Boxset Review: Madball - True To The Game [The Roadrunner Years]
Reviewed by Carl Black
There is no way I can review one Madball album let alone three in a box set. The reason for this is because Madball are not a band, they are a way of life. A way of life for Freddie Cricien and a way of life for the thousands of Madball fans around the world.
For people that don't know, Madball are a New York hardcore band raised with the supporting arm around them from Agnostic Front. The link between Madball and Agnostic Front are well documented and will never be cut.
So you understand the type of music that they play. Madball. During the period this package documents, Madball were keener to break free from the restraints of the hardcore movement and try and push new barriers, such as playing metal festivals and playing bigger arena shows. All this whilst still retaining that hardcore following and keeping the faith of underground music. Evidence of this can be seen a few years after this Roadrunner period were they fully funded a European tour with no promotion or record deal and got just as many people in the clubs as if they were still signed to a major record label. Fast forward a couple of years later and their next tour was supporting Limp Biscuit at huge arenas. And throughout keeping the faith all the time.
This box set commemorates their most popular and possibly their most transparent period. There was Madball before 'Set It Off' and there was Madball after 'Look My Way'. Roadrunner really caught Madball at their most popular.
![Boxset Review: Madball - True To The Game [The Roadrunner Years]](https://i0.wp.com/live.staticflickr.com/65535/54455719628_707d0d0b7b_c.jpg?w=678&ssl=1 "Boxset Review: Madball - True To The Game [The Roadrunner Years]")
'Set It Off' is the most hardcore album out of the three; the Agnostic Front influences are very much present in songs like 'Smell the Bacon' and 'Get Out'. They produced a couple of absolute classic songs in the form of the title track and 'New York', Whilst establishing that slower groove that was prominent in the next two albums with songs such as 'It's Time' and 'Down By Law'.
'Demonstrating My Style' fires out the blocks with a classic title track and has the anthem 'Pride'. 'Demonstrating My Style' really did push the band away from the Agnostic Front style hardcore and they were branching out into that groove laden material that became very prominent on the next album.
That next album was 'Look My Way' which had a slower approach as far as tempo was concerned. Again the title track being evidence of this. They mixed it up with the Latino singing on our family, however they really didn't have a vicious hardcore song on this album.
The package comes out with a booklet with never before seen photographs and a lengthy biography.
It's never too late to get into Madball but I have to say many fans have stayed with the band through this period and beyond. It's a nice package to have, my feeling is most fans will have the material anyway. These fans are the one that keeps the underground alive... Always keep the faith!
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