MADBALL
Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front’s members. Madball consisted of Agnostic Front’s vocalist Roger Miret on bass, Vinnie Stigma on guitar, Will Shepler on drums, and then 12-year-old vocalist Freddy Cricien, Roger Miret’s younger half-brother. Madball’s first few performances consisted of previously unused Agnostic Front songs. Madball’s first release was the Ball of Destruction EP in 1989. After years of playing regional shows in and around the New York area, a second guitarist, Matt Henderson, would join the band. By then, they recorded and released the EP Droppin’ Many Suckers for Wreckage Records. One year later, Roger Miret left the band and was replaced by bass player Jorge “Hoya Roc” Guerra — a good friend of Freddy Cricien — who was looking for a new band as his band, Dmize, was breaking up. The new incarnation of the band was signed by Roadrunner Records in 1994 and released a pair of full-lengths; Set It Off in 1994 and Demonstrating My Style in 1996. Touring steadily, the band built a sizable fan base outside their hometown.[1]
1995 saw the band participating in the N.Y.H.C. Documentary. Extensive interviews were conducted with Freddy as well as a performance on July 29, 1995 at the now-defunct “Coney Island High”. Freddy’s brother, Roger, broke several vertebrae in his back at that show, requiring him to be in traction for the better part of a year.
Consisting of Cricien, Henderson, Guerra, and new drummer John Lafata, the band recorded Look My Way, which was released in early 1998. Hold It Down followed two years later. The band announced their dissolution in 2001 but decided to reform in late 2002 with a new line-up featuring Brian “Mitts” Daniels and Rigg Ross. They began touring and recording at the end of 2002. Since then, Madball has come out with: Best of Madball in 2003, N.Y.H.C. EP (EP) in 2004, Legacy in 2005, and Infiltrate The System in 2007. In 2009, Rigg Ross left to join Skarhead and was replaced by Ben Dussault.
STRIFE
Their first LP, One Truth, was released in 1994 by Victory Records. Strife was considered one of the three “big” bands on the then-new Victory Records label, which also included Earth Crisis and Snapcase.
Strife released their second album, In This Defiance in 1997. This album was also well regarded by the straight edge/hardcore community. It was also notable for the guest appearances, with Chino Moreno of Deftones, Dino Cazares of Fear Factory and Igor Cavalera of Sepultura all taking turns on the album.
Two years later, Strife broke up, citing creative differences and exhaustion. Victory Records released Truth Through Defiance, a compilation of live tracks and previously unreleased material.
In 2000, Strife reunited to play several benefit concerts, and by the following year had officially reformed and released Angermeans. No longer straight edge, this album was considered by the band to be a more mature and focused continuation of In This Defiance. The band received some criticism from former fans for no longer being straight edge, and the apparent departure from their hardcore punk sound into what was perceived as being more akin to popular metal trends of the time.