Four and a half decades ago, Agnostic Front headbutted their way onto the New York punk and hardcore scene, rose quickly to the top, and despite a four year split in the nineties, stayed there. With songs built on the foundations of social injustice, corruption and inequality, AF might have changed musically over the years but their messaging and their warnings have not.
Fifteen songs in twenty-five minutes and no fucking around. That’s what you get from Echoes in Eternity (Reigning Phoenix Music), the band’s thirteenth full length studio release. The longest song clocks in at a mighty two and a half minutes, the shortest at forty-one seconds. If you want orchestral Jazz prog odysseys, then you are most definitely in the wrong fucking place. You’re in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and things are about to get rough.
Right from the start, opener “Way Of War” is the musical equivalent of having your face smashed against concrete for two minutes straight while “You Say” combines the band’s crushing groove with their less refined, punkier early days. The heads down, no-nonsense punishment of “Matter Of Life & Death” features RUN DMC‘s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, the experienced rapper’s voice fitting the band perfectly.
Neoclassical Agnostic Front? Well, not quite but “Tears For Everyone” does include an adeptly played ten second guitar solo that doesn’t sound like it should belong, but somehow just does. The slow, grinding “Divided” keeps the melodic guitar solos going, as does “Sunday Matinee,” an exceptional cut straight from the eighties with a stupidly catchy chorus. A track sure to make a regular appearances in future live shows.
“I Can’t Win” isn’t quite as futile as it sounds, while “Turn Up The Volume” makes you want to do exactly that. “Art Of Silence” opens with militaristic drums which quickly give way to energetic fast punk aggression, “Shots Fired” is pure clenched teeth ferocity, as is “Hell to Pay” with its “Fuck around, find out” chorus. “Evolution Of Madness” is one minute of total mayhem while “Skip The Trial” is classic AF with another burst of lead guitar. Expect pain from the final two explosions of “Obey” and “Eyes Open Wide,” both songs leaving shrapnel wounds as the record insists on being replayed straight away.
Almost managing to keep the same line-up as their last album, drummer Danny Lamagna is the only new recruit hired by frontman Roger Miret and long time partner in crime Vinnie Stigma (both on top form yet again). Four-stringer Mike Gallo works in perfect unison with Lamagna, his basslines simple but brutally effective while guitarist Craig Silverman gets to flex his creative fingers as well as smashing out the piledriving riffs. The frequency of solos (however brief) could possibly be an irritation to some old school purists, but if it hasn’t already been made clear by now that the band have no fucks left to give then the message will never get through.
Another overwhelming success, Echoes in Eternity is yet another example why Agnostic Front has been, will continue to be, and will always remain, at the top of the hardcore heap.
Buy the album here:
https://agnosticfront.rpm.link/echoesYT
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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