XONOR

XONOR took shape in Switzerland in 2020, during the pandemic, when its founding members met on an online forum and launched the band as a quartet. Built around Donagh Ramseyer, Luc Burtscher, Tobias Glarner and Luca Ramsauer, XONOR plays a direct, nervous thrash metal informed by modern extreme metal, punk rock and hardcore, with fast riffs, tight structures and songwriting geared toward impact rather than showmanship. The lyrics address violence, injustice and political or social tensions in a frontal manner, accompanied by a visual identity that features black balaclavas on stage. After beginnings in the underground circuit, XONOR quickly expanded its live activity, notably performing at the Destroyer Fest in Kyiv during the war in Ukraine, at a time when very few international metal bands were playing there. The band has also shared bills with Messiah and Nervosa and collaborated with Paleface Swiss, placing XONOR at the crossroads of contemporary thrash and a broader scene open to crossover and the most abrasive forms of today’s metal.