The AI backstory that plays before LYLVC arrives hints at the fact that this band contains— to borrow a line from Bob Dylan— multitudes.
Opening song “Barely Human” signals their intent. Sitting somewhere between Faith No More and Linkin Park, singer Alyse Zavala and rapper Oscar Romero mix superbly, while “Undertow” is as strident as modern metal gets.
The type of band you’d stumble upon at a festival at 3 p.m. and be instantly drawn to, this five-piece loves a hook, as “Unstable” underlines.
Zavala has a superb range, and “Crawl Space” is very much hers. “Dangerous,” on the other hand, slams with a modern crunch, with Romero getting up close and personal with the front row.
Chants of “LYLVC, LYLVC” (pronounced Lialac) rise before “Perfect Drug” soars, and if closing track “Into Nothing” broods at first, it soon explodes— just like every other song.
LYLVC is a band you suspect you’ll be hearing much more about.
That’s House of Pain as Life of Agony arrive—like you need an excuse to jump around when they appear.
LOA are a truly marvellous band. It’s been too long since MV saw them, and with a simple “Let’s see the old-school motherf***ers go wild” from Joey Z, they’re straight into “River Runs Red.”
And Christ, they’re going hard tonight. “This Time” is a brutal beatdown, the kind that could start a mosh pit in a morgue, not just here. There’s a real chemistry between them all—Keith Caputo is a ball of kinetic energy, while Alan Robert and Veronica Bellino keep it anchored.
There’s an old-school feel to the hardcore stomp of “Respect,” fists in the air everywhere for a mighty “Method of Groove.”
“My Eyes” is sensational, delivered with raw passion, and if that wasn’t enough, “Lost at 22” is as real as it gets.
The solo on “Weeds” might be the most rock ‘n’ roll moment of the night, but “I Regret” is thunder from the other end of their scale—Caputo digging deep, pulling pure angst out of himself.
A Cro-Mags cover, “We Gotta Know,” is dedicated to Biohazard, and the circle pit turns brutal for “Through and Through.”
They close with another early one, “Underground,” that hook ringing in your head: “This is why we’re here.” And really, if they came to test the foundations of this lovely old building, then mission accomplished.
Having been a fan of this band for over 30 years—ever since hearing the record “Underground” came from—it’s hard to overstate how groundbreaking they were at the time. Hopefully, Life of Agony will get the credit they deserve as true innovators.
Whatever happens, they were brilliant here—maybe as good as they’ve ever been.
At the end of LOA’s set, Joey Z said, “We got one more song, then Biohazard’s gonna come out here and take your face off.”
The bands go back decades, and there’s a family atmosphere here— even allowing for that, he’s not wrong, to be fair.
From the second Evan Seinfeld (and how good it is to see him back) and his troops arrive, it’s like this: pick a side, and boy, it better be theirs.
“What Makes Us Tick” is clear, and “Shades of Gray” underlines it in bold—they’re here to beat down.
Aggression, violence, visceral anger. It’s all here in “Wrong Side of the Tracks,” yet it’s always laced with hope—a faith in humanity, the working class, and the melting pot that is Brooklyn.
Crowd surfers rain down on the brilliant “Urban Discipline,” and more than ever tonight, this is about energy and brotherhood.
Bobby Hambel and founding member Billy Graziadei are as impressive a duo as there is in punk. “Five Blocks to the Subway” almost demands you join them.
Seinfeld has lost his bandana (he later adds a hoodie, given the temperature) by the time “Black and White and Red All Over” arrives, and somehow, the levels of chaos rise even further.
They go right back to the early days for “Victory,” and another old one, “Love Denied,” follows. Taken together, you can hear the urban crossover—way before that was a thing.
“How It Is” sounds mighty. The best song Body Count never wrote? Maybe. And as they point out, they’re music fans first, as their cover of “We’re Only Gonna Die” by Bad Religion makes clear.
“Each Day” is anthemic, fists are in the air, but it’s their last one, “Hold My Own,” that gives a sense of both the community and what this music means.
“Biohazard from Brooklyn, New York,” Seinfeld says at the end. “Never back down.”
And it’s been 35 years since their debut album. The world has changed in myriad ways, but one thing hasn’t. The originators of this music are still its best exponents—and they ain’t never taken a backward step.
Still belligerent. Always brilliant.
