There was a time when a new Agnostic Front album, especially one graced with a King Leonidas tattoo ripping out from a hardcore dude’s back would have really excited me, and even their Nuclear Blast ‘comeback’ debut Another Voice, with its modern gloss was a inspiring modernization from one of hardcore’s true legends.

However, 10 albums in and with hardcore being as marketable, commonplace and mainstream as Mcdonald’s, I find myself being less enamoured with a band who still hold a special place in my metal history. Maybe I, as front man Roger Miret and co have aged and become jaded and simply don’t garner the excitement we once used to from this style of music. To be frank, Miret and co, despite the usual anthems of family, rebellion, unity, brotherhood and etc, seem to be going through the royalty receiving motions at this point in their career. Admittedly, Another Voice, showed a invigorated Agnostic Front, modernized and adapting to modern hardcore, but still retaining their old school edge, and musically, Warriors retains and continues that overall feeling, but it comes across as rather flat and tired-as if the band, after an competing with the young kids and giving them a good run with Another Voice, simply gassed out and realized they weren’t what they used to be.

I’ll be honest, part of my response to this album is partially due to hardcore overload and the state of the genre as a whole. After hearing countless Agnostic Front rip offs over the years, even the original starts to sound rather redundant. However, though the nice shiny new metallic edge is nice, I also miss the raw, primal, angry, tangibly punk stylings of the bands early releases and even Something’s Gotta Give, Riot Riot Upstart and Dead Yuppies, where it seems Agnostic Front played for a cause rather than a slot on MTV.

Though this may seem more like a personal rant than an actual review, the truth is there’s very few moments on Warriors that made me feel anything. Other than “For My Family”, “By My Side”, “All These Years” and “For My Mother”, the 13 short sharp bursts of polished metallic hardcore seem little more than retread of every other Agnostic Front song.

It pains me to basically rip on one of the very first influential bands of my life, but I think its time the old hardcore dogs called it quits before they fall into the ‘has been’ category and tarnish their incredibly influential career.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments