The godfathers of New York Hardcore will be hitting Richmond this summer following a European tour that kicked off at the Full Force Festival in Germany. Agnostic Front continues to be a band that tours unmercifully and represents their city worldwide. Drummer Steve Gallo says playing festivals of such a large scale are still amazing.

"It usually ranges somewhere around forty to fifty thousand people,” he said. “I was playing for years before I did that, and let me tell you something, you get up and look at that sea of people you just take a second and think 'oh, wow.' It's amazing. There's nothing in the world like it. If I could die right after doing that, I'd be covered."

Agnostic Front released their tenth studio record last year in a career that spans nearly three decades. “Warrirors” blends the fury of old-school hardcore and power of metal with an unmistakable New York groove straight from the five boroughs. Gallo was very pleased with the end result of their hard work in the studio.

"I love it," he said. "We all had a lot to do with it. It was something that, individually, everybody in the band had a big part in writing. I'm more proud of that record than anything in my life. It's my favorite thing in the world."

Founding guitarist Vinnie Stigma also had a very tongue-in-cheek appreciation for the new record.

"I'm so glad I got this new record," he joked. "It's my best record, I swear to God. I finally learned how to make a record after all these years. Usually, it's a mistake and it comes out great."

Stigma and frontman Roger Miret are legendary in the hardcore scene and have been keeping Agnostic Front alive since the early 80s, when the underground genre was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Guitarist Joseph James grew up listening to Agnostic Front and now finds himself a proud member.

"The opportunity to join Agnostic Front is like a dream come true for anybody who has been a part of this and plays music," James said. "I don't take it for granted for a second. I try to do the band justice, give them my input and my all to make the band better than they ever were and I hope that we're accomplishing that."

When he first joined the band, James said in the middle of their set, it would hit him who was on stage next to him.

"In the beginning, it was really all the time that I was doing that," he said. "Now we've become so tight, we know each other so well, I feel like they're my family and I've kind of gotten over that and I look at them as peers. But then, there are those instances once in a while when you see them in their element and you say 'wow, this is a living legend.' It's something very cool to be a part of."

Gallo and his brother, Mike, who plays bass, represent the rest of the youthful infusion that makes up the band's powerful rhythm section. Steve had the AF logo inked in his skin long before he joined the band.

"I got blessed," he said. "What am I gonna say? It's a dream come true. I got the boots on my back before I even met them."

Jasta, the solo project of Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, and Madball have joined the tour with Agnostic Front and will also be playing Richmond at the Canal Club on August 20. Madball vocalist Freddy Cricien is Miret’s little brother and at a very young age, would be brought on stage to sing Agnostic Front songs. This ultimately led to the formation of Madball, a nickname given to Cricien by Stigma. Both Stigma and Miret played in Madball until it evolved into the band it is today. They stepped aside and let Cricien take the reigns, creating one of the most influential New York Hardcore outfits to date.

Madball also has a recent release, “Infiltrate the System,” which is a warning to the corporate world that the masses are taking back control of their destinies, not only in the music world, but in all facets of life. Cricien says the band is still out there on the road pushing the record.

"We're still out there supporting it," he said. "It's still sinking in with people. I'm very proud of the record. The whole band is. Thanks to people who can appreciate what we're doing, we're moving forward."

Cricien is also an organizer of the Black ‘n Blue Bowl, an annual event in New York City that showcases the best of hardcore not only from the city, but across the world. In keeping with the themes of “Infiltrate the System,” Cricien has continued to keep the festival free of corporate control.

"We wanted to make it our own," he said. "We wanted to brand it with our own thing. It's important in every way for our scene. You see the crowd out there. You see all the different bands coming together to be a part of it. It just reminds people that this scene, which I feel is a very significant part of the roots of hardcore, is still very much alive and kicking and doing its thing."

Cricien has been a part of the hardcore community for as long as he can remember and continues to be a proud representative of the NYHC scene.

"We're still putting it down for New York. We still fly the flag all over the world for this city."