Who knew that straight edge--a hardcore punk subculture where people abstain from drugs, smoking, and alcohol--would have such a huge day on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025, in North Carolina? No, I’m not just talking about House Bill 900 taking effect and making most disposable vapes illegal in North Carolina; on top of that, four incredible straight edge and vegan straight edge bands come together for a banger show at King’s in Raleigh. Local straight edge favorites Divine Right and the young riffers in Archangel provided local support for xDestroy Babylonx, a vegan straight edge band all the way from Italy, and Moral Law, vegan straight edge from Denver, Colorado. The King’s stage and dance floor have likely never seen so many X-watches, X’ed up hands, and Prayer for Cleansing shirts. 

Archangel opened up the evening to a packed room full of hardcore fans happy to come out on a Tuesday for the sake of straight edge hardcore, beginning their set with a cover of iconic vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis’s song “Firestorm” and continuing through their own impressive catalogue of original music. It is so awesome to see highschoolers carrying the banner of straight edge hardcore in North Carolina, and doing so with such skill and talent. Most of the kids in Archangel also play in JAW, another straight edge band with multiple shows coming up around the area; look them up and get to a gig! 

(Archangel, Photograph by @mygrainphotos on Instagram)

Divine Right took the stage next, stunning as usual with their metallic hardcore mastery, full of sick dance parts, breakdowns, and lyrics prompting enthusiastic mic pile-ons. They played a mix of new songs and favorites from their EP released last year and left the room sweaty and amped up after a great energetic set. (Divine Right, Photograph by @mygrainphotos on Instagram)

(Divine Right moshers, Photograph by @mygrainphotos on Instagram)

Next up, all the way from Italy, was xDestroy Babylonx. xDestroy Babylonx consists of members from the first ever Italian vegan straight edge band, xAbsencex, and have been playing heavy straight edge metallic hardcore since the early 2000s. With song titles like “Vegan Straight Edge Saved My Life”, “Vegan Since Day One”, and “The X I’m Crucified On”, xDestroy Babylonx wants you to know exactly what they are about from the get-go and delivers exactly what you want to hear out of a vegan straight edge metallic hardcore band: heavy-hitting songs about animal liberation and a drug-free lifestyle, interspersed with monologues about the meaning and importance of straight edge to the band and the impact of veganism in their lives and in the world. 

(xDestroy Babylonx)

Closing out the night was Moral Law from Denver, Colorado. Moral Law played a fantastic set of fast-paced metallic hardcore, calling for animal rights and espousing vegan straight edge values amidst apocalyptic lyricism and killer riffs. Between songs, the leadman broke it down simply for the crowd, saying that it is easier now than it ever has been, so “stop making excuses and go vegan - for yourself, for the animals, and for the planet.”

(Moral Law)

A packed room for a straight edge hardcore show on a Tuesday night is one of the most beautiful things I can imagine and getting to see four fantastic bands play at a favorite North Carolina venue made for an amazing night. I left the show proud to be straight edge, happy to be a North Carolinian, and excited for more hardcore gigs in the near future.