MADBALL

Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother, Freddy Cricien take the microphone and perform lead vocals during Agnostic Front shows. Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members including Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret on bass, Vinnie Stigma on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and the then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien. 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, Madball recorded and released the EP, Droppin' Many Suckers for Wreckage Records. One year later, Roger Miret left the band and was replaced by bass player Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra. The new incarnation of the band was signed to Roadrunner Records 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. Consisting of Cricien, Henderson, Guerra, and new drummer John Lafata, 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 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. 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 for the European release of their new studio album, Empire. Most recently, they released their 8th studio album, Hardcore Lives in 2014.