Album Review: MADBALL - For The Cause

01. Smile Now Pay Later

02. Rev Up

03. Freight Train

04. Tempest

05. Old Fashioned

06. Evil Ways (feat. Ice T)

07. Lone Wolf

08. Damaged Goods

09. The Fog (feat. Tim Armstrong)

10. Es Tu Vida

11. For You

12. For the Cause

Madball never disappoint me. Not only are they one of my favourite Hardcore bands, but they are renowned for being consistent. In fact, consistency is an important thing to many Hardcore fans, and artists are often berated online for daring to freshen things up a little by experimenting with different genres. Before checking this new album out, I made the mistake of reading some of the comments on YouTube after watching their video for The Fog. The song features a guest appearance from Tim Armstrong from Rancid, and there's a ton of hate from 'so-called' fans saying that the band has gone soft, or has gone in a more commercial direction.

Having listened to For The Cause a few times now, I can say that it is without a doubt, a Madball album. The vast majority of the record sticks to the classic Madball sound in terms of both writing and production. There are a few moments where other influences are shown, such as on The Fog, but I think

There are some killer tracks on For The Cause, especially Freight Train, Rev Up, Old Fashioned, and Damaged Goods. However, I think the strongest song of all is the title track which finishes off the record (bar the Reggae version of Rev Up hidden at the end).

For The Cause isn't Madball's strongest album, but it's a damn good one. The music still sounds fresh and vital which is really important for a Hardcore band. Madball have proven that they're still on top of the pile, not that they've had anything to prove in many years. Madball are legends. Period.

Oh, it's not all good news though. That album cover is fucking rubbish. What were they thinking?