Live report BIOHAZARD, LIFE OF AGONY & LYLVC, Markthalle, Hamburg – March 27th, 2025

Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is today and the new season starts. But when two of New York’s most influential hardcore metal bands are on a co-headlining tour, it is more important to head to Hamburg’s Markthalle than to hope for home runs in front of the TV.

Biohazard and Life Of Agony are currently on the road, traveling through Europe with a stop in Hamburg. Such a package, representing two great bands from Brooklyn, New York, is something you don’t want to miss, so it’s less of a surprise that the venue is sold out tonight.

The first act is LYLVC, a two- singer nu-metal band from Raleigh, NC and the guys 30 minutes to win some new fans. The band kicks off their set with “Barely Human” and immediately unleashes some power. Bands like Linkin Park certainly provide the blueprint for LYLVC and “Papercut” underlines this influence.

As their music is a bit different from the Brooklyn-rooted hardcore, LYLVC’s stuff isn’t exactly what the crowd is looking for and yet the room is already well-filled. Apart from the music, it’s the show factors that are an important part of tonight’s show. Stage acting, posing and Cam Gillette testing gravity with his keyboard are just some of the elements of this 30 minute set that doesn’t lack energy. All in all, LYLVC put on a solid show with good music but the fans came for some New York hardcore, and that’s coming next.

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The moment the lights turns down and House Of Pain’s “Jump Around” fills the room, everyone immediately realizes that it’s showtime. The intro to the Life Of Agony set is the perfect start as we are in for 65 minutes of jumping around. The New York hardcore powerhouse put two of their greatest songs at the top of the setlist. “River Runs Red” and “This Time” are both from the legendary debut and turn the Markthalle into a madhouse. Jumping around is the motto of the evening and it starts with the first note the band plays.

Life Of Agony have never disappointed and tonight is no exception. Especially frontman Keith Caputo has a lot of fun being on stage tonight. His voice is great and he is all over the stage, mostly with a smile on his face. The show is so energetic that we get to see a mic drop tonight, just a bit different than usual. It’s the mic stand with the microphone that falls on a photographer in the pit. As soon as Caputo notices it, he goes to the photographer and gives him a big hug as an apology. This is also Life Of Agony. Despite all the energy their music ignites, there is also a factor of taking care of each other. Another moment that shows this attitude is when Caputo thanks the security for doing their job in a great way when ‘welcoming’ the first crowd surfers.

The above-mentioned debut album is the centerpiece of tonight’s show, while sophomore record ‘Ugly’, released 30 years ago, adds two songs to the set. “I Regret” and “Lost at 22” are the two tunes that really get the fans excited. With each song the temperature in the room probably goes up by one degree, and you can see the first sweat drops running down the walls.

The finale features two more classics from 32 years ago. “Through and Through” and “Underground” are the extremely appreciated final songs, followed by snippets of Pantera’s “Walk” and Sepultura’s “Roots”. After taking the obligatory photo in front of the enthusiastic fans, we can conclude that Life Of Agony delivered another great show, one of the best I have ever seen from the band.

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Biohazard loves Hamburg and Hamburg loves Biohazard. It was on February 17th, 1997, when the New York hardcore veterans played a show in Hamburg’s Markthalle, which was recorded at the time. Later in 1997 the recording was released as “No Holds Barred – Live in Europe”.

28 years later Biohazard play the Markthalle again and it is a sold out event. It is the first show in Hamburg in years and so the excitement is fairly high.

Blondies’ “Europa” is the intro before the band starts their set with “Urban Discipline”. The song is like an adrenaline kick for the fans. Jumping and a lot of action in the pit start immediately and there are no brakes for the next 70 minutes. Biohazard and their fans challenge the foundations of the Markthalle, while the temperature in the hall is more like a Finnish sauna. But that doesn’t stop anyone from having a good time and Biohazard show why they are one of the greats of US hardcore.

With a setlist that mainly consists of songs from “Urban Discipline” and “State of the World Address”, the oldschool fans get what they are looking for. Songs like “Shades of Grey” and “Black and White and Red All Over” are hardcore classics.

Although the band has been on the road for five weeks, there is no lack of energy nor exhaustion. Evan Seinfeld impresses behind the microphone and every muscle is in action during these 70 minutes. The same goes for Billy Graziadei, who decides to play a solo in the audience, standing on the shoulders of the fans, fist bumps included. That’s hardcore and that’s what we call a close bond with the fans. Not to forget Bobby Hambel with some blistering solos and Danny Schuler, the pounding heartbeat of Biohazard’s hardcore anthems.

Usually some fans leave during the last songs. Not the case tonight. Everyone has waited so long to see Biohazard live in a club environment that all enjoy the momentum. Almost as a reward the fans get a new song presented. “Forsaken” is the title and a first appetizer for the upcoming album. It is a typical Biohazard smasher with a lot of groove that makes you excited about the next longplayer.

“Punishment” is another highlight, with Life Of Agony’s Joey Z. joining the band on stage, before “Hold My Own” heralds the end of a show that fully lived up to expectations. Exhausted and with happy smiles on their faces, the crowd gives the band a huge round of applause, combined with the hope that they will not have to wait for years again to welcome the Brooklyn powerhouse in Hamburg again.