of tattoos from there, so I carry a piece of Bulgaria with me always. Would you please introduce yourself and what you do in the band, as well as provide some background basics on the band like when and how you formed?
Abi: Hey, I’m Abi and I do vocals. Grigor, Georgi, and Alek approached me in early 2025 with the idea to start a vegan band. I’d never done vocals before these same people asked me to do a feature in their other band, but I was up for the challenge.
Georgi: Waddup! Me, Alek and Grigor did xCHOKEx and when Abi did guest vocals in “Promises Unkept,” we knew she’d be amazing in a band of her own. We found a really cool drummer in the form of Evko and started tofu-powered rehearsals.
Alek: Hey, I'm Alek and I play guitar in Poison Ivy. We formed the band at the beginning of 2025 with the idea of creating a hardcore vegan band and we eventually ended up forming the first ever vegan straight edge band in Bulgaria.
Grigor: Hello, I’m Grigor, I play bass and do vocals. We had the idea for a band like this years ago but with the breakup of xCHOKEx we put it in motion.
Evko: Hi. I’m Evlogi but my friends call me Evko. I’m a musician by profession and I play drums. I got invited to drum for Poison Ivy which I gladly accepted due to our aligning values.
2. I ask all the vegan straight edge bands I interview this, because I think it’s important for each to articulate their response: why veganism, why straight edge, and why hardcore?
Abi: Vegan for the animals! Period. Animal agriculture is exploitation at its worst and it facilitates unfathomable cruelty and destruction and I want no part of it. Since day one this world tries to strip you of your empathy. It doesn’t always succeed and if you’re lucky enough, you get to care about more than just yourself. Straight edge because that empathy also translates into taking responsibility for your actions towards others and yourself. Intoxication culture is so disgustingly destructive and I just want to take in every moment, good or bad, without the fog of substances. And finally - hardcore because I love the music, the values behind it, and the community. I believe the scene can be a catalyst for positive change and it can impact lives in the best way possible.
Georgi: Vegan because of ethical reasons. I don’t want animals to die for my sandwich and I don’t want this big impact on the planet either. Straight Edge because the limited time I have I want to experience it without drugs and alcohol getting in the way. Hardcore because of the culture (particularly DIY culture), but mostly because metal is whack.
Alek: Vegan for the animals. Straight edge for myself and hardcore because of the community.
Grigor: I am vegan because I love animals and hate exploitation of any kind. Straight edge because, for me at least, it’s either this or the other extreme. And hardcore because I like the music and I think the community (while it does have flaws) is better than most.
Evko: Vegan for the animals and for planet Earth. My values are entirely based on the most good we could do for all lifeforms. SxE came to me naturally after getting sober, a thorough examination of my character through that lens.
3. What got you into hardcore in the first place and what made you want to play it?
Abi: The music itself and the synergy between band and crowd at gigs was what pulled me in all those years ago. I never thought I’d actually be in a band one day but here we are.
Alek: I've always been a huge fan of heavier music. Coming from a more metal-oriented scene in Sofia, Bulgaria I got into hardcore not only because of the style of music but because of the moral aspects and the hardcore values, especially the vegan ones.
Grigor: I thought the music was cool and more accessible to start playing.
Evko: Punk rock! Punk, death metal, and political messages. I’m a very morbid, sulky individual who’s deep into animal activism. Hardcore is a huge source of hope in these trying times.
4. In October last year, you released the EP Screams Unheard. Can you tell us about the writing and recording process and walk us through it track-by-track?
Abi: Writing the lyrics was easy. I just had to draw from the anger I have in me. The recording process was extremely easy as well. We had our close friend Mihail Slavov from Wind City Studio record and mix it. I personally felt very at ease recording vocals for the first time in my life with his guidance.
Alek: Starting off, the first song is “Collateral Damage,” which is the third song we came up with. The intro is similar to the song “XVX” by xChokex as it's the same riff with a different pattern.
The title track “Screams Unheard” is the first song we ever made as a band and is one of our most favorite ones. It literally includes all of my favorite song sections in hardcore mixed with metallic riffs. Two-step, side to side, heavy breakdown.
“Death Toll” aka “the Gojira song” as we like to call it, is the third song. The first riff had a more mundane pattern. Our drummer Evko wanted to spice it up and we ended up changing it entirely.
“Unbroken” is our edge song for all of the straight edge kids. We intended to have a lot of two-step sections for this one and for it to have a catchier tune.
5. Shortly after the EP’s release, you played Novi Sad Edge Day—how was that? What are some other highlights of the band’s young existence so far?
Abi: Having our first show outside the country was crazy for me. The entire event was so wholesome. I think it’s very cool that our first two shows were Edge Day events. My first hardcore festival was Hardcore X-Mass almost 19 years ago, so playing it last year was a definite highlight for me. Our weekender earlier this year with Hour Of Reprisal, TRUExFEELING, and Frust was also a blast. Both our Romanian shows thus far hold a special place in my heart, they have such a wholesome scene there.
Evko: Edge Day is the day I officially claimed after unofficially being a part of the community. Truly a magical night for all of us.
6. What would you say is the vision for the band? Do you have any goals for it/how would you define “success” for Poison Ivy?
Abi: We’re already responsible for one person turning vegan and to me that is success. If our music helps other people make that change, I’d consider us successful. Playing more shows outside of Bulgaria is a definite goal as well.
Georgi: I’d be really happy to see more stage dives than crowd killing at our shows.
Alek: One of our main goals is to spread the vegan and straight edge message so that people can start living a better life without the need to harm animals or contribute towards their pain and suffering. Success for us would be if even one person were to become vegan because of us and we have already done that! So I guess it's to get as many people onboard as possible.
Evko: I got so much better at drums since joining and I want to get even better! Playing such fun and complicated music together and gaining recognition through that is enough to brighten my thoughts for our future.
7. What’s the scene like in Sofia and Bulgaria more broadly?
Abi: The hardcore scene has been steadily growing in the last few years, more kids and younger people come to shows than ever, we have so many new bands, and the amount of shows being organized can even be hard to keep up with. The straight edge scene is bigger than it ever has been in Bulgaria and I’m proud of our little community.
Georgi: There’s a ton of young bands playing heavy music and top tier moshers, but it’d be great to see more diverse stuff happening. Regardless, the scene is not welcoming to Nazis. <3
8. What have you got coming up that we should be keeping an eye out for (new music, shows, etc.)?
Georgi: There’s things already in the kitchen but if you are reading this and you want to book us to play in your town, get in touch!
Alek: A compilation with other Balkan bands is in the works, which we will be a part of. There's also a festival in Cluj where we'll be playing in November.
9. This is one of my favorite questions to ask: if you were stranded on a desert island by yourself and could only have five albums with you to listen to, what would they be?
Abi:
AFI - Sing The Sorrow
Have Heart - The Things We Carry
Expectations - After Twenty Years
Melekh - Монохром
Contention - Artillery From Heaven
Honorable mentions because what do you mean just 5:
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Crowfish - Requiem For A Broken Heart
Arm’s Length - There’s A Whole World Out There
Georgi:
Trial - Are These Our Lives
Betrayed - Substance
Times of Desperation - Vegan Manifest
Punch - Punch
Fall of Efrafa - Owsla
Alek:
Darko US - Starfire
The Offspring - Americana
One Step Closer - This Place You Know
August Burns Red - Constellations
Title Fight - Hyperview
Grigor:
Hatebreed - Rise Of Brutality
Paramore - All We Know Is Falling
Cannibal Corpse - Butchered At Birth
Wu Tang Clan - Enter The Wu Tang
Bolt Thrower - War Master
Evko:
Siouxie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
Type O Negative - October Rust
Sanguisugabogg - Tortured Whole
Gorilla Biscuits - s/t
Rendez Vous - Distance
10. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! Any shout-outs or last words for the readers?
Abi: Shout out to the animals. GO VEGAN!
Georgi: Shout out to the mountains! Have you ever listened to your favourite album on a long ass hike?
Evko: Shout out to all friends who died of ODs. Gone, but not forgotten. Shout out to everyone who got sober too!
