AGNOSTIC FRONT

With a career that stretches back to 1980, AGNOSTIC FRONT have the longevity and associated respect that only true legends can achieve. But still, given the turbulent nature of the times of we living, there is always a pressing need to reaffirm the gritty, bloodstained values that the New Yorkers have proudly espoused throughout those 45 years. When shit gets fucked up, AGNOSTIC FRONT are duty bound to remind us all of what hardcore can do. On "Echoes In Eternity", their 13th studio record, they do exactly that. No compromise, no indulgent dalliances with other genres: just hardcore, as sweaty and hostile as it was always meant to be.

They may be older and wiser, but Vinnie Stigma and Roger Miret have never lost the fury or the focus that first made them standard bearers for an entire genre. Much like their peers in SICK OF IT ALL and CRO-MAGS, AGNOSTIC FRONT represent a simplicity of concept and delivery that has not aged one iota over the decades. And while "Echoes In Eternity" sounds more or less as we would expect from the band at this point, the energy and freshness that pours from every riff, beat and breakdown remains as thrilling now as it was back in the mid-'80s, when classic records like "Victim In Pain" and "Cause For Alarm" coated punk rock in concrete for the first time. Never mind all of the lineup changes, health battles and rapidly changing trends that have transpired during their career, AGNOSTIC FRONT have not lost a step, and in the strongest of NYC accents, "Echoes In Eternity" screams its authenticity from the rooftops. With 15 songs in a sharp and economical 28 minutes, this is a wonderfully effective shock to the system.

There have been times over the last 40 years when AGNOSTIC FRONT have taken risks and confounded purists, but as they arrive in the late part of 2025, there is little room for such confusion. "Echoes In Eternity" has plenty of rock 'n' roll in its bloodstream, along with multiple nods to crossover thrash, but Vinnie Stigma is so fearlessly adept at getting the balance just right that few sensible people will question the direction taken. Produced by ex-CROWN OF THORNZ man Mike Dijan and mixed by the legendary Zeuss, these songs sound fiercely modern and relevant, while still exuding old-school charm.

"Way Of War" sets the scene, full of spite and groove; "You Say" ups the ante, injecting yobbish punk with extra steel and switching pace for the sheer, destructive hell of it; and "Matter Of Life & Death" brings the crossover hammer down, streetwise and surly, with barked raps and driving riffs that mount the kerb with malicious intent. Nothing outstays its welcome; nothing passes by without leaving a few bruises. From the metallic rush of "Tears For Everyone" and the staccato slap fight of the BLACK FLAG-ish "Sunday Matinee", to the brutal brevity of "Art Of Silence" and the righteous indignation that sends "Skip The Trial" spinning through brick walls, "Echoes In Eternity" is as definitive a hardcore experience as anyone is likely to get in 2025. Sometimes, it takes the masters to raise the alarm, and here it is, ringing with deafening assurance. Hardcore until the end.