CLASSIC NYHC RE-RELEASE
J. Christopher | Philadelphia, PA | 12/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD contains the classic Agnostic Front Victim in Pain LP and United Blood EP. If you were a fan of early 80's NYHC, this has to be one of your favorites. If you're a fan of old hardcore and don't have this, click "Add to Cart" NOW!"
One of the very last great releases from the original hardco
Tom P. the Underground Navigator | Park Forest, IL USA | 11/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By the end of 1983, U.S. hardcore punk had already peaked and was presumed by many to now be dead. Truth be told, virtually all the key releases of the era were released, whether as 7"s, demos or LPs, between 1980 and '83.
With a couple of notable exceptions. Recorded at Don Fury's Demo Studios in April of 1984, Agnostic Front's debut LP Victim In Pain was one of the very last underground hardcore records to truly capture the sound of the original era. It remains a hardcore punk masterpiece that established the band as the leading force in New York hardcore forever after. From the moment one put the needle on the groove of the record and the 48 second title track is unleashed, the listener is literally assaulted for the next 15 and a half minutes (some of the greatest hardcore records of this era were very brief in length) with some of the most blisteringly extreme, fast and furious music heard up to that point. EVERY track here absolutely smokes -- there is not one moment of filler on the record (one of the great things about all the best early '80s hardcore). Thus it's difficult to name standouts. One thing I will say is that after hearing some of the band's pre-Victim In Pain material, some reviewers at the time incorrectly noted that the band couldn't play their instruments properly. One listen to Victim In Pain should dispel that notion. Just listen to the track that opens the B-side of the original LP, "Hiding Inside." I have always felt that guitarist Vinnie Stigma's interlude in the middle of the song is absolutely BRILLIANT. Furthermore, if you want to witness some of the earliest recorded examples of "blastbeats" in music, look no further than B-side track "Society Sucker." Note that this song predates later U.K. grindcore outfits like Napalm Death and Unseen Terror by several years.
Agnostic Front gained a reputation at the time from punk zines like "Maximumrocknroll" for their supposedly right wing fascist-leaning allegiances that brought a lot of violence to their shows. Reading the lyrics to this LP, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Here is an excerpt from the track "Fascist Attitudes": "Why should you go around bashing one another/If they look or think different, why let it bother/Everyone's got their own style, their own thoughts/Don't let it bother you, don't let it get caught/Remember we're minorities and everyone of us counts/If we bring intimacy, then we're endowed." Furthermore, the song "United & Strong" calls for unity among "Blacks and Whites" and "Punks and Skins." All I get from the above lyrics is a message of love and unity, when in fact the band's surroundings at the time were filled with anything but (they hailed from NYC's notoriously dangerous Lower East Side). And vocalist Roger Miret belts these lines out in such a way in which his sincerity and conviction shines through and never comes into question.
Note that the cover art you see pictured on Amazon is NOT this album's original sleeve art. The original 1984 vinyl pressing on Ratcage Records featured a disturbing black and white image of a soon to be executed concentration camp victim. The reverse showed a similar photograph of a real life casualty of war being hung on a street post. The original sleeve art was later banned and replaced by a plain black censored cover. Mint copies with the original artwork are highly sought after today by collectors and have been known to fetch upwards of $200.
To close, Agnostic Front's Victim In Pain remains an enduring hardcore punk masterpiece and was one of the last great records of its era.
(Note that this latest reissue to commemorate the album's 25th anniversary includes the rare 1983 debut 7" EP "United Blood" tacked on at the end. Please see my review of that release on the Amazon page for the 1993 live Last Warning disc, as it was also included on there as bonus tracks.)"
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1