Madball

Madball’s sixth full-length album, Legacy hit the stores on August 2nd, 2005. This record feels like a live show and since Madball are known for their energetic live act, they might have a point in saying this is their most “madball” record yet. But there are a lot of new things that make this record a new record. Fat breaks, new riffs and of course, a lot of little things that make you go, “O, what? Did he just do that?”

The record flows, from “Adapt and Overcome,” (a song about believing in yourself and making something of yourself), to “The Crown” (a song about the crown of hardcore and that they’ve come to claim it) and ends with “Worldwide” (a song about the all the love and help they’ve received all over the world).

This CD has a very good feel to it all the way through… it’s raw but really well done. Madball have been a touring band since 1988 and have shared the stage with so many bands on the rock star journey that it’s just too hard to name them all. From here on in, Madball prove that while the styles separating metal and hardcore have become interchangeable in recent years under the banner of metalcore, there’s nothing that can be mistaken as New York hardcore delivered in typically Madball style. The disc is entirely equipped with heavy chugging, grooving New York Hardcore sounds and evermore maintains the same street-life inspired attitude that originally ignited the band’s constantly burning passion.

“Hardcore Pride” is a 15-second song, sung by Hoya… a two second countdown, a slow groovy four line verse lasting 9 seconds, a three second blast of aggressive “Hardcore pride” chants, half a second of silence and a blah from Hoya. Legs are bound to break when this is played in a packed venue. “Worldwide” is a song that, if it was up to me, hadn’t made it to the record. I don’t like the soft ‘respect to me to you’ stuff.

The tracks are short but fuelled with power and intensity! Yes ladies and gentleman, MADBALL are back! Bow your heads and crush your bones by moshing! Guest appearances on vocals include: Sean Martin, Jay Reason, Ivan Murillo, Brian Daniels, Benny Blanco, Danny Diablo.

Who would’ve thought that we’d see Madball back on Roadrunner? The organization that once dropped all their hardcore bands is getting them all back again in courtesy of their licensing deal with US label Ferret Music. But whilst marketing considerations shift like fickle winds, bands like Madball remain constant, as solid as a rock, unwavering in their pursuit of cathartic hardcore perfection.

Admittedly they seem destined to never quite capture the ferocity of their live show, but thanks to another sterling Zuess (who is rapidly becoming the Andy Sneap of metalcore) production job, this is about as close as you can get without sustaining serious injury. And while some of this does sound suspiciously similar to 1996’s Demonstrating My Style, with source material that powerful, who’s complaining? This newest Madball CD Legacy is so good that I put it on at 11:30 PM and now it’s 4:14 Am. Fuck I gotta get up at 6 AM for work. “FUCKEN MADBALL YOU CRAZY FUCKERS” I give you a 10 out of 10 on this just for the fact you have made 6 kick ass CD’s in the last 18 years and have never let me down once. I’m also gonna own your pit at warp tour this August 29th in Barrie/Toronto YEE HAWW YADYA. 10/10 Boys!  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Adapt and Overcome
02. Heavenhell
03. Behind These Walls
04. Legacy
05. Timebomb
06. Darkest Days
07. The Crown
08. War and Hate
09. Until Then
10. Final Round
11. Damned
12. For My Enemies
13. 100%
14. Hardcore Pride
15. H.C. United
16. Worldwide

Run Time: 34:00