The official trailer for Hardcore Lives, the ninth studio album from New York hardcore veterans MADBALL, can be seen below. Due on June 27 via Nuclear Blast, the CD was tracked and engineered by UNEARTH guitarist Ken Susi and mixed and mastered by longtime collaborator Chris “Zeuss” Harris (HATEBREED, AGNOSTIC FRONT, SOULFLY, TERROR, WHITECHAPEL). Official promo photos were taken by LAMB OF GOD’s very own Randall D. Blythe.
Commented MADBALL frontman Freddy Cricien: “I shouted ‘Hardcore Lives’ on MADBALL’s first release, ‘Ball Of Destruction’. I was twelve then. It wasn’t pre-planned or written down… It was an ad-lib that I just threw out there and we kept it!
“Back then, there was no choice, really, not the way we were recording — two-track live at Don Fury’s… NYHC style!
“I feel the sentiment behind the expression still holds true today, maybe even more so. Hence the reason we finally chose to use it as a title. Sure, it’s about waving the flag for our genre/culture, etc.
“I’ve always felt that ‘we as a scene’ had to scream just a lil louder… to be heard! That said, ‘Hardcore Lives’, at least to us, is not just about a cool ‘catchphrase,’ it’s about that rebellious spirit that doesn’t give in… in life, music, whatever. It’s about growing, evolving, and maintaining your integrity in the process. It’s about family, overcoming adversity, and respect. All the things that matter inside and outside of the music realm. It’s for everyone and anyone with an open mind and heart.”
Hardcore Lives will be available as limited-edition digipak and on black vinyl, both including two additional bonus tracks: “The Beast”, which also appeared on 2012’s EP Rebellion, and “Spit On Your Grave”, from 1994’s landmark release “Set It Off”. Both tracks have been exclusively re-recorded for the inclusion on Hardcore Lives. The album will also include guest appearances by some of hardcore’s most notable singers: Scott Vogel (TERROR), Toby Morse (H20) and Candace Puopolo (formerly Kucsulain, WALLS OF JERICHO).
Hardcore Lives track listing:
1. Intro
2. Hardcore Lives
3. The Balance
4. Doc Marten Stomp
5. DNA
6. True School (feat. Scott Vogel)
7. The Here And Now
8. Nothing To Me
9. My Armor (feat. Toby Morse)
10. Beacon Of Light
11. Born Strong (feat. Candace Puopolo)
12. Spirit
13. Mi Palabra
14. NBNC
15. For The Judged
Bonus tracks:
16. The Beast
17. Spit On Your Grave 2014
The official lyric video for the song “DNA” can be seen below.
MADBALL has embarked on the fifth installment of the band’s renowned Rebellion tour with BIOHAZARD, DEVIL IN ME, WISDOM IN CHAINS and FINAL PRAYER.