Madball is an American New York hardcore band. Originated in the late 1980s as a

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980– ...

, the band developed after Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Freddy Cricien take the microphone and perform lead vocals during Agnostic Front shows. Following Agnostic Front's 1992 disbandment, Madball became the members' main project and many became a part of the band who were never in Agnostic Front. They have released nine studio albums and four EPs.

History

Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members. Madball consisted of Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret on bass, Vinnie Stigma on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien, Miret's younger half-brother. Madball's first few performances consisted of previously unused Agnostic Front songs. Madball's first release was the ''Ball of Destruction'' EP in 1989. After years of playing regional shows in and around the New York area, a second guitarist, Matt Henderson, joined the band. By then, they recorded and released the EP, ''Droppin' Many Suckers'', for Wreck-Age Records. One year later, Miret left the band and was replaced on bass by Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra — a good friend of Freddy Cricien — who was looking for a new band as his band, Dmize, was breaking up. The new incarnation of the band was signed by

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

in 1994 and released a pair of full-lengths; ''Set It Off'' in 1994 and ''Demonstrating My Style'' in 1996. Touring steadily, the band built a sizable fan base outside their hometown. 1995 saw the band participating in the '' N.Y.H.C.'' documentary. Extensive interviews were conducted with Freddy as well as a performance on July 29, 1995, at the now-defunct "Coney Island High". Freddy's brother, Roger, broke several vertebrae in his back at that show, requiring him to be in traction for the better part of a year. Consisting of Cricien, Henderson, Guerra, and new drummer John Lafata (former drummer in Neglect), the band recorded '' Look My Way'', which was released in early 1998. '' Hold It Down'' followed two years later. The band announced their dissolution in 2001 but decided to reform in late 2002 with a new line-up featuring Brian "Mitts" Daniels and Rigg Ross. They began touring and recording at the end of 2002. Since then, Madball has come out with: ''Best of Madball'' in 2003, ''N.Y.H.C. EP'' (EP) in 2004, ''Legacy'' in 2005, and ''Infiltrate The System'' in 2007. In 2009, Rigg Ross left to join Skarhead and was replaced by Ben Dussault. Along with bands such as Agnostic Front, Vietnom, Bulldoze, Resistance, H₂O and Boston/New York Hip-hop group Special Teamz ( Slaine, Ed O.G., Jaysaun, DJ Jayceeoh), they comprise a part of New York's DMS Crew. Vocalist Cricien and bass player Hoya are also in the band Hazen Street, along with members of H₂O and Cro-Mags. In 2010, after the departure of the Ferret Records owners from the label, Madball followed them to their new and present label Good Fight Music. In February 2010 Madball signed a deal with

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

for the European release of their new studio album, ''Empire'', produced by Erik Rutan. Jay Weinberg, son of

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

and Max Weinberg 7 drummer

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' an ...

, joined Madball for the album and for touring. Madball then dismissed Weinberg in September 2010, citing personality conflicts. Weinberg said that he had already quit the group by that time, due to lifestyle issues. Born From Pain drummer Igor Wouters replaced Weinberg for live performances. On March 10, 2014, the band began recording its eighth studio album, '' Hardcore Lives'', which was released in June of that year. In October 2017, Brian "Mitts" Daniels had exited Madball. Madball released their ninth studio album, ''For the Cause'', on June 15, 2018. In January 2019, Madball announced that their touring guitarist, Mike Gurnari, would become an official member. In August 2023, Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra announced his intention to leave the band. Guerra cited the band's decrease in activity and the resulting financial hardship as his reasons for leaving. He made it known that he would remain with the band through their two upcoming European tours.

Musical style and influences

Madball are a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band. The band's music put an emphasis on a

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

-influenced groove, breakdowns and use of lyrics based on street life, as opposed to the speed of

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and the riffing of

crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...

which were dominate in the genre when they began. This difference led to them helping to define the sound hardcore would take on in the 1990s, as well as the

beatdown hardcore Beatdown hardcore (also known as heavy hardcore, brutal hardcore, moshcore, or simply beatdown) is a subgenre of hardcore punk which incorporates elements of thrash metal and hip hop music, hip hop. The genre features aggressive vocals, heavy, ...

genre. They have also been categorised as tough guy hardcore. They have cited influences including Sick of It All,

, the

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...

, Cro-Mags, Killing Time, Breakdown, Discharge,

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

and

funk music Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...

Band members

With Full Force Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. Lineups 2014 4 - 6 July Amon Amarth, Architects (British band), Architects, Being as an O ...

History

Musical style and influences

Band members

Timeline

Discography

References

External links