| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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...
Several critics, including Phil Donahue, [1] Jello Biafra and the fanzine Maximum Rocknroll , [2] have criticized Agnostic Front for the controversial lyrics of the song "Public Assistance", written for the band by then-Carnivore frontman Peter Steele. [3] 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 .
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Kerrang! |  [5] |
In 2005, Cause for Alarm was ranked number 302 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Eliminator" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Existence of Hate" | 2:18 |
| 3. | "Time Will Come" | 1:22 |
| 4. | "Growing Concern" | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Your Mistake" | 1:26 |
| 6. | "Out for Blood" | 2:13 |
| 7. | "Toxic Shock" | 2:27 |
| 8. | "Bomber Zee" | 2:28 |
| 9. | "Public Assistance" | 2:44 |
| 10. | "Shoot His Load" | 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 .
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1983. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre. During the band's 14 years and many line-up changes, their primarily hardcore sound was flavored by influences ranging from Oi! to traditional punk rock to heavy metal. Their fan base was diverse, with their concerts usually attended by skinheads, straight edge teens, metalheads, and punks of all ages. Vice has written that "one could argue that [Warzone] spearheaded the second and larger wave of hardcore bands that erupted in the NY scene in 1986–1987".
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Liberty and Justice For... is the third full-length studio album from New York hardcore band Agnostic Front. It was released in 1987 on Relativity/Combat Records and follows 1986's Cause for Alarm. Live at CBGB followed this album in 1989 featuring songs from the band's first three albums and EP.
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Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split with 7 Seconds in 2004, and From Companionship to Competition (2005). Other notable releases by the band were No Gimmicks Needed and This Is Just The Beginning... which were released on Blackout! Records. The band released several 7-inch EPs, splits with other bands, multiple compilation tracks, and two full-length LPs in their 11-year run. Most of their records were released on vinyl as well as compact disc. Some were released on different colors of vinyl, different sleeve covers, hand numbered tour presses, and picture discs, making their records a favorite among collectors.
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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").
