Madball is an American
New York hardcore
New York hardcore (also known as NYHC) is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Wa ...
band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a
side project
In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style.
Usually these projects emphasize a ...
of
Agnostic Front
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.
History First era (1980–19 ...
.
The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man
Roger Miret
Rogelio de Jesus Miret (born June 30, 1964) is a Cuban American musician. He is the vocalist for New York hardcore band Agnostic Front, street punk group Roger Miret and the Disasters, and hardcore band The Alligators.
Agnostic Front are consi ...
would let his younger half-brother
Freddy Cricien
Freddy Cricien (born November 4, 1975), also known as Freddy Madball, is an American vocalist, primarily known as the lead singer of the New York hardcore band Madball. He is also the lead singer of Hazen Street and has a hip hop career from wh ...
take the microphone and perform lead vocals during Agnostic Front shows.
History
Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members. Madball consisted of Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret on bass,
Vinnie Stigma
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.
History First era (1980–19 ...
on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien, Roger Miret's younger half-brother.
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.
One year later, Roger Miret left the band and was replaced by bass player Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra — a good friend of Freddy Cricien — who was looking for a new band as his band, Dmize, was breaking up. The new incarnation of the band was signed by
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
in 1994 and released a pair of full-lengths; ''Set It Off'' in 1994
and ''Demonstrating My Style'' in 1996. Touring steadily, the band built a sizable fan base outside their hometown.
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.
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. ''
Hold It Down'' followed two years later. The band announced their dissolution in 2001 but decided to reform in late 2002 with a new line-up featuring
Brian "Mitts" Daniels
Brian "Mitts" Daniels (born 1971) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He was the guitarist of Madball from 2001–2017.
Biography
Born in 1971, Daniels first discovered hardcore music during the mid to late '80s in New York. In ...
and Rigg Ross. They began touring and recording at the end of 2002. Since then, Madball has come out with: ''Best of Madball'' in 2003, ''N.Y.H.C. EP'' (EP) in 2004, ''Legacy'' in 2005, and ''Infiltrate The System'' in 2007. In 2009, Rigg Ross left to join
Skarhead
Skarhead is an American hardcore punk band from New York City, founded and fronted by Lord Ezec a.k.a. Danny Diablo (of Crown of Thornz). The group is considered the originators of thugcore music, a subgenre of hardcore punk "full of relentless ...
and was replaced by Ben Dussault.
Along with bands such as Agnostic Front, Vietnom, Bulldoze, Resistance,
H2O and Boston/New York Hip-hop group
Special Teamz
Special Teamz is an American hip hop group made of Boston rappers Edo G (formerly of Da Bulldogs), Jaysaun (formerly of the Kreators) and Slaine (of La Coka Nostra).
All three members are of different racial backgrounds: Edo G is African-Ameri ...
(
Slaine,
Ed O.G.
Edward Anderson (born November 27, 1970) is a hip-hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts, better known by his stage name Edo G. Edo is the seniormost hip-hop artist from Boston (if not from anywhere in Massachusetts), in the sense that he was ...
, Jaysaun,
DJ Jayceeoh
Jacob Charles Osher, (born June 6, 1982), more popularly known as Jayceeoh, is an American DJ, record producer and Turntablist
. He is the founder of label imprint, "Super 7 Records".
Biography (2013 - present)
His debut original release ti ...
), they comprise a part of New York's DMS Crew. Vocalist Cricien and bass player Hoya are also in the band
Hazen Street
Hazen Street (also typeset Hazen St.) is an American supergroup that formed in early 2004. The band features Freddy Cricien and Hoya Roc (Madball); Toby Morse ( H2O), David Kennedy (Box Car Racer, Over My Dead Body, later Angels & Airwaves), ...
, along with members of H
2O and
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...
.
In 2010, after the departure of the
Ferret Records
Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an imprint called ...
owners from the label, Madball followed them to their new and present label
Good Fight Music
Good Fight Entertainment is a business conglomerate that was founded in 2010. The company consists of a record label, band management, sports management, a clothing line and an art studio. Good Fight was founded by Paul Conroy and Carl Severson wh ...
. In February 2010 Madball signed a deal with
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
for the European release of their new studio album, ''Empire'', produced by
Erik Rutan
Erik Rutan (born June 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal musician and producer from New Jersey. He is the guitarist and lead vocalist of death metal band Hate Eternal and lead guitarist for Cannibal Corpse, who he fully joined in 2021 after ...
.
Jay Weinberg
Jay Weinberg is an American musician and the current drummer for the heavy metal band Slipknot. He is the son of drummer Max Weinberg. He has played with the punk rock band the Reveling and toured in 2009 as a drummer with Bruce Springsteen' ...
, son of
E Street Band
The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...
and
Max Weinberg 7
Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band was the house band for Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show '' Conan'' from its debut on November 8, 2010 to the final episode of its 60-minute format October 4, 2018. Guitarist and arranger Jimmy Vivino is t ...
drummer
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' a ...
, joined Madball for the album and for touring.
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.
On March 10, 2014, it was announced the band had begun recording its eighth studio album, ''
Hardcore Lives'', which was released in June of that year.
In October 2017, it was announced that Brian "Mitts" Daniels had exited Madball.
Madball released their ninth studio album, ''For the Cause'', on June 15, 2018.
In January 2019, Madball announced that their touring guitarist, Mike Gurnari, would become an official member.
Band members
With Full Force
Full Force (previously With Full Force) is a German heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented music festival held annually since 1994. The 2011 edition took place between 1 and 3 July at Roitzschjora airport in Löbnitz.
Lineups ...
2018" widths="180" heights="180">
Madball With Full Force 2018 05.jpg, Freddy Cricien
Madball With Full Force 2018 07.jpg, Jorge Guerra
Madball With Full Force 2018 02.jpg, Mike Justian
Madball With Full Force 2018 14.jpg, Dominik Stammen
;Current members
*
– lead vocals
* Jorge "Hoya Roc" Guerra – bass, backing vocals
* Mike Justian – drums, backing vocals
* Mike Gurnari – guitars
;Live musicians
* Walter Ryan – drums
* Mackie Jayson – drums
* Ben Dussault – drums
* Igor Wouters – drums
* Dominik Stammen – guitars
;Former members
*
– bass
* Vinnie Stigma – guitars
* Will Shepler – drums
* Matt Henderson – guitars
* Rob Rosario – guitars
* Darren Morgenthaler – drums
* John Lafata – drums
* Rigg Ross – drums
*
'' (2000)
*''Legacy'' (2005)
*''Infiltrate the System'' (2007)
*''Empire'' (2010)
*''
'' (2014)
*''For the Cause'' (2018)
EPs
*''Ball of Destruction'' (1989)
*''Droppin' Many Suckers'' (1992)
*''N.Y.H.C. EP'' (2004)
*''Rebellion'' (2012)
; Compilations
*''The Best of Madball'' (2003)