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Class 6(66)
Agnostic Front: Victim in pain
17/12/09 || Khlysty
Introduction
“Classic?? Whachumean Classic?? This fucker ain’t even Heavy Metal, ferchrissake!!!! This fucker is hard-fuckin’-core, you fucktard!!! And, and, and… And it lasts ONLY 15 FUCKING MINUTES!!!! It cannot even be considered as a proper fuckin’ album, you pieceashit reviewer!!! How the fuck can you put it among the Unholiest Of The Unholies of GD, you FUCK??? Huh?? This is fuckin’ Class 6(66)!!! Cantchu read?? Dontcha UNDERstand??????”
Wow! Am I good, momma, or what? Have I nailed the indignation, the anger, the rage of any metalhead who sees Agnostic Front –a seminal NYHC band- among the Metal Luminaries of GD’s Class 6(66) section? If yes, blink once. If nay, sit back and relax, ‘cause we’re in for a real joyride here. OK, let me put it this way: do you know/like Hatebreed? Do you know/like Hatesphere? Do you know/like the gajillion of bands out there who play what has come to be known as “hardcore”? Yeah? Then, lemme tell you a secret: all these guys should pray each and every day for Agnostic Front’s longevity and well-being. ‘Cause, see, they OWE them everything.
Agnostic Front was one of the first bands to lay down the blueprint of what would later be known among metal fans as “hardcore”: the burly, more-metallic-than-punkish guitars; the shouted, confrontational vocals; the HUUUUUGE breakdowns; the sometimes-controversial lyrical themes; the whole fucking attitude. It’s all right here, motherfuckers. And, yes, “Victim In Pain” is definitely a hardcore punk record; but it contains in seminal form everything that would later come to characterize hardcore in metal. So, if one wants to see an early documentation of what would later be, this is the best place to begin with. The concise, almost Spartan songwriting allows each and everyone to see what will come and how things are gonna be. So, read on and weep…
Songwriting
8,5. As I said before, this is a hardcore punk record. But, even this early in their career, Agnostic Front are already pretty competent in using the stylistic devices that would later become the stock-of-trade for a jillion bands. So, basically we have three-cord punk rock, played at almost grindcore speed, with strategically placed slowdowns in each song, so that the kids can mosh their little hearts out and the band take a breath before the next onslaught. This fast-part-breakdown-fast-part recipe serves the band great, as the songs take on attitude and character, especially when compared with their other hardcore punk contemporaries who focused mainly on doop-chick-doop-chick speed. So, even though the songs are really short (ranging from 46 seconds to 2-and-change minutes lengths), they can be discernible and sometimes can take an almost call-to-arms, anthemic quality. Of course, this is hardcore punk, so don’t expect flashy solos (well, THERE ARE a coupla those…) or meticulous songwriting, even though the band closes the record with an almost-trudging song that contains great headbanging potential. This is all about aggression and attitude and “Victim In Pain” has loads of them both.
Production
6,5. This is obviously as DIY as possible and it shows. It was probably recorded, mixed and mastered in just a few hours, so if anyone’s looking for clear production values or shit like that, one should look elsewhere. But the production fits like a condom the material at hand, adding to the rawness and piss-off-ness of the songs and the mix is really out there and strong. So, it’s better than okay.
Guitars
8. Fast, faster, fastest. Two-to-three power cords stringed together and played in hyperspeed with primitive distortion and so much delicacy as a wooden club crunching a human skull. I said it before and I’ll say it again: this is all about attitude. So, Vinnie Stigma doesn’t care about details as technicality, dexterity or accuracy. He just goes for the jugular, speeding up or slowing down things and adding lots of low-end in the whole process, contrary to the usual high-pitched guitar sound that most hardcore punk bands used at that time. As basic as it gets, but perfect for the formative stage of Agnostic Front.
Vocals
8,5. Roger Miret shouts his little lungs out throughout the whole of the record (which, mind you, lasts only fifteen minutes…), without ever resorting to such obsolete notions as singing or even melody. During the fast parts of the song he almost skats away (the speed won’t let him properly inflect the words), while during the slowdowns he just shouts some more, calling for unity and strength and all the things that later bands would pillage from the Agnosticos. His bellows don’t even approach anything resembling metal, but the material here is hardcore punk, so it’s pretty fitting.
Bass
7. Mr. Kabula restricts hisself into playing only the root notes in as speedy a fashion as he can. He’s no DiGiorgio, but Agnosticians, back then, weren’t Sadus of Death, so his playing is just as it should be in such a record. Just keep the rhythm, add to the low-end and you got a job well done.
Drums
7. Basic and brutal. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy –even the occasional rolls sound a bit sloppy-, just focusing on speed and moshing brutality. ‘S okay, as long as you UNDERSTAND the point of this record. Doop-chick-doop-doop-chick-doop-chick-doop-doop-chick-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, et cetera…
Lyrics
8. “There’s no justice, there’s just us/Blind justice screwed all of us/There’s no justice, there’s just us/We need justice for all of us”. “Our friends are more important/We gotta stick together/Support one another/United and strong”. “Everyones got their own style, their own thoughts/Don’t let it bother you, don’t let it get caught/Your fascist attitudes – we need the least/With a scene that’s fighting for unity & peace/Don’t need more anger; no more danger/Don’t need to hate; stop before it’s too late”. Any comments? Nah, didn’t think so…
Cover art
8. A military guy preparing to shoot a citizen guy in the head, who’s kneeling in front of a mass grave. “Victim In Pain”, indeed.
Logo
5. No logo, just the band name in a “stencil” kinda font.
Booklet
6. Does what booklets do. Fuck if I care.
Overall and ending rant
Yes, yes, I know that “Victim In Pain” is not heavy metal, nor is it what we metalheadz have come to know as “hardcore”. But in it one can definitely find in seminal form all the stylistic devices that Agnosticos and other bands later utilized to create the “hardcore” subgenre. So, its historic importance cannot be overstated and as a document of the then-nascent NYHC scene it’s insurmountable. Also, it’s a fun album to listen to, what with its speed, anger and general mosh-osity. So, open up yer ears and prepare to pogo out to your heart’s desire…
P.S.: my girlfriend, who, like, totally HATES anything louder or harsher than Mozart, finds “Victim In Pain” to be “tolerable” and “a bit of fun”. Go figure…
- Information
- Released: 1982
- Label: Rat Cage Records
- Website: www.agnosticfront.com
- Band
- Roger Miret: vocals
- Vinnie Stigma: guitar
- Rob Kabula: bass
- Dave Jones: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Victim in pain
- 02. Remind them
- 03. Blind justice
- 04. Last warning
- 05. United and strong
- 06. Power
- 07. Hiding inside
- 08. Fascist attitudes
- 09. Society suckers
- 10. Your mistake
- 11. With time
