I have to admit something.
It took me a long time to like Madball.
Not the 7″ – that I loved immediately. But everything after that – it just never was exactly what I wanted from NYHC. I don’t know why – it had all of the components I loved about NYHC and NYC – heaviness, groove, metallic guitars, speed, anger. But almost too much. Add in my early exposure to what I consider classic NYHC records, I just never felt as much “Set It Off” as I did “Victim In Pain.” Over time (with time?- ed.) I fell in love with those Madball LP’s that I initially ignored in my mid-teen years (Demonstrating My Style, Set It Off, Droppin’ Many Suckers) but almost because I felt I now knew / had the scope to understand how and why they sounded the way they sounded.
The NYHC sound evolved – “Victim In Pain” is rooted in the struggle to survive, borderline street (read: homeless, destitute) life that wasn’t glamorized as it was the motivation for this musical release. This musical outlet developed into the metallic NYHC sound – which then drew influences from hip-hop and in bands like Sick Of It All and Killing Time the groove and rhythm began to rear their head. Madball is a synthesizing of all these sounds, and essentially is what most kids immediately think of when they think “N Y H C.”
But to me, any New York Hardcore record collection is incomplete without these two records where the metal riffing that bridged the gap between “Victim in Pain” and “Brightside” is in business, and business is fine.
Agnostic Front “Cause For Alarm”

Crumbsuckers “Life Of Dreams”

Not surprisingly, Sean Taggert illustrated the covers for both. Perfection on vinyl.
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