What do you get when you put together vocalist Scott Vogel from Terror in the same room with bassist Chris Beattie from Hatebreed, and then add guitarist Matt Henderson, formerly from Agnostic Front and Madball? S.O.S.! Their NEW EP titled "I Owe You Nothing" is out today via Good Fight Music, and its a hard hitting vulgar display of Real American Hardcore! In times when Hardcore music is in the rise, its vital to support a new band full of fire, so make sure you buy the EP because you will not be disappointed. Here is the Official Press Release:
“‘Never a Brother’. This is the song that got Matt skanking in the studio,” states vocalist Scott Vogel. “This song has a serious hook. Check it out and enjoy.”
You can purchase the EP now at several digital music outlets, such as iTunes. Keep an eye out for the exclusive vinyl coming out through Reaper Records soon. The band recorded the I Owe You Nothing EP this past winter in New York City. At the helm of production was Dean Baltulonis, a producer and engineer who has been involved with some of the genre’s most iconic recordings (Agnostic Front, Madball).
S.O.S. is: - Scott Vogel - Vocals (Terror) - Matt Henderson - Guitar (formerly of Agnostic Front and Madball) - Sam Trapkin - Guitar (Trapped Under Ice) - Chris Beattie - Bass (Hatebreed) - Nick Jett - Drums (Terror)
Saturday, May 28, 2011, will go down on history as one of the best days in New York Hardcore! The energy at Webster Hall for the 2011 Black N Blue Bowl (formerly the Superbowl of Hardcore) was goddamn electric from start to finish, and every band delivered a flawless set. It is great to see veterans of Hardcore like Gorilla Biscuits, Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and Terror, inspire the younger bands to step their game up and not disappoint.
Right after a typical adrenalized set by Sick Of It All, the crowd needed a breather, and we needed a cold beer. As soon as we arrived at the bar, we ran into Freddy Cricien (Madball and Black N Blue Productions), and bought him a beer in token of our appreciation for everything he has done for New York Hardcore culture. Next thing you know, Agnostic Front raged onto the stage and demolished Webster Hall. The power provided by Roger Miret, Vinnie Stigma and the rest of the boys, is addicting and not for the weak-hearted. For their new song "A Mi Manera", which is part of their brand new album titled "My Life, My Way", Freddy Madball sang in Spanish with his step-brother Roger.
If anybody needs prove of why Agnostic Front is the most legendary NYHC band in history, all it takes is to see them perform any of their Hardcore anthems to 2,000 CRAZY fans and see how those fans react.
"On behalf of Agnostic Front and myself I want to thank everyone that came out to our show at the BNB Bowl! We had a great time in NYC!!!! NYHC killed it!!!! Also, a fantastic time and show at Punk Rock Bowling in Vegas alongside with our mate's Cock Sparrer!!!! Those where 2 great warm up shows for us! Europe here we come! Tour starts on June 25th! Cheers!" - Roger Miret AGNOSTIC FRONT tour-dates:
Prior to the 2011 Black N Blue Bowl we had the chance to chat with Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), the ambassador of New York Hardcore, about what it meant to be co-headlining such a historic event!
We want to thank Agnostic Front, Jon Freeman (Freeman Promotions, and the Black N Blue Productions team.
On Saturday, May 28, 2011, the Hardcore history books will have to be written after the Black N Blue Bowl (formerly the Superbowl of Hardcore) takes over Webster Hall once again with a ridiculous lineup!
These year's headliners are Gorilla Biscuits and Agnostic Front. Joining them will be Terror, Absolution, Antidote, Maximum Penalty, Backtrack, Down To Nothing, Take Offense, No Turning Back, Bottom Out and special guest SICK OF IT ALL.
They still have tickets left so get there early!
"It's probably the most amazing mix of the old school Hardcore guys and the young guys! There's so much fucking talent out there right now, its unbelievable! The 2011 Black N Blue Bowl is going to knock everybody out! You're never going to see a lineup like this ever again in your life! We promise!" - Black N Blue Productions
There is no question that Agnostic Front changed the face of New York City Hardcore forever, actually they were one of the first bands that helped shape up the scene over 25 years ago, and to this very day they have been the ambassador's of NYHC. While you may think that at this point of their careers, they are sitting back and relaxing, the reality is that when it comes to Hardcore music the bands never stop writing music, performing all over the world, and flying the Hardcore flag with pride and joy.
With the release of their new album "My Life, My Way", Agnostic Front have proven again that they are untouchable and have plenty of fuel left in their musical arsenal. The record delivers the bands signature sound with more of a Punk Rock feel then their previous albums. This actually happened very organically, and the band didn't go against it. Produced by Freddy Madball and engineered by Erik Rutan from Hate Eternal, the vibe of the album reminds of their legendary album "Victim In Pain".
“After all is said and done we are amazed on how great our new record turned out! It’s by far our catchiest record to date and it’s going to make everyone want to sing along for sure. Freddy killed it on the production end, just capturing that hardcore vibe that only he can get out of AGNOSTIC FRONT. The boys all put nothing but passion into the songs, and Erik Rutan just dialed it all in to make AGNOSTIC FRONT sound as natural and as organic as ever. This one will definitely be a classic once it’s heard worldwide!” - Roger Miret
Track listing:
1) City Street 2) More Than a Memory 3) Us Against the World 4) My Life My Way 5) That’s Life 6) Self Pride 7) Until the Day I Die 8) Now and Forever 9) The Sacrifice 10 A Mi Manera 11) Your Worst Enemy 12) Empty Dreams 13) Time Has Come
The band is currently gearing up for a global takeover that will keep them busy for the next few years. They will also be part of the upcoming Black N Blue in New York City, which will take place on Saturday May 28, 2011. We recently had the chance to chat with Agnostic Front bassist Mike Gallo about the new album, their immediate future, and the state of the music industry. Here is what went down.
We want to thank Agnostic Front, Jon Freeman (Freeman Promotions, and the Black N Blue Productions team.
Last night we headed to the East Village Radio headquarters to interview Cuz Joe (Black N Blue Productions) and Vinny Stigma (Agnostic Front) about the upcoming "Black N Blue Bowl". The interview came out great and it will be online within the next few weeks, for now we have some exclusive updates which you can read below.
Before interviewing the two Hardcore ambassadors, we ran into Lou Koller of Sick Of It All who was there to promote their upcoming 25th anniversary show at Webster Hall. This very special show will take place on Saturday March 26th and it will feature live performances by Sick Of It All, Snapcase, Merauder and Razor Blade Hand Grenade. You can purchase tickets online by clicking here or at Mercury Lounge.
Since we are all about making people unite, we asked graffiti artist Joe Janaro to come with us and to bring his Sick Of It All painting for Lou and the Black N Blue crew to see it. The response was amazing, and it was real cool to see everyone recognizing Joe's talent.
What made this night very special was that we actually came across Joe after seeing a Sick Of It All graffiti (which you can see below) he had done years ago! We want to thank Lou from Sick Of It All and Cuz Joe for making Joe's dream come true!
Here are some updates about the Black N Blue Bowl:
- Lineup: Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front, Terror, Absolution, Antidote, Maximum Penalty, Backtrack, Down To Nothing, Take Offense, No Turning Back, Bottom Out and a surprise special guest.
Black N' Blue Productions are notorious for bringing the masses some real deal Hardcore, and year after year they keep proving that Hardcore lives! On Saturday May 28th they are presenting their annual festival called "The Black N Blue Bowl" (previously the "Superbowl of Hardcore") at Webster Hall in New York City. As usual, they are presenting the masses with some stellar acts.
This year's headliners include Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front and Sick Of It All. Joining them will be Terror, Absolution, Antidote, Maximum Penalty, Backtrack, Down To Nothing, Take Offense, No Turning Back, Bottom Out and a surprise special guest.
Tickets will be available soon at Generation Records and on Pitchfork NY's website. Stay tuned for more details!
Horns Up Rocks wants to wish every single one of you: HEAVY HOLIDAYS and a METALLIC 2011! Thanks so much for your support, and rest assured that will keep the HORNS way UP in 2011! Please be safe, because we need every single one of you to keep the Heavy Music Army growing and becoming STRONGER THAN ALL!
We decided to take a look at all the memories that we lived throughout 2010, and give you our beloved fans, the ultimate Top 10! Starting today, we will post one memory a day! The best memory of 2010 will be posted on New Years Day (December 31st)!
\m/ NUMBER 10: THE HIXON Chronicles - On August 27th, Horns Up Rocks and Jefferson Avenue Productions brought the annual Hixonfest to the Ace of Clubs bar in New York City. The event featured live music by Lies Beneath, Canons, S.W.A.K., female Judas Priest tribute band Judas Priestess, and New Jersey's Thrash Metal titans The Hixon. Additionally, the event was hosted by Richard Christy from the Howard Stern Show and Charred Walls of the Damned. The event also featured a sexy model search hosted by Crown Ink Divas CEO Frankie Scorpion.
Before the event, and before we all started our drink-a-thon, Horns Up Rocks founder Jo Schuftan interviewed The Hixon. Here is what went down:
\m/ NUMBER 9: METAL meets COMEDY (with Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine of VH1 Classic's THAT METAL SHOW) - When it comes to mixing Heavy Metal and Comedy, there are very few people that can blend them together like Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine do. You may be familiar with this two maniacs, from VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, or from the infamous "Terrorizing Tele-marketers CD's. You may also know them from Comedy Central's Crankyankers and Meet the Creeps, or maybe from a Heavy Metal concert. Regardless of where you know them from, what this two man have achieved in their careers, is truly admirable! We had the chance to interview both of them together, and somehow managed to keep them somewhat controlled! Check it out:
\m/ NUMBER 8: SLAYER, MEGADETH & ANTHRAX @ American Carnage 2 - On Friday October 8th, we headed to the Nassau Vetarans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island to experience one of the best tours in Heavy Metal history. Which tour are we talking about? The second leg of the American Carnage tour, sponsored by Jägermeister Music, which features Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.
We arrived at the venue around 4 o'clock, and immediately headed to lot 6 (pretty appropriate) for Jo Schuftan's (founder of Horns Up Rocks) tailgate birthday party! As soon as we arrived to lot 6, Heavy Metal was blasting from every car in the parking lot! It was heaven for any Metal head and hell for everyone else. Check out the videos we captured!
\m/ NUMBER 7:At the 2010 Hixonfest, the Judas Priestess played a furious set right after New Jersey's Metaleros The Hixon almost burned the house down. The all female Judas Priest tribute band puts the pedal to the Metal, and they do it from start to finish. Judas Priestess deliver a vulgar display of adrenaline, that can be addictive. Not only can they make the dudes headbang out of control, they also get the chicks to shake their booties lambada style. When the Judas Priestess ladies rock the hell out of the stage, nobody is safe. Here is the interview that METAL LOVE did with the ladies of Judas Priestess! This became an instant hit and was published on BLABBERMOUTH! \m/
\m/ NUMBER 666: New Orleans has always been known for its influence in music and its multilingual cross-cultural heritage. This ever-changing region of the United States gave birth to Jazz music, and is universally known for its cuisine. Recently they became known for their NFL football team, thanks to the New Orleans Saints victory over the Indianapolis Colts at this years Super Bowl in Miami. What does all this have to do with Heavy Music? Well, NOLA is the birthplace of some of the best bands in the country! This year we produced a lot of legendary interview videos, but two interviews that we are very proud of are the ones with Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down, Kingdom of Sorrow), and Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore, Soilent Green). Check this two jewels out:
\m/ NUMBER 5: Eugene Victor Hoglan II, known by many of you as Gene Hoglan or "The Atomic Clock", is one of the best drummers in the world. During his 26 year career he has played in bands such as Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Dark Angel, War God and Dethklok. When I heard that he was joining the mighty Fear Factory, my heart started beating at triple the tempo. I started envisioning what the new generation of Fear Factory would sound like. The results blew my mind when I heard their latest album titled "Mechanized". Here is our interview with Gene Hoglan (featured on Blabbermouth), as well as some live footage of Fear Factory!
\m/ NUMBER 4: As we all know, Ronnie James Dio passed away earlier this year after losing his battle to stomach cancer. A few weeks before his passing, Ronnie made his way to Los Angeles from a cancer clinic in Texas, for the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. To me this is very inspiring and proofs the power behind Heavy Music. Ronnie James Dio will always be remembered as a true warrior!
We had a chance to talk to Jose Mangin (Sirius XM Liquid Metal & MTV Headbangers Ball), Don Jamieson (That Metal Show), Brandon Geist (Revolver Magazine), and even Alex Skolnick (Testament) about the legacy of Ronnie James Dio which Corey. All of them tell us their "behind the scenes" stories involving Ronnie James Dio. Check it out!
\m/ NUMBER 3: "When I think about what brought me to New York, the first thing that comes to my mind is New York Hard Core. Growing up in Colombia in the mid 90's, back when Pablo Escobar and crew controlled the country through acts of violence. I experienced lots of hardship by watching my own country, become the country of fear. I was around 15 years old when I first heard downset, I know downset are from LA but once I was hooked on the Hard Core movement, I started to listen to New York Hard Core through bands like Sick Of It All, Madball, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Vision of Disorder and a whole bunch of other bands (mostly through mix tapes)." -Jo Schüftan (Founder of Horns Up Rocks)
Here are some legendary interviews I did this year with some of the biggest Hardcore artists:
\m/ NUMBER 2: "Ever since I became a diehard Pantera fan, I wanted to get a CFH (Cowboys From Hell) tattoo! Not only is Pantera my all time favorite band, but also a huge influence on who I am. Pantera defines what life is all about: Determination, Passion and making the best out of every single moment lived. With that said, when I went to the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention I knew I had to have an appointment with the needle and chinese ink. Now I am officially Scarred For Life and a Pantera fan until the day I die." -Jo Schuftan (Founder of Horns Up Rocks)
Apart from covering the CFH tattoo story, we also covered some awesome Pantera events, check this out:
\m/ NUMBER UNO: As we all know, the great Peter Steele from Type O Negative died on April 14, 2010 from heart failure. Peter will always be remembered as one of the most charismatic musicians in history. Together with his bands Type O Negative and Carnivore, he created a legacy that will never die! Fortunately, Peter will always live through his passionate music and if you ever had a chance to meet him or to see perform live, you know that he was a true legend.
This was the saddest and biggest story this year for Horns Up Rocks to cover. Pete ignited a flame that we will never let die! Here are some of the videos we produced in memory of Peter Steele, 'the giant man with a heart of gold!"
This is such an easy piece to write, that it could be done while being blindfolded and handcuffed. When it comes to New York Hardcore, Agnostic Front is still the band that everyone respects and admires. When we recently interviewed Ben Falgoust from Goatwhore and Soilent Green, we asked him about the bands that made him want to get on stage. The first band he mentioned was Agnostic Front. The reason? Agnostic Front are not just a band, they represent a cultural movement that has crossed musical frontiers worldwide.
When the godfather of Hardcore music Vinnie Stigma started Agnostic Front in 1980, his vision was to create a form of music that was honest and directly from the streets. Another aspect that Stigma wanted to present to the masses was the strength and the unity behind the New York City underground culture. While many only know the "poshy" side of New York, the city was a complete different place back then. The streets were very rugged, and there was a lot of violence going on. This is what gave birth to the Hardcore Punk movement, which eventually became became the musical trademark of New York City. And without the violence and the hardship, it would have never evolved the way it did.
Agnostic Front revolutionized Hardcore music when they released "Victim In Pain", and instantly became one of the pioneers of New York Hardcore. We had the chance to see their hometown show at Santos Party Town in Chinatown, as they celebrated the 25th anniversary of this legendary album. It was a family reunion, and the band proved that they got fire for years to come. We actually spoke with Stigma after their performance, and he confirmed that they are going into the studio this November to record the new Agnostic Front album with Freddy Cricien (AKA Freddy Madball) as producer. Needless to say, the streets in New York City wont be safe once they release this album. Here are some quotes taken from the interview with Stigma! ENJOY! \m/
What do you get when you put together vocalist Scott Vogel from Terror in the same room with bassist Chris Beattie from Hatebreed, and then add guitarist Matt Henderson, formerly from Agnostic Front and Madball? S.O.S.! Their NEW EP titled "I Owe You Nothing" is out today via Good Fight Music, and its a hard hitting vulgar display of Real American Hardcore! In times when Hardcore music is in the rise, its vital to support a new band full of fire, so make sure you buy the EP because you will not be disappointed. Here is the Official Press Release: 
Prior to the 2011 Black N Blue Bowl we had the chance to chat with Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), the ambassador of New York Hardcore, about what it meant to be co-headlining such a historic event!
