| Cause for Alarm | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | Systems II (Brooklyn, New York) | |||
| Genre | Hardcore punk, crossover thrash | |||
| Length | 23:48 | |||
| Label | Relativity, Combat | |||
| Producer | Norman Dunn | |||
| Agnostic Front chronology | ||||
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Cause for Alarm is the second full-length studio album by New York hardcore band Agnostic Front. It was released in 1986 on Relativity/Combat Records and follows 1984's Victim in Pain . The album is still available on a split release with Victim in Pain on the same disc.
The addition of a second guitarist Alex Kinon led to a more metallic approach, although the songs still had mostly a hardcore sound. One other line-up change was the replacement of Dave Jones by Louie Beatto on drums. The band would further explore the metal sound on their next album, 1987's Liberty and Justice For...
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Kerrang! |  [2] |
In 2005, Cause for Alarm was ranked number 302 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [3]
Several critics, including Phil Donahue, [4] Jello Biafra and the fanzine Maximum Rocknroll , [5] have criticized Agnostic Front for the controversial lyrics of the song "Public Assistance", written for the band by then-Carnivore frontman Peter Steele. [6] Steele went on to write a very similar song for his new band Type O Negative named Der Untermensch, which appeared on their album Slow Deep and Hard .
In 2014 the album was inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame. [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Eliminator (lyrics by Peter Steele, music by Rob Kabula and Roger Miret)" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Existence of Hate (lyrics by Amy Keim,music by Miret and Vinnie Stigma)" | 2:18 |
| 3. | "Time Will Come (lyrics and music by Miret)" | 1:22 |
| 4. | "Growing Concern (lyrics by Steele, music by Alex Kinon,Miret and Stigma)" | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Your Mistake (lyircs and music by Miret)" | 1:26 |
| 6. | "Out for Blood (lyrics by Miret, music by Kabula)" | 2:13 |
| 7. | "Toxic Shock (lyrics by Steele, music by Kabula and Miret)" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Bomber Zee (lyrics by Billy Milano, music by Kabula and Miret)" | 2:28 |
| 9. | "Public Assistance (lyrics by Steele,music by Kabula" | 2:44 |
| 10. | "Shoot His Load (lyrics by Steele,music by Kinon)" | 1:30 |
| Total length: | 23:48 | |
"Your Mistake" was covered by Fear Factory, with Freddy Cricien of Madball, on the Demanufacture digipak as a bonus track, and by Hatebreed on their album For the Lions .
1986's Cause For Alarm LP (on Combat Core) made AF infamous. Vinnie and Roger inexplicably hired the late Pete Steele (Carnivore, Type O Negative) to write the record — as they were too fucked-up/lazy/devoid of ideas. Cause For Alarm proved divisive, for its Metal tendencies and for Steele's lyrics (like his dim view of welfare recipients on "Public Assistance").
