Madball is an American New York hardcore band. Originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front,[1] the band developed after Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Freddy Cricien take the microphone and perform lead vocals during Agnostic Front shows. Following Agnostic Front's 1992 disbandment, Madball became the members' main project and many became a part of the band who were never in Agnostic Front. They have released nine studio albums and four EPs.
The idea for Madball can trace its roots back to when then their lead vocalist Freddy Cricien was around 7 years old and visited with his brother Roger Miret in New York City and he began to perform on stage with Agnostic Front, singing a few songs which would become a staple of their shows during this period. Shortly after, he began to join the band on tour. During this time he became the group’s unofficial mascot and was given the name “Agnostic Fred”. With Vinnie Stigma later giving him the nickname Madball.[2] While Agnostic Front was recording their 1987 album Liberty and Justice for… they talked to Howie Abrams about recording material with Cricien as the vocalist.[2]
Madball was then founded shortly after in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members. Madball consisted of Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret on bass, Vinnie Stigma on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien.[1] The group’s first official show came that year in New Rochelle. It was originally supposed to be an Agnostic Front show but the bands bassist Craig Ahead and guitarist at Steve Martin couldn’t make the show. So Miret made an audible and turned it into the first Madball first show.[3]
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, they recorded and released the EP, Droppin' Many Suckers, for Wreck-Age Records.[1] The group’s first official tour was with Agnostic Front on one of their final Europe tours before their hiatus.[3] One year later, Miret left the band and was replaced on bass by Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra — a good friend of Freddy Cricien — who was looking for a new band as his band, Dmize, was breaking up. When Agnostic Front went on hiatus in 1992 Madball became the band members flagship band.[4]
In 1993 the band played a couple of shows in Argentina to establish themselves in South America, which also marked the debut of Jorge “Hoya Roc” Guerra.[3] The new incarnation of the band was signed by Roadrunner Records in 1994 and released their first full-length album Set It Off in 1994.[1] The album is viewed as a classic in the hardcore genre with Jason Anderson stating “Set It Off is a document of this hardcore outfit at their most menacing, both musically and lyrically.”[5] The group then embarked on their first ever U.S. tour in support of the album.[3]
1995 saw the band participating in the N.Y.H.C. documentary. Extensive interviews were conducted with Freddy as well as a performance on July 29, 1995, at the now-defunct "Coney Island High". Freddy's brother, Roger, broke several vertebrae in his back at that show, requiring him to be in traction for the better part of a year.[6]
The following year seen Madball release their second full length album Demonstrating My Style. The band had also started touring steadily, and began building a sizable fan base outside their hometown.[7] Vinnie Stigma left the band when Agnostic Front returned from hiatus in 1997.
Consisting of Cricien, Henderson, Guerra, and new drummer John Lafata (former drummer in Neglect), the band recorded Look My Way, which was released in early 1998. The album was met with positive reception with AllMusic stating “ with Look My Way, Madball have become the premier purveyors.”[8] In 2000 the group released their 4th album Hold It Down. Like previous efforts this record was also met with critical praise, the Courier News wrote that the album "is as loud, fast and hard as ever, but the 11-year-old band also is writing songs better with more emphasis on strong lyrics and melodies."[9]
The band announced their dissolution in 2001 due to a combination of exhaustion from constant touring and recording, ongoing lineup disputes. 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. In August of that year Madball toured the U.S. alongside Death Threat, and then took part in the Rise Of Brutality tour the following month alongside Hatebreed.[10][11] The following year Madball released a compilation album entitled Best of Madball along with the N.Y.H.C. EP (EP).[12]
Cricien later reflected on the bands hiatus stating in a 2018 interview stating:[13]
We thought we were done, like Madball was gonna be done at this point and it was never gonna happen again. And sure enough, it did. I think that also helped our longevity, because we cleared our heads of a lot of things [and] kind of came out swinging a little bit harder on the second round. I think that might have helped us, actually. After that period, I decided to sort of take control of the band business-wise and so on. Before that, I didn’t really care about that part of it. I was just like, “Yeah, all right, let’s go play, let’s have fun, whatever.” This was an outlet for us; it was therapeutic for us. Like, “Let’s just go do whatever we do. We make a couple bucks? Cool. If we don’t? Well, we traveled around, we got to see some cool stuff.”
In the Summer of 2005 Madball took part in the Sounds of the Underground alongside bands such as Lamb of God and Unearth.[14] Later that year their 5th album Legacy was released, the album was met mostly positive reception, Punknews wrote “If you are a true hardcore lover that wants real basic powerful riffs, this album fits your needs. If you are a hardcore enthusiast that searches for more meaning and more complexity in the music, then this album will not fit your needs.”[15] The band then did a U.S. tour in support of the album with Walls of Jericho serving as support.[16] They also went on a headlining UK/South America tour which went from October through December.[17]
In 2006 the band took part in multiple tours including a March tour with Zao, a June tour with Leeway along with taking part in that years Persistence Tour.[18][19] In 2007 their album Infiltrate the System was released and was met with positive reception.[20] Following a June tour with Terror, Madball then embarked on a lengthy international tour that lasted till the Fall.[21] The band spent 2008 touring heavily including stops in Europe along with a small East coast touring alongside Suicidal Tendencies in December.[22][23] Also in 2008 the bands drummer Rigg Ross left and was replaced by Mackie Jayson.[22] In 2009 the grouped headlined a Summer tour alongside Poison The Well and Bane.[24]
Along with bands such as Agnostic Front, Vietnom, Bulldoze, Resistance, H2O and Boston/New York Hip-hop group Special Teamz (Slaine, Ed O.G., Jaysaun, DJ Jayceeoh), they comprise a part of New York's DMS Crew. Vocalist Cricien and bass player Hoya are also in the band Hazen Street, along with members of H2O and Cro-Mags.
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, produced by Erik Rutan.[25]Jay Weinberg, son of E Street Band and Max Weinberg 7 drummer Max Weinberg, joined Madball for the album and for touring.[26] The album sold 1,500 copies in its first week and debuted at No.15 on the US Heatseekers Charts.[27] Overall it was met with mixed reception.[28] The group took part in the Rebellion Tour, Madball then dismissed Weinberg in September 2010, citing personality conflicts.[29] Weinberg said that he had already quit the group by that time, due to lifestyle issues.[30]Born From Pain drummer Igor Wouters replaced Weinberg for live performances They then took part in the New York united co headlining tour with Sick of it All.[31] Mike Justian joined the band taking over as their official drummer in 2011. In 2012 the band released the Rebellion EP, they once again took part in that years Rebellion tour, along with their own European headlining tour with Devil in Me serving as support.[32]
in 2013 the band continued touring extensively playing shows in Europe and the US while also taking part in that years Rebellion tour.[33] On March 10, 2014, the band began recording its eighth studio album, Hardcore Lives, which was released in June of that year.[34] The album hit the charts in multiple European countries No. 43 in Germany, 61 in Switzerland, 70 in Austria and 148 in Belgium.[35] The album was met with positive reception with one reviewer stating “Hardcore Lives' is a pounding effort that overcomes repetition.”[36] The band took part in the Rebellion tour, held their own UK/Ireland tour while also embarking on a short US tour in celebration of their album Set It Off’s 20th anniversary.[37]
In early 2015 Madball went on a European co headlining tour alongside Rise of the Northstar,[38] they also headlined that years Rebellion tour. They took part in the tour again the following along with their own headlining tours, along with joining Limp Bizkit and Korn on a December UK tour.[39][40][41]
In October 2017, Brian "Mitts" Daniels had exited Madball.[42] Madball released their ninth studio album, For the Cause, on June 15, 2018.[43] The album was produced by Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong and features a vocal appearance from him and Ice T.[44] The album also seen the return of Matt Henderson replacing Daniel’s. That same year the band toured extensively in support of the album and headlined the Persistence tour alongside Hatebreed and Terror.[45] In September and October the group played some headlining shows along with supporting Suicidal Tendencies.[46]
Madball performing in 2020
In January 2019, Madball announced that their touring guitarist, Mike Gurnari, would become an official member. During the first week of December 2020, Madball collaborated with Jack Daniel’s to make a limited edition Single Barrel Select. Each bottle was engraved with the band's logo and came with a specially designed collectors box and Madball guitar pick.[47]
The band played select shows the following years before making a full comeback in 2022, along with taking part in the 2023 Rebellion European Tour with H20 and others.[48] In August 2023, Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra announced his intention to leave the band. Guerra cited the band's decrease in activity and the resulting financial hardship as his reasons for leaving. He made it known that he would remain with the band through their two upcoming European tours.[49] He was then replaced by Sheer Terror guitarist Brendan Porray. The band continued touring heavily in 2024 making stops in the US and Europe along with playing a mini tour in celebration of Set It Off 30th Anniversary.[50]
In early 2025 the band headlined that years Rebellion tour across Europe.[51] In October of 2025 the band confirmed that they would be releasing a new album in March of 2026, and their first new material in 7 years a single named “Tethered” is scheduled to be released in November.[52]
Freddy Cricien’s lyrical themes center on unity, perseverance, and personal struggle. Madball’s Songs frequently advocate for collective strength and living by one's word.[60] He stated in a interview with Vice “Lyrically speaking, we’re realists. We’ve always just talked about our experiences. Sure there are songs talking about empowerment for the culture and the movement but essentially, especially from Set It Off on, these were stories that were happening in our lives.”[61]
The signature Madball logo can be seen on their banner during live performances
Madball’s name comes from a nickname Freddy Cricien was given by Vinnie Stigma when he was around 11-12 in a interview Cricien commented on the name stating:[68]
I was christened “Madball” by Vinnie Stigma. I was losing my shit one day because Roger or one of the guys from the Agnostic Front camp decided to antagonize me. They used to get a kick out of how I reacted to certain things. It was basically some form of child abuse. I will say as I got older they were more fearful of how I’d react… Ha! Anyway, Vinnie starts saying “Madball Madball” cause I was pretty much an angry enraged little ball! He had heard that on a commercial for the toys “Madballs”. He just blurted it out and unfortunately or fortunately it stuck. I absolutely hated it, as is the case with nicknames sometimes. Then I just learned to embrace it and the band was formed.
The bands typical Madball logo is reflective of Cricien’s youthful rage, energy, and attitude. The Hard Times ranked it the #32 best band logo of all time stating “Madball has the only logo that would work equally well for a double-A baseball team as it would for a New York hardcore band.”[69]
Legacy
Madball have been described as “one of the most influential acts of straight-forward modern hardcore.”[70] They have also been a stable in the New York Hardcore scene with the likes of Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All and Murphy’s Law.[71] Their 1994 album Set It Off is viewed as a genre defining hardcore album with Revolver Magazine putting the album on their list of the 10 most essential New York Hardcore albums.[72]
MetalSucks has also given the band high praise stating “no band has made a bigger impact on the sound, aesthetic, and overall culture of hardcore than MADBALL. Without MADBALL there would be no Terror, no Hatebreed, no Throwdown, no NAILS, or any of the other bands who influenced and defined hardcore as we know it today.”[73]
Alternative Press put Madball on their list of the 10 most influential hardcore bands stating “Madball have been one of the introductory bands people discover when learning about the genre’s history. Their street-wise lyrics and breakdowns have influenced more than just music, with their endeavors affecting fashion, street art and more.”[70] Bands like Trapped Under Ice,[74]Terror,[75]Hoods and Hatebreed[76] have all cited Madball as a influence.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
