Madball

Legacy (2005)

vek21

Hardcore: stubbornly resistant to change or improvement. That is a definition provided to me by dictionary.com, and sometimes you can see this in many hardcore acts, which makes you think about whether this genre really plans on staying alive with this fashion in writing. But, Madball came out with Legacy last year and prove that improvement is possible for hardcore acts.

Being their 8th release, this probably will be the furthest and the best attempt Madball can stab you with. Starting off with tracks like "Adapt and Overcome" and "Heavenhell," you can instantly see that this band has decided to have their guitars come stronger and riifs moving constantly, unlike their albums before. Their breakdown sections hit extremely strong and just give you a rush that makes you want to just jump in the pit and cause havoc.

But while there is improvement musically, you will notice that lyrically it is still the same Madball. Constantly showing love for hardcore, you realize that their lyricist, as good as he is, just likes to stick to the same "hardcore unite" subjects with songs like "100 Percent" (which is a track basically talking about their love for hardcore, but in Spanish), "H.C. United," "Hardcore Pride" (are you starting to get the idea??). You do see improvement lyrically in some songs like "HeavenHell," because he finally switches from talking about their love for hardcore and actually about beating the odds and being strong. They even took the time to thank their fans for being there for them through thick and thin with the song "Worldwide." To basically end this review, I believe that this album is a great effort and a big improvement for Madball.

If you are a true hardcore lover that wants real basic powerful riffs, this album fits your needs. If you are a hardcore enthusiast that searches for more meaning and more complexity in the music, then this album will not fit your needs. But give it a listen, you might find this a good album to play driving 100mph through the highway…