Agnostic Front "First Warning: The United Blood Era Recordings" LP

Controversial east coast punk band Agnostic Front were lynchpins of the New York hardcore scene. Formed in 1982 by former Eliminators guitarist Vinnie Stigma along with vocalist John Watson, drummer Rob Crib Crash and bassist Diego, the band went through several other early members to settle on Vinnie Stigma, bassist Adam Mucci, drummer Raybeez and Cuban-born singer Roger Miret for these recordings. Often misunderstood in their early days due largely to their majority skinhead following and the shock imagery of their record covers, the group carved out its reputation in the dilapidated Lower East Side of Manhattan, then blighty by poverty, drugs, violence and high levels of urban decay. The recordings featured on this incendiary compilation date from the very start of their recording career, beginning with the demos that led to their debut seven-inch release, the self-issued United Blood EP, bolstered by other recordings from the period that were left unissued at the time; some of the material included here later appeared on the Raw And Unleased CD, but several songs are appearing on vinyl here for the very first time. Agnostic Front went on to reign supreme on the New York hardcore scene throughout the 1980s and although later recordings once again saw membership changes that brought a shift in style to include thrash-metal crossover elements, their longevity and high standing is such that they were featured on Showtime’s The Godfathers of Hardcore documentary, ultimately leading to Roger Miret’s recently released autobiography, My Riot.