With well over 40 years to their name and a legacy that helped define the hardcore sound on the East Coast, Agnostic Front could be forgiven for taking it easy at this point.
Yeah. Right.
There’s no easing in here. “The Evolution Of Madness” kicks the record off like a fist to the face, asking the simple question: “Have you lost your fucking minds?” Welcome to 2025, everyone — it just got a soundtrack.
What more could you want from Agnostic Front? Songs of struggle and brotherhood like “Eyes Open Wide”, defiance in “Obey”, and everything played at a million miles an hour while the solos blaze like they’re fuelled by pure rage. “Art Of Silence” barely scrapes a minute, a total maelstrom that makes “Divided” sound even heavier in comparison.
In the middle of the chaos, “Hell To Pay” dares you to “fuck around, find out”, while “I Can’t Win” knows the game is rigged but goes down swinging anyway. “Shots Fired” feels like being repeatedly pummelled, and even when “Sunday Matinee” brings a touch more melody, they still sound like the toughest gang around.
“Turn Up The Volume” calls for action — “the time is now to start a fight” — but it’s not about senseless violence, it’s a fightback. “A Matter Of Life And Death” makes it clear what’s at stake, while “Tears For Everyone” wraps its empathy in a knuckleduster but still shows heart beneath the fury.
“Way Of War” stays on the front foot (when have they ever been anything else?) and “You Say” refuses to accept the status quo. As they declare on “Obey”: “Use our voice to weaponise.” That’s the mission. Let it start the revolution. Let “Echoes In Eternity” make sure freedom rings like a shotgun blast.
The final line on the album says it all: “I’m not gonna waste my time on you.” It’s half right — sure, it’d be nice to ignore the scum — but Agnostic Front know better. You take them on. You fight back. Only then will there be “Echoes In Eternity.”
Rating: 8/10
