REVIEW: Madball - Not Your Kingdom

It’s been eight long years of silence since the last full length MADBALL release, and finally, the wait is over. The kings of New York Hardcore return with Not Your Kingdom, an album that feels like a much-needed shot of adrenaline straight to the veins. Few bands have carried the spirit and sense of community of the NYHC scene quite like MADBALL, and this record serves as another reminder of why they remain one of the genre’s most respected and enduring names. Powered by passion, intensity, and that unmistakable MADBALL attitude, Not Your Kingdom is here to remind everyone that hardcore is still alive and kicking.

The album wastes absolutely no time getting down to business. Opening track Tethered lands like a sucker punch to the gut, driven by crushing riffs the kind of energy that immediately demands attention. As the first track of this fourteen song assault, it sets the tone perfectly. Rather than attempting to reinvent the formula, MADBALL do what they have always done best by delivering powerful, direct hardcore with conviction. Tethered reinforces exactly why they have remained one of the most reliable and influential forces in the scene for decades.

Rebelude acts as a brief introduction before launching into Rebel Kids, where the moment the vocals kick in, the track instantly creates that classic two-step atmosphere, it has the kind of groove where the crowd will know exactly what to do. That momentum carries directly into Don’t MisStep, which picks up the pace and injects even more urgency into the record. With its faster tempo and relentless drive, this is a track that will undoubtedly become a favourite when MADBALL hit the stage, with pits opening and bodies moving before the first chorus has even finished.

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What Say You keeps things simple but sharp, proving that sometimes the most effective riffs are the ones that know exactly when to hit. The mid paced groove still carries plenty of weight and intensity, never allowing the song to lose its bite. Following this, Stab Wounds explodes with a heavier attack, and the bass immediately cuts through the centre of the track, becoming a defining feature of the song. The low end presence feels like a copper coin scraping relentlessly across the strings, adding another layer of aggression to an already powerful track.

A short interlude Sunrise brings the sounds of the city into focus, with distant noises and a radio broadcast creating a brief moment of atmosphere before leading into Life’s a Mural. This track brings a slightly different flavour, leaning into a more punk driven approach while still carrying the unmistakable DNA of MADBALL. It shows that after all these years; the band can still introduce variation without losing the identity that fans have connected with for so long.

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Perhaps a tribute to the values that have always shaped MADBALL and the wider NYHC family, Family First captures one of the movement’s most important principles. Loyalty and looking after your own have always been at the heart of the scene, and the song embodies that message perfectly. Beginning with a slow, hulking groove before kicking ass. The underpin of a blistering tempo, while the vocals snarl, chefs kiss. This is an iconic song that if you heard this one first on a playlist you would instantly be like yeah that’s MADBALL, it is their classic sound we all know and love.

Not Your Kingdom is more than just another strong MADBALL release, it's a statement where it makes you say this album has mad balls, get it, MADBALL. The band sound revitalised, playing with the hunger and conviction of a group with everything still to prove. The album carries the weight of their history while looking firmly toward the future. After eight years away,

MADBALL have returned not just to remind everyone where they came from, but to show that they are nowhere near finished. If Not Your Kingdom is anything to go by, their legacy remains secure, and the future looks brighter than ever.

Score: 9/10

Not Your Kingdom will be released on 26th July 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Words: Ciara Hicks-Evans

Photos: Dave Causa