AGNOSTIC FRONT - Get Loud!

Release date November 8/19 (Nuclear Blast)

Holy crap. Agnostic Front issued their legendary Victim In Pain debut some 35 years ago (!), so it's implausible to hear the band this energized so late in their recording career. Hell, Get Loud! not only attains the intensity of the debut, it also retains its manic levels throughout its 14-track, 31 minutes. Incredible.

New York's finest hardcore providers have simply hit a walk-off home run here, punishing riffs, bruising breakdowns and memorable material laid out bare for all to imbibe. Great to hear vocalist Roger Miret back in top form too, clearly enunciating his street-smart admonishments, putting a bloodied ribbon around this particularly nasty pre-Christmas present.

Here's the tough part - where does it stand compared to the other 11 albums in their discography? First off, it's easily the band's best since 1999's Riot, Riot Upstart, an album I would venture to say this has many similarities to with respect to quality and intensity. I'll stop there and allow the passage of time to assist in determining where this falls within context of the whole catalogue. Buy!

(8.5)