A review of "Hardcore Lives" by Madball

New York Hardcore greats, Madball have stood the test of time in the hardcore scene for a very very long time.  The band honestly slipped off my radar the last few years until recently, they put out their latest release, Hardcore Lives.  I know there are plenty of people who will always prefer a band's older material versus their newer material.   While I like it all, there is something very special about this record that stood out to me.

After a blistering Intro as the first track, the album explodes into the title track, Hardcore Lives which is a ferocious yet extremely catchy track.  In a sense, its a call to arms for the hardcore scene and has a unifying and substantial feel to it.  This is followed by The Balance  and my personal favorite Doc Marten Stomp.  I'm partial to this tune between the catchy back up vocals and the simplicity of the chorus, it makes it easy to for anybody to latch on to.  It also doesn't feel like your typical hardcore song and has more of a fist raising punk rock and roll tune without losing the edge.  The album also features several guest vocalists such as Scott Vogel from Terror on True School which adds a lot of veracity on the song.  You also have Toby Morse from H20 on My Armor which is a more positive and upbeat tune.

The message on this album tend to be more positive or lighter than their previous works.  Songs such as Here And Now tells you to "cease the moment or cease to exist" and to live presently.  Others such as Beacon Of Light gives reminisce to those less than joyful life experiences and yet how they don't last forever.  Another favorite is Born Strong (Featuring Candace Puopolo from Walls of Jericho) as the intro fires up the listener with "dig deep, find the strength that you seek".  If you're looking for motivation, or something to pull through, this album is helpful.  Other tracks on here such as Spirit, Mi Palabra and NBNC come toward the end of the album.  All of which show what Madball does best with their music.  There is also a live track called The Beast which really shows up their guitar work like many of the other tracks and the energy they display live.  Speaking of which, if you haven't seen them yet, you're missing out.  Go buy this record. If you love hardcore, or Madball, you will find this enjoyable.

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