Madball

Madball is an American New York hardcore band. Originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front, 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.

History

The idea for Madball can trace its roots back to when then their lead vocalist Freddy Cricien was around seven years old and visited with his brother Roger Miret in New York City. 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. 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.
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. 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 could not make the show. So Miret made an audible and turned it into the first Madball first show.
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. The group's first official tour was with Agnostic Front on one of their final Europe tours before their hiatus. 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. That same year the group released their second EP called Droppin' Many Suckers.
In 1993 Madball played a couple of shows in Argentina to establish themselves in South America; this tour also marked the debut of Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra. The new incarnation of the band was caught the attention of Roadrunner Records and signed with them in 1994 to release their first full-length album Set It Off in 1994. 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." Madball then embarked on their first ever U.S. tour in support of the album. During this period the band started gaining a wider fanbase in both the US and internationally following a relentless touring schedule that culminated in a appearances at the 1995 Dynamo Open Air festival in front of 120,000 people. Madball started to become a popular live act. They started touring all over the world in places like Europe, Japan, Australia and South America with large acts such as Slayer and Black Sabbath.
In 1995, Madball participated in the N.Y.H.C. documentary. Extensive interviews were conducted with Freddy for the documentary. The film also featured the July 29, 1995 performance 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.
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. Vinnie Stigma left the band when Agnostic Front returned from hiatus in 1997.
Consisting of Cricien, Henderson, Guerra, and new drummer John Lafata, 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." In 2000 the group decided to sign with the well known independent label Epitaph Records to release their fourth 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." With this recorded Madball started to get exposed to a larger punk rock audience.
However shortly after the release of "Hold It Down", Madball announced their dissolution in 2001 due to a combination of exhaustion from constant touring and recording, as well as ongoing lineup disputes. This resulted in them not getting to take advantage of their newly found audience. 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. They also took part in the Rise Of Brutality tour the following month alongside Hatebreed. The following year Madball released a compilation album entitled Best of Madball along with the N.Y.H.C. EP.
Cricien later reflected on the bands hiatus stating in a 2018 interview stating:
In the summer of 2005 Madball took part in the Sounds of the Underground alongside bands such as Lamb of God and Unearth. Later that year their fifth 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." The band then did a U.S. tour in support of the album with Walls of Jericho serving as support. They also went on a headlining UK/South America tour which went from October through December.
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. In 2007 their album Infiltrate the System was released and was met with positive reception. Following a June tour with Terror, Madball then embarked on a lengthy international tour that lasted till the Fall. The band spent 2008 touring heavily including stops in Europe along with a small East coast touring alongside Suicidal Tendencies in December. Also in 2008 the bands drummer Rigg Ross left and was replaced by Mackie Jayson. In 2009 the grouped headlined a Summer tour alongside Poison The Well and Bane.
Along with bands such as Agnostic Front, Vietnom, Bulldoze, Resistance, H₂O and Boston/New York Hip-hop group Special Teamz, 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. Jay Weinberg, son of E Street Band and Max Weinberg 7 drummer Max Weinberg, joined Madball for the album and for touring. The album sold 1,500 copies in its first week and debuted at No.15 on the US Heatseekers Charts. Overall it was met with mixed reception.
The group took part in the Rebellion Tour. After the tour, Madball then dismissed Weinberg in September 2010, citing personality conflicts. Weinberg said that he had already quit the group by that time, due to lifestyle issues. 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. Mike Justian joined the band taking over as their official drummer in 2011. In 2012 the band released the Rebellion. Madball once again took part in that years Rebellion tour, along with their own European headlining tour with Devil in Me serving as support.
In 2013 Madball continuedbtouring extensively playing shows in Europe and the US while also taking part in that years Rebellion tour. On March 10, 2014, the band began recording its eighth studio album, Hardcore Lives, which was released in June of that year. The album hit the charts in multiple European countries No. 43 in Germany, 61 in Switzerland, 70 in Austria and 148 in Belgium. The album was met with positive reception with one reviewer stating, "Hardcore Lives is a pounding effort that overcomes repetition." 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 Offs 20th anniversary.
In early 2015 Madball went on a European co headlining tour alongside Rise of the Northstar, 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.
In October 2017, Brian "Mitts" Daniels had exited Madball. Madball released their ninth studio album, For the Cause, on June 15, 2018. The album was produced by Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong and features a vocal appearance from him and Ice T. The album also seen the return of Matt Henderson replacing Daniels. That same year the band toured extensively in support of the album and headlined the Persistence tour alongside Hatebreed and Terror. In September and October the group played some headlining shows along with supporting Suicidal Tendencies.
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.
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. In August 2023, longtime guitarist 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. 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.
In early 2025 the band headlined that years Rebellion tour across Europe. 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" was released in November.