Reigning Phoenix Music
It should come as no surprise that the latest outing from the “godfathers of hardcore” AGNOSTIC FRONT is not exactly brimming with surprises. In fact, if there is a surprise here, it’s just how resolutely the band’s 13thstudio album, ‘Echoes In Eternity,’ captures all the things that have made AGNOSTIC so vital for so long.
While the lineup has changed with regularity over the years – the band’s family tree boasts more than two-dozen former members – AGNOSTIC FRONT has remained one of hardcore’s most determined and dependable acts over its 40-plus year history. Founding guitarist Vinnie Stigma and mainstay frontman Roger Miret have been able to weather whatever travails have come the band’s way – Miret’s prison stint in the late ‘80s, a hiatus in the mid ‘90s, and Miret’s battle with cancer a few years back, to go along with the personnel comings and goings – and keep things up, running and “on message”.
And while Miret is now 61 and Stigma is about to turn 70, AGNOSTIC does not show any signs of running short of energy, urgency or acerbic zeal on ‘Echoes.’ The 15 tracks here are dispatched in a relentless, punchy, 28-ish minute cloudburst – the buoyant, nostalgic “Sunday Matinee,” which reminisces about CBGB hardcore shows way back in the day with adolescent glee, being the longest song at all of 2:28.
The album comes out at full-bore from note one of “Way of War” and doesn’t really let up. “You Say” follows with rousing old school shout-alongs studded with scornful “fuck yous” as it calls out all talk/no action bullshitters and it’s away we go from there. When the pace does slow, as on “Divided”, “Turn Up The Volume” or “Eyes Open Wide”, the band ratchets up the tension with chunky, menacing riffs and new (since 2022) drummer Danny Lamagna’s roiling, martial tempos.
On the flipside is the 41-second “Art Of Silence” and its almost grindcore intensity. The minute-long “Evolution Of Madness” and “Hell To Pay,” which tacks on a crunching breakdown and some metallic flourishes to stretch things out to two minutes, are equally fast and furious. And speaking of metallic, the thrashy, hooky “Obey” and “Tears For Everyone” show AGNOSTIC has not lost its taste for the odd crossover tune, both of which are pretty great.
The hulking “Matter Of Life & Death” offers crossover of another sort, with Darryl McDaniels – the “DMC” in RUN DMC – trading off vocals with Miret. The loping grooves provide for a natural, rap-like cadence as the two swap verses and the rousing choruses are a perfect platform for them to holler along in vehement unison. Hip hop and hardcore have a long history of playing together, but too often the results are awkward ‘Judgement Night’-like Franken-tunes. That’s not at all the case here, as the pairing provides both genuine impact and a welcome bit of bounce.
Indeed, impact is never an issue with ‘Echoes In Eternity.’ Along with a memorable, quite satisfying batch of songs, the album sounds great, with the production providing a modern polish without sacrificing the inherent power of the performance. If anything, it gives AGNOSTIC’s swaggering riffs, forceful message and boundless energy that much more punch and makes for essential listening from a band with a long history of essential hardcore.
4.0 Out Of 5.0