Review by Daniel for Agnostic Front - Liberty & Justice For... (1987)

New York hardcore legends Agnostic Front hit the ground running with their first two releases (1983’s “United Blood” E.P. & 1984’s “Victim In Pain” album) building them quite a solid following amongst the strong New York underground scene. But opinions were divided on the merits of their 1986 sophomore album “Cause For Alarm” when the Front returned with a noticeably more metal-oriented outing that was clearly influenced by the likes of Slayer. Crossover thrash fans (like myself) embraced the album with open arms while the punk elitists out there scowled at the band’s impure approach to the city’s signature hardcore sound. Personally, I think “Cause For Alarm is a great record & is thoroughly underrated. But this brings us to 1987’s “Liberty & Justice For…” album, the second & final of Agnostic Front’s forays into the realms of crossover thrash.

Here we see the band somewhat hedging their bets because not only do we get a continuation of the vicious light-speed thrash assault that so impressed me on “Cause For Alarm” but in the latter stages of the album we see the band returning to some of the more obviously punk driven material of their early years. Given that I’m definitely much more of a metal fan than a hardcore one, there will be no surprises that I would have preferred a record that was totally dominated by a crossover thrash sound & it’s difficult for me to understand the numerous reviews I’ve read where fans state that the couple of straight up punk tunes are the clear highlights when those are the only numbers that I don’t find any appeal in. But in saying that, there’s definitely enough flat-chat speed metal riffage & pounding drums for my liking here only probably not quite as much as there was on its predecessor. 

The production is worth mentioning because it took some getting used to. There’s a definite lack of brightness & high-end here & it does take a little bit of the electricity out of the music if I’m honest. Thankfully the performances of the instrumentalists are tight as a motherfucker which is interesting given the major lineup changes the Front had undertaken since their last record. The entire rhythm section & one of the two guitarists were making their first appearances for the band here but you’d never know if from the evidence because they seem to have slotted straight in nicely. Vocalist Roger Miret gives another enthusiastic performance. In fact, I’d sometimes suggest that he’s guilty of OVER-enthusiasm at times because there are definitely moments where he sounds like he’s dry retching more than anything else which isn’t a particularly good look. But overall I think he suits the chaotic music pretty well. 

“Liberty & Justice For…” is another enjoyable Agnostic Front record. You won’t find anything terribly ground-breaking on offer but you can certainly expect a high energy crossover thrash workout plump with peak time velocities & some of those fantastically sudden track endings I generally associate with quality hardcore. The couple of straight up punk tracks do cause the album to fade a bit towards the end which sees it sitting a step down from “Cause For Alarm” but there are definitely enough positives for me to recommend the album.

For fans of : Cro-Mags, Ludichrist, Leeway.