CLASSICK OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER 2018: AGNOSTIC FRONT - "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART"

CLASSICK OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER 2018:

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" (1999)
(Running time: 28:59 minutes; 17 songs)
("Epitaph Records"; CD):

Tracklist:
(01.) "POLICE STATE"
(02.) "I HAD ENOUGH"
(03.) "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART"
(04.) "SIT AND WATCH"
(05.) "BLOOD, DEATH AND TAXES"
(06.) "FRUSTRATION"
(07.) "SICKNESS"
(08.) "SHADOWS"
(09.) "NOWHERE TO GO"
(10.) "TRUST"
(11.) "MY LIFE"
(12.) "IT'S TIME"
(13.) "ROCK STAR"
(14.) "NOTHING'S FREE"
(15.) "PRICE YOU PAY"
(16.) "JAILBREAK"
(17.) "BULLET ON MOTT STREET"

Good morning folks… or so... finally again much earlier than the last time you here and now already get the next dose and this here and now means the newest "CLASSICK OF THE MONTH" article and of course we're here and now talking about the "SEPTEMBER 2018" edition of it. Yes, this time I haven't forgot (or nearly forgot) about it, no, no, no, and so here and now you get this very one much earlier than its direct precursor one, hm, and I hope that already one of the next posts up here coming up the next days or so will then already be the succesor one to this very one here. And now, I think so, enough of the smalltaking and introducing rambling(s) and now direct and straight into the action: This time we will take a trip 'down' to the Big Apple with visiting the cold, hard concrete of New York City where we will today meet one of the if not maybe even surely the biggest legend(s) ever to arise from the NYC and it's all about no one one else and especially no one less than the absolutely almighty and larger than life AGNOSTIC FRONT and today here'n'now we will have a more precise look on their album that definitely sort of always was and I am pretty sure always will be my total favorite album of/by them and their most important one to/for me and this is their in 1999 released absolute masterpiece "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" released back then via "EPITAPH RECORDS" on CD (and please don't ask me if there had also been a LP version of it back then, today there is).

In 1999 I knew AGNOSTIC FRONT already for quite a while especially due to their infamous classick "CAUSE FOR ALARM" and their heavy slasher "ONE VOICE" both from way back in the days, yes, and then they 'went away' and my teenager-self only knew them 'so far' just as a legendary but 'gone' band that I always massively cheered up to. And then 1998 came across and suddenly AGNOSTIC FRONT were truly and really back and their 1998 comeback-album "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE" with the lifechanging "GOTTA GO" on it erupted like an A-Bomb and... to put it short, yes, I was totally conquered by it and this hasn't changed up to the present day. (So maybe better not be too surprised when you see it someday up here as a part of this series, too.) This strong opening to Oi! and Streetpunk that had happened and that AGNOSTIC FRONT suddenly showcased was exactly what I was up to and for what I was looking for back then (and, to be honest, this hasn't changed in good parts that much today), it was sort of the 'together-melting' of my two most favoured styles which means Oi! and Hardcore and, like already said, it fired up my heart and soul and it was exactly what I was looking for; and even still today it is in the largest parts exactly this what still fuels my fire the very most. But as damn great, brilliant, fantastic, and massively conquering already "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE" from 1998 was and definitely still is, oh yes, but in 1999 it even got a good bit better with "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART". My first contact with non-mainstream-musick was very eraly in elementary school with Metal and like anyone who knows me and/or also reads this very blog here (especially those who stick around here now for already quite a while) know I am still in love with Metal in its various forms and even especially sort of from 2000 to 2010 or 2011 I was pretty much 'out of it' my personaly classicks always fueled my fire massively and today Metal is very prominent in my stereo again. But... hm, I lost myself a bit, sorry... okay, from latest 1994 on when I was 13 years young first Hardcore and Punkrock and then Oi! (and Streetpunk, but back then this 'seperating-terms' and how or like we use them that often especially today I simply didn't knew) became more and more important and influential to/for me and especially Oi! and Hardcore should become more and more 'my everlasting most important thing' and when then AGNOSTIC FRONT unleashed their "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE" in 1998 and especially "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" in 1999 that was exactly what I wanted, needed back then (and what I still cheer up to massively today). Not that this hadn't been done by others also before 1998/1999, hell no, others did it as well and they did it very often also damn fantastic, yes, but AGNOSTIC FRONT simply did it to/for me in a very special and damn unique and characteristic as well as charismatic way and they absoultely conquered me and so especially those albums of their comeback era hold a very special place in my heart and this also counts for their by far too often dramatically underrated "DEAD YUPPIES" slasher from 2001, the third and final one of their comeback era and so also don't be surprised when it one day will also be part of this article series up here, yes, before AGNOSTIC FRONT should turn with their mighty "ANOTHER VPOICE" from and in 2004 to the through'n'through 'pure steel' New York Hardcore slashers and giants as we know them today. And so now after all my by/of personal events and situations permeated blathering let us have a closer look on the almighty "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART", hell yeahr, the absoulte groundbreaking masterpiece and classick that AGNOSTIC FRONT released nearly twenty years ago in 1999 via "EPITAPH RECORDS", yes, so let's roll.

AGNOSTIC FRONT's "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" features 17 songs in about 29 minutes and this was and still is one hell of an intense ride from "POLICE STATE" to "BULLET ON MOTT STREET" and it was and is just again and again overwhelming and incredible how much energy and rousing dynamics AGNOSTIC FRONT put into this shortly or roughly half of a hour. Very intense and dense, full throttle and no holds barred and also no prisoners taking songwriting that creates skyscratching high amounts of intensity and highly energetic tension that just wants to erupt massively and 'overwhelmingly' and makes you instantly start a mosh pit right in front of your stereo in your living room and, and that's maybe most important and most impressive, its still as fresh and as strong and as conquering and also as relevant as it was now nearly twenty years ago way back in 1999, yes, and that's definitely and truly statement of one of a kind and definitely of its very own and should already tell you all what you need or have to know about how damn larger than life and fantastic AGNOSTIC FRONT's "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" was and still is and definitely forever will be, point and fact. A raging and sawing guitar work, that delivers stomping rhythms that are varying nicely between fast speed Hardcore facebreakers and more in an elated Oi!/Streetpunk mid pace held or delivered tunes, 'shines' in a dirty and nasty 'streetraised' heavyness without any metallic flirtings and delivers also great hymnal Oi!/Streetpunk leads and melody lines and with doing so enriches and cultivates the songs heavily and massively. A rampaging and nicely present bass work and bonecracking and 'weasel-nimbly' drumming back it all perfectly up. Roger Miret's highly charismatic and unique lead vocals then really give the songs their bright shining crown and massive and highly hymnal massive gang back ups enrich it all only even more. The songs display/showcase anyhow from start to finish a larger than life (still incredible) very fresh hymnal and anthemic character and identity and this all even more due to the fact that the verses are as impressive and overwhelming and hymnal arranged as the majestic refrains. From song one to the final one we get here only purest platinum and this is by all means to/for me nothing else and especially nothing less than a truly and definitely perfect album and with that said I think I've said all what there was to say so far, I hope so, and I simply can't pay enough tribute to AGNOSTIC FRONT in general and especially their "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" groundbreaker in particular and to anyone who maybe really shouldn't know this total supreme masterpiece I can only highly recommend to desperately finally get their hands on a copy of it. First class, nicely diverse and very outspoken and socially and politically aware lyrics, a truly great old schoolish artwork, and a dirty and rough production sound round(ed) it all perfectly up (also even still today). And I really hope that we will see next year a very nice 20th anniversary edition of AGNOSTIC FRONT's "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" is being (re)released. To close this article now let me state that I simply love AGNOSTIC FRONT and especially first-and-foremost "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" and so simply just thanks for all, AGNOSTIC FRONT. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!! Oi! Oi! Oi!

(***Check their facebook site out: https://de-de.facebook.com/agnosticfront***)

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" (1999, "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART")

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED" (2015)

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED"
(Running time: 27:58 minutes; 16 songs)
("Nuclear Blast Records"; CD; 2015):

And like, hm, let us say: Like more or less announced before (you may remember my rambling about that I will do reviews on 2015 and 2016 releases in order to work this - musicwise very strong - years up here) here now comes a review on an album that was released back then in 2015, and it's no other album than the latest, and so also newest and still current AGNOSTIC FRONT album titled "THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED", released in 2015 via "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS". (Btw, I can't count how many bands and albums and different styles and genres of music "NUCLEAR BLAST (RECORDS)" are blasting ;-) out since ten years or even more, it's really sort of breath-taking; you've really come a long way, thumbs up, good work guys, much respect.) When this album was announced at the end of 2014 I was totally stoked about it and wanted to grab my hands on it as soon as possible... - but then life happened and due to my personal or private situation and all the stress and "drama" back then it really took me a full year (and a half) before I finally bought it last year's summer during my summer vacation 2016. Fuck it!!! I mean AGNOSTIC FRONT... damn it, one of the most important bands for me and also one of my all-time-favorites. Sometimes life can really suck... but okay, anyhow, anyway, because we all know that and getting a highly anticipated album a year after its release is in the end and at the end of the day nothing to really bitch around about... so, like I've said, anyhow and anyway... and when I finally got it... yes, then it went on heavy rotataion and remained there since then up to the present day. So maybe that says already enough and we could calmly close this review right now, hm, but nah, even I'll promise I'll try to keep it short I still feel the need to loose some more words about it, 'cause it just deserves it. AGNOSTIC FRONT stick(ed) to their approach of a more metallic style of their very own New York Hardcore sound and style like they used to culticated it over the last one and a half decade or so since their "ANOTHER VOICE" slasher. Harsh smashing guitars, massive bass work, boneshaking drumming, fat wide screen gang back ups, and above all Roger Miret's unique and charismatic lead vocal voice (supported by the one and only Lou Koller/SICK OF IT ALL, Freddy Circien/MADBALL, and Toby Morse/H2O @ "NEVER WALK ALONE" and you can imagine what this is, yes, a larger than life hymn, an anthem, a true gem) build the music that's delivered in a great, high energy and high octane, totally full throttle and no breaks way via great songwriting, diverse and varying and intense as fuck, full of fresh ideas, great rhythm work, nice changes and variations in the song architecture and great pace-variantions that even go into the blast speed department, all done and delivered in a stand-alone and unique and simply by all positive means truly and typical AGNOSTIC FRONT way, all done by high skilled veterans; or in short: New York Hardcore at its very, very best. New York Hardcore, the real deal, point and fact. Varying between more classical Hardcore Punk, Oi! influences and incredible strong sing-a-longs, and every resistance burying metallic Hardcore monsters. That's what I want, what I need, what I love; and AGNOSTIC FRONT deliver. They still deliver. Hell yeahr! This is an absolute intense album full of passion and heart and soul, this is Hardcore, real Hardcore, done the New York way; still more authentic than any of your overly hyped Metal-/Death-/Emo-/Beatdown-/Tough Guy-/Shopping Mall-"Metal/"Hardcore" pseudo-rebellious-music, still more authentic and heartfelt after over thirty years or so now already in the game. Great, diverse and smart first class lyrics, a very sinister and just amazing artwork, and a hard hitting, harsh, dirty, and warm and "earthy" production sound round this masterpiece up, and yes, here you get the complete package. So, okay, I think I've said enough so far, and if for any reasons why the bloody hell ever you still don't know AGNOSTIC FRONT's "THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED" then by the mercy of the gods change this right now. A larger than life masterpiece, already now. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

(10 of 10 points)

http://www.agnosticfront.com/ (the link to the homepage of the band; click on it, copy it, then open a new browser tab, click and copy the link into the headline of your browser, and then just go there)

AGNOSTIC FRONT striking back in 2015.

Great news, one of the new records coming in 2015 to definitely look out for,

the brandnew AGNOSTIC FRONT album titled

"THE AMERICAN DREAM DIED", again brought to us via

the german "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS" label.

Release date North America: April, the 7th.

Release date Europe: April, the 4th.

Stay tuned for it, and I'm already damn excited!!!

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

News: Concert Updates; Who's gonna buy me some flight tickets?!?

Oh man, how I would love to be there:
SHEER TERROR, SLAPSHOT alone, almighty billing,
and the DJ's, ha, one comment: Whoooaaaa!!!
BLIND JUSTICE and HEAVY CHAINS also rule.
And I would bet that VICE also rock.
This will be GREAT, for sure.
So, okay, who's buying me a flight ticket?!?

Also a damn great billing, and WORLD WAR 4
with their new demo album in their package,
and then also their first show ever. Beside them
xNO TOLERANCEx, BLIND JUSTICE, and the
BOSTON STRANGLER, only two words about it:
HELL YEAHR!!!
And I would bet that FIRE & ICE also know how to
kick ass, definitely.
So, again: Who's gonna buy me a flight ticket?!?

This will be also just GREAT, come on, I mean
AGNOSTIC FRONT and BANE alone, damn it,
this will be definitely damn fucking GREAT!!!
So, okay, for the last time here and now:
Who's gonna buy me a flight ticket now?!?

100% accordance.

New York Hardcore - AGNOSTIC FRONT, SICK OF IT ALL, MURPHY'S LAW, etc. pp. - "NO JUSTICE, JUST US!" - Concert Flyer

Hey dear readers, like last night also this is a post without a deeper meaning, just for your visual enjoyment. This very flyer I just found on the web while surfing with tired eyes through it these minutes. Also no big thoughts (or any thoughts) behind this one, just a great flyer of a concert that must have been one hell of an awesome show, damn it, wished I would have been there. Here it comes...

Agnostic Front Sunday Matinee Flyer

Hey folks!!! Just found this one recently roaming through the web while surfing through it before I finally will fall into my bed and thought and still think that it really is a nice cool one and so here it is, no other meaning, nothing with weight or so, just a great old concert flyer of one of my all time favorite bands, the almighty AGNOSTIC FRONT, and then that's it already again for now, don't think about to intense or detailed. Cheers & Oi! - Hardcore!!! Fist!!! Oi! Oi! Oi!

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "MY LIFE, MY WAY" (New York City Hardcore the original flavor)

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "MY LIFE, MY WAY"
("Nuclear Blast Records"; CD):

This one here is the current full length album release of the godfathers of NYHC, no one else than the almighty AGNOSTIC FRONT. Released by spring last year or so and I finally got my hands on it last summer when I was visiting my sister and bought it down there in Cologna and then after listening to it over and over again and after can't stop listening to it even not today one thing is and was clear pretty fast, and that's the fact that this album is definitely way up high in the top three of my best and most favorite albums of 2011 but what beside this wasn't and also still isn't clear is why it damn fucking took me so long to finally do review it up here. Okay, anyway, "MY LIFE, MY WAY" is the third AGNOSTIC FRONT album in a row released on and via "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS" from good old fucking Germany. After their ''comeback'' era in the 1990's with their three damn great and very Oi! and Streetpunk influnced masterpiece albums "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE", "RIOT, RIOT UPSTART" and "DEAD YUPPIES" they changed directions and released the strongly metallic NYHC bulldozer "ANOTHER VOICE" followed by the forceful and anthemic, still pretty metallic but not so sinister and dark after all "WARRIORS", also two total larger than life albums, and now the new or current one "MY LIFE, MY WAY" is up and out with a nice great retro tribute cover artwork and with a undeniable harsh and heavy, strong and yet still a little bit (sometimes also a little bit more) metallic musical NYHC direction, but the schedule of the "WARRIORS" full length album with cultivating it all with a heavy and damn fresh Old School (New York City) Hardcore vibe as well as a nice ''street-charmed'' Oi! and Streetpunk/Punkrock feeling and damn cachy and anthemic Sing-A-Long moments in it they kept alive and true with sticking to it and making it all damn round and just amazing, all done incredible high skilled on all levels and damn complete so that today with this one here we may get the most and best representative work of the guys so far with melting it all together what AGNOSTIC FRONT became known and loved and respected for and this is an already today classic of real and thru and thru (New York) Hardcore music, period. Heavy and diverse, truly damn hard and really mean and pissed off guitar work on all sections (riffs, leads, solos) done very skillful, fucking well-versed and nicely multi-layered/diverse so that you have a lot to discover if you listen to it focussed on it, brilliant charismatic love/hate vocals, a forceful and massive giant rhythm section, mighty gang shout back ups, great diverse songwriting and changes in the pace and the structure of the songs, and all done very dynamic, highly energetic, with the right attitude and incredible catchy and hymnal/anthemic. To compare them with other bands would be nonsense, because this here is the real deal, point and fact. On top of it great lyrics, a brilliant artwork and an incredible powerful yet dirty production sound. If you really still don't have it then you need to have it desperatey. Phenomneal shit, awesome!!! I love this band!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!! (10 of 10 points)
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLKlY0ydJZg)

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "MY LIFE, MY WAY" (***Video***)

Okay folks, final posting or post (at least I think currently pretty much so) for today, again a little 'Videos' post, again real Hardcore, and again a incredible important band for me: AGNOSTIC FRONT!!! Featured not for the first time up here and so I think I could maybe spare me every writing more about them. Nah, okay, maybe just a few more words or so. To say it short: I love them!!! Since 1994 or so now I'm listening to them, after SICK OF IT ALL and BIOHAZARD they had been together with MADBALL, PRO-PAIN and WARZONE my very first all time faves that I've discovered back then, coming out of the Hardcore (and especially the New York Hardcore) movement and still today they are one of the top ten bands of all the great and important bands ever for and to me, I just love them. After sooner or later finally the review of their current masterpiece (a hot canddidate for the title of the record of the year for me) will be coming up here you now get as a little introduction for this happening the pretty cool video of their title track of this album, "MY LIFE, MY WAY", a cool mixture out of live footage and a performanc clip, and it's a fantastic song, no bullshit NYHC straight into your face. Awesome!!! Now just enjoy it, AGNOSTIC FRONT damn fucking rule(s) supreme!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "MY LIFE, MY WAY"

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "PEACE" (***Video***)

AGNOSTIC FRONT, one of my alltime favorite personal bands ever, will be up next with a short little 'Videos' posting coming here and now for ya with the video clip to/of their total anthem "PEACE", the song is featured on their great "ANOTHER VOICE" full length released back then in 2004 by the german label "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS" (damn it, 2004, already seven damn fucking years ago, this can't be true), a album you need to call your own anyhow and make also sure to check out their current album "MY LIFE, MY WAY" released this very year and finally the next weeks (and still this year) I will have the review of this great pure platinum album up and ready online to read up here. Until then, enjoy this song and clip, not at least because this is the very first 'Videos' posting up here since some months ago. HARDCORE! FIST!

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "PEACE"

*** "United we stand, divided we fall: Gotta, gotta, gotta, go!!!" ***

Hey folks, it's damn busy the last days, but anyhow, here' coming some new food for ya all. This time it will be about AGNOSTIC FRONT, one of my all time favorite bands and also one of the most important bands ever for me, even it's just a little 'Videos' posting here and now. I'll now give ya the official video clip of one of their biggest hits ever and probably their biggest hits of the 1990's, "GOTTA GO", and that song really defines what the term anthem should really mean. I love this band, and also I damn love this song. And that this song is taken from their awesome (more or less 'comeback') record "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE" (released in 1998 via "EPITAPH RECORDS"... and I can't believe that this is already over an decade ago from now, damn it, where's all the time gone...), and this song still stands its ground and shines out all it's possible rivals. Btw, also a damn cool and pretty funny video, I just say: "For those about to pose, we salute you!!!", haha;-), so just enjoy it, the song as well as the video. And now here it comes...

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "GOTTA GO"

New York City Hardcore - Crucified forever!!!

After two days (or so) ago I've posted the great cover that the great and legendary 25 TA LIFE had done of the old IRON CROSS anthem "CRUCIFIED" I though it would be cool to give ya some more great and legendary NYHC bands paying tribute to IRON CROSS and their Oi! and Skinhead roots by doing acover of this anthem, and so now you get no one else than MADBALL and AGNOSTIC FRONT doing covers of "CRUCIFIED". And yes, it's true, my dear kiddies, "CRUCIFIED" isn't an AGNOSTIC FRONT song, nah, it's an IRON CROSS song, haha;-). Both video clips are live clips, and MADBALL are playing their "IT'S TIME" combined with "CRUCIFIED" and this video clip was shot back in 1993 at the (then pretty great) "DYNAMO OPEN AIR", and AGNOSTIC FRONT done their cover at a ig back in 1991 and yehp, it's no one else than Roger Miret, the guys with the mic in his hands and the long 'headbanger' hair, haha;-). Check both live video clips out and enjoy them, it's great stuff!!! I've also have some stuff like this about the CRO-MAGS in store that will also come some time after this, at least I think so. I always think it's cool to see some of the most important bands to me paying tribute to one of the greatest and legendariest (and also importnat, too) bands ever. So just enjoy the two clips!!! Ah, and check also the NHYC TRIBUTE POST here on this very blog, there you'll find also something about this two legends here, AGNOSTIC FRONT and MADBALL. Cheers & Oi!

AGNOSTIC FRONT - "CRUCIFIED" (IRON CROSS - cover) (live) (1991)

MADBALL - "IT'S TIME" & "CRUCIFIED" (IRON CROSS - cover) (live) (1993)