Madball unveil Tethered as new album Not Your Kingdom lands in July
Madball have set 24 July for the release of Not Your Kingdom, their tenth studio album and first new full-length outing for Nuclear Blast, with the announcement arriving alongside bruising new single Tethered.
The song opens the record and digs into the kind of hard-swinging New York hardcore groove that has always been central to the band’s sound, but its lyrics are more reflective than chest-beating. Frontman Freddy Cricien frames it as a reckoning with the past, anchored by the line: “I’m bound to all the things / That I’ve done and seen / Tethered to everything / All the good the bad / That made me.”
The accompanying clip was directed by Cricien, with Dave Causa handling filming, and keeps things rooted in the New York streets that shaped the band. You can stream ‘Tethered’ here.
Freddy Cricien on the new track
Cricien said: “‘Tethered’ is the opening song on the record, and that’s ironic because it’s one of the last ones written for the album. I love the vibe, very bouncy, groovy NYHC that really transported me back to the 90s – hence the lyrics/theme. To my ears, it has a ‘nostalgic’ feel but still manages to come across as something new for us. Made sense for it to be the second single to demonstrate the diversity of the album – the whole thing is a story, a ride of sorts, and this one as the opener really sets a good pace sonically and lyrically.”
Not Your Kingdom was tracked at The Boneyard Studios in Nashville, with additional interludes recorded by Jeff “Stress” Davis and Chuck Treece at Chop Shop Studios. Production and engineering came from Andrew Baylis, Aiden Thompson and Grady Saxman, while Lee Rouse handled mixing and mastering. The cover uses photography by Cornell Capa, courtesy of Magnum Photos and the Cornell Capa Estate.
The album will be available on CD, vinyl and several coloured variants, alongside a cover art T-shirt. Pre-order the album here.
The full running order
The 14-track record opens with Tethered and also includes the previously released Rebel Kids.
- Tethered
- Flammable
- Rebelude
- Rebel Kids
- Don’t MisStep
- What Say You
- Stab Wounds
- Sunrise
- Life’s a Mural
- Family First
- Clockwork
- IWI
- The Ride
- Chase a Dream
Summer dates take shape
Madball will take the new material across Europe through June and July before heading to Canada, Mexico and the US later in the summer.
- 06.18 DE Potsdam @ Waschhaus Potsdam gGmbH – Arena
- 06.19 PL Zdunska Wola @ Alternative Day
- 06.20 PL Chojnice @ Intertony Festival
- 06.21 DE Rostock @ Peter-Weiss-Haus
- 06.22 PL Poznan @ Klub B17
- 06.23 DE Schneverdingen @ Alte Schlachterei
- 06.24 DE Leer (Ostfriesland) @ Zollhaus Gastro
- 06.25 NL Ysselsteyn @ Jera On Air
- 06.26 FR Rouen @ Furn Défendu
- 06.27 FR Rennes @ Superbowl of Hardcore
- 07.25 DE Badbergen @ Pistole HC Food
- 07.26 DE Hünxe @ Ruhrpott Rodeo
- 07.26 DE Insming @ MozHelll Open Air
- 07.27 DE Karlsruhe @ Alte Hackerei
- 07.28 DE Cologne @ Gebäude 9
- 07.29 DE Kaseel @ Goldgrube
- 07.30 DE Löbnitz @ Full Rewind
- 07.31 CH Gränichen @ Open Air
- 08.01 FR St. Maurice de Gourdans @ Sylak
North and Central American dates follow in August and September.
- 08.21-22 CA Montreal, QC @ Vans Warped Tour Montreal (Parc Jean Drapeau)
- 09.04 MX Ciudad de México
- 09.05 MX Monterrey
- 09.06 MX Guadalajara
- 09.19 US Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life (Kentucky Expo Center)
