BIOHAZARD

PAGE UPDATED IN 2025

Reviewed:
- Biohazard (1990)
- Urban Discipline (1992)
- State of the World Address (1994)
- Mata Leao (1996)
- No Holds Barred: Live in Europe (1997, live album)
- New World Disorder (1999)
- Tales from the B Side (2001, compilation)
- Uncivilization (2001)
- Kill or be Killed (2003)
- Means to an End (2005)
- Reborn in Defiance (2012)

- BillyBio: Feed the Fire (2018)


BIOHAZARD          1990          (Magnetic Air)

- Standouts: 'Retribution', 'Victory', 'Blue Blood', 'Howard Beach', 'Wrong Side of the Tracks', 'Pain', 'Survival of the Fittest', 'There and Back'

Biohazard are probably the band I'll give the most credit for getting me into hardcore music. I picked up their 1992 album Urban Discipline when I was 18 or 19 and it really made on impact on me thanks to it's metallic take on hardcore music. I think they consider themselves to be part of the NY hardcore scene more than anything else, but their music definitely has a lot of heavy metal influence too. I think this is a trait of the NYHC scene of the late '80s/early '90s, and probably why I like a lot of hardcore bands of that era. I won't call the genre one of my absolute favourites; there aren't a lot of bands from the scene in recent years that tickle my fancy, but like I said, there's particular eras and bands I do really enjoy. Agnostic Front, Madball, Cro-Mags etc., and of course, Biohazard. I also think Biohazard are an amazing live act; I saw them in 2012 and then again in 2014 before they went on hiatus for a number of years. Just recently (March 2025) I saw them again and it's made me revisit this page because it's been in dire need of an update for many years now!

Anyway, this 1990 debut of theirs does pretty much everything right from the get-go. I don't they'd evolve all that much prior to it. Sure, they'd occasionally incorporate rap/hip-hop style vocals here and there on subsequent albums (which thankfully worked for them), but the nature of the music doesn't really stray all that far from what they doing on this first record. Speaking of, the songs here are fairly straightforward numbers that exist for one reason - to pack a punch. And that they do! Fast, thrashy cuts like 'Howard Beach', 'Blue Blood', 'Justified Violence' and 'Skinny Song' will certainly get the moshpits roaring thanks to the ferocity of the riffs and the gritty lyrical subject matter. Since the band hail from Brooklyn, their lyrics have almost always been socially and politically-driven. Gang violence, poverty, reality.... all that kind of stuff. The aggressiveness of the music perfectly accompanies the bleakness of the lyrics.

They also deliver a lot of mid-tempo bangers thanks to crunchy songs like 'Retribution', 'Pain' and 'Victory' if anything, these songs are just as heavy, if not heavier than the fast ones. One of the coolest things about this band are the shared vocal duties of bass player Evan Seinfeld and rhythm guitarist Billy Graziadei (man, I always have to spellcheck his name!). Both guys have their own distinct style, and they always seem to know when is best for them to take the reigns. Neither are 'singers', 'cos this is hardcore music after all! But it's surprising just how well dual vocal duties can improve the dynamic of a band. I don't the average band needs 2 vocalists, but for Biohazard I wouldn't have it any other way. Seinfeld touches on rapped vocals on 'Wrong Side of the Tracks', which is something you'll hear more of in the future. I'll admit I'm not a rap guy. I like some of the oldies from back of the day, but rap isn't something I really want to hear in heavy music. I like Body Count, sure, but even Ice-T isn't rapping a lot of the time with them! Somehow though, Biohazard found a way to make the occasional rap vocals work in their music. This was still a good few years before nu metal was a thing, when it got obnoxious and out of control at that point. They also make use of gang-chant vocals here, which is another signature touch of the band.

Anyhow, I've always thought this was one of Biohazard's best records. The production is kind of raw, but the guitar tones are so beefy and chunky, I actually think this is one of the heaviest albums they ever put out! It's one of those albums that'll kick your ass for 40 minutes, and that's all I need sometimes. It's not entirely without it's flaws; not every song is memorable (although they're all good) and to be honest, I think they'd go onto better things with their next 2 albums. But overall this is a really solid effort, and definitely among their best when looking at their discography as a whole. It's impressive how they'd already made a sound unique to them this early in their career.

Adam's rating: 8.4/10

URBAN DISCIPLINE          1992          (Roadrunner)

- Standouts: The whole damn thing. 

Well this was the first Biohazard record I got my hands on aged 18, and I can only guess I chose this one because it's generally regarded by the masses as their best. I agree with that consensus, but there's definitely some sentimental reason behind this thinking too. Spoiler alert - I think the next album, State of the World Address, is only a little bit weaker than Urban Discipline, but I bet if I'd heard that one first, then it'd be my favourite instead. Whatevs!

Even though the band made a pretty big impact with their self-titled debut, and certainly already had a clear vision of who they were and what they were all about, I think the musicianship and songwriting on Urban Discipline is a definite step-up. The riff-work and song structure has gotten a little more intricate and if anything, less hardcore-like now. Go on Wikipedia and it has 3 genres listed - 'hardcore punk', 'rap metal' and 'groove metal'. But it lists 'hardcore punk' first, and I honestly think this album is just as metal as it is hardcore (aside from the Bad Religion cover, 'We're Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance)', and also 'Mistaken Identity' which is hardcore punk to the T). The riffs to me have more going on this time, and are all the more metallic for it. Even the song lengths are 4 or 5 minutes on average... in my head that's longer than what the average hardcore band cranks out, and Bobby Hambel's guitar solos are well thought-out and placed. What most definitely is still hardcore through-and-through, are the vocals and lyrics. Billy and Evan's shared vocal duties along with all the gang chants are the same as what you heard on the debut, and the lyrical matter is the same old street-level social/political/unrest-type stuff they do so well ('Business' has one of the best Biohazard lines ever - "Music's for you and me, not the fucking industry. You fucking tell us what is cool, you see we came from different schools. To us it matters what you say, not the fucking games you play. You're full of shit it's plain to see, the whole damn fucking industry"). That's certainly a hardcore thing more-so than it is metal! So really, I'd describe this album as '90s groove/post-thrash metal with hardcore vocals/lyrics. That's my thinking anyway.

The songs are all great from start to finish. As with the debut, the songs still kick your arse, just in an ever-so-slightly more sophisticated manner now thanks to the better playing and musicianship from all the band members! Opener 'Chamber Spins Three' really gets me pumped up from the very get-go, 'Shades of Grey' does breakdowns properly, 'Black and White and Red All Over' is relentless and the title track is a bruising piece of the '90s underground. 'Punishment' is probably their most famous song - I'm not entirely sure why, because it doesn't really do anything better than any other track here. That's not a criticism; if anything, it only goes to show just how strong the rest of this album is. Either way, 'Punishment' is awesome that slots in perfectly with the rest of the tracks. I'd also like to point out the groove of some of these riffs. Like, they're heavy as all hell, but also catchy. 'Man with a Promise', 'Disease' and 'Business' ('Punishment' too for that matter) stick in my head whilst simultaneously make me want to punch a wall! It's something heavy '90s bands did so well. The aforementioned Bad Religion cover 'We're Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance)' is pure punk rock, and a fun, brief ditty to break up the strict formula of the rest of the album. As does the acoustic intro to 'Loss', but even this one picks up steam rather quickly! Every song I've just listed are among my all-time favourite Biohazard tracks, and the whole album is consistently strong from beginning to end.

Other than the re-recorded 'Wrong Side of the Tracks' which I don't think was really necessary, Urban Discipline's biggest issue for me has always been the production. It's not that it's bad, but I always found it to be a little on the dry side. The drums sound cool, true, but the guitar tones are far weaker than that massive tone we got on the debut - it's not that they aren't distorted enough or anything like that, more like they could use some reverb in order for them to really shine through. The bass is really hard to make out when every member is playing at once too. I'm used to the way the album sounds, and it was only really something I took note of once I started buying more of their records (which admittedly was probably just days or weeks after I heard UD for the first time!). It's the sort of record that I'd love to hear a proper remix of. If someone released a remixed Urban Discipline with thicker bass and guitar tones, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Spotify has a remastered version that does sound a tad ballsier than my old CD copy, but just barely.

For me, this is a highlight album of both '90s metal and hardcore. I got a little burned out on it for some time when I was in my 20s, mostly because I listened to it that bloody much, but listening to it again in full for the first time in a long while, it feels fresh to me again. Not a perfect album by any stretch, but definitely one of the best of it's kind.

Adam's rating: 9.2/10

STATE OF THE WORLD ADDRESS          1994         (Warner Bros.)

- Standouts: 'State of the World Address', 'Down for Life', 'What Makes Us Tick', 'Tales from the Hard Side', 'How It Is', 'Remember', 'Five Blocks to the Subway', 'Human Animal', 'Cornered', 'Love Denied'

As I said in the above review, I think if State of the World Address was the first Biohazard album I'd ever heard, it may just well have been my favourite of theirs. The thing about this album is that it does some things better than it's already brilliant predecessor. The music hasn't changed much (which is a good thing), but other little bits and bobs have. For starters, the production is killer this time around, unlike Urban Discipline. The guitars have gotten HUGE once again, and it really makes those chunky riffs standout in a way they deserve. Hell, the album even has quite possibly my top 3 Biohazard songs of all time on it - 'Down for Life', 'What Makes Us Tick' and 'Tales from the Hard Side'. Weird thing is, all 3 of these tracks come right after one another in the tracklisting!! I dunno, there's something about these 3 songs that just summarise the band so well. All are heavy as hell, but all are distinctively different too. 'Down for Life' feels like an anthemic form of unity towards the band and fans that simultaneously rips arse. 'What Makes Us Tick' is pure rage incorporated, while 'Tales from the Hard Side' is probably the best example I can give of the down-and-dirty street-level style they've always pulled off. Can't forget it's massive mid-tempo, groove-laden riffs too. S-tier Biohazard.

This was also the first album to feature a guest collaboration - Sen Dog from Cypress Hill makes an appearance on the rap metal beast 'How It Is'. I've said it before a million times that I'm not a serious fan of rap. And obviously rapping was fairly commonplace in nu metal, a subgenre I could do without. But when an actual rapper and an actual metal/hardcore band are both quite clearly into a colab like they are on 'How It Is' or Anthrax/Public Enemy's 'Bring the Noise', it can really work well for both parties involved. As it stands, 'How It Is' is definitely one of the strongest tracks on this record, and it wouldn't be the last time Biohazard would work with a rapper. The rest of the album has plenty of highs too. The title track opener is a thrashing good time and full of attitude, 'Remember' is another rock-solid groove-based assault and 'Five Blocks to the Subway' hones in on that rap-influenced hard sound they began with on 'Wrong Side of the Tracks'. I really dig Billy and Evan's vocal arrangements on the moodier 'Human Animal', and the way it seamlessly transitions into 'Cornered'. Really you're just getting more of what Urban Discipline had to offer with the majority of these tracks, only with swanky new production - and that's just fine with me!

Despite how strong this album can be... I still prefer it's predecessor! Of course, there's some sentimentality behind this reasoning, but I also think Urban Discipline is the more consistent record of the 2. State of the World Address may boast my 3 favourite 'Hazard tracks, but the second half of the album is a tad weaker than the first. Although every song on offer is at the bare minimum good, I can't help but feel like 2 or 3 of these tracks are bordering on filler. Songs like 'Each Day', 'Pride' and 'Lack There Of' definitely continue in the same fashion as the rest of the album musically, but they're not as memorable to me overall. Also, the acoustic intro to 'Failed Territory' goes on for too long, and hinders what is otherwise a strong number. I guess the band tried to cram as much material as they could onto a single disc. Even though Urban Discipline was only 1 track and a minute shorter overall, that album's songwriting is just A+ from start to finish (the re-recorded 'Wrong Side of the Tracks' was pointless, but the song was still great!). State of the World Address is made up of 14 songs; about 3/5ths of them are top-notch, 2/5ths very good and the remainder filler. Don't get me wrong, that's a small number of weaker songs, but I gotta at least explain my preference for Urban Discipline. 

When all is said and done however, State of the World Address is another '90s classic, and a commendable follow-up to their seminal predecessor Urban Discipline. If you bought UD and liked it, then there is absolutely NO excuse for you not to pick up State as well.

Adam's rating: 9/10

MATA LEAO          1996         (Warner Bros.)

- Standouts: Mostly pretty good, but no classics to speak of.

Hmm. This album (which is named after a Brazilian jiu-jitsu chokehold) is a definite U-turn in quality, especially after a rock-solid debut and 2 genuine classics with Urban Discipline and State of the World Address. I won't say it's lame, 'cos it's really not. It's just not the same this time time around. The songs have gotten shorter and more simplistic, and are much more punky as a result. Personally, I think the lack of Bobby Hambel is a huge reason as to why Mata Leao turned out the way it is. Billy Gaziadei is the only guitar player on this album, and to put it bluntly, he's not a lead guitar player. Hambel handled all the guitar solos, and that's why there's pretty much no lead guitar work on here. I 'betcha he played a big part in the riff-writing of the first 3 albums too, hence Mata Leao's stripped-back sound. Either way, Bobby wouldn't return for a very long time.

With that said, I do still like this album. It's not like the songs don't sound like Biohazard; they still have all the signature Billy Grazaidei/Evan Seinfeld shared vocal arrangements alongside the usual gang backing vox, and these parts will always scream 'Biohazard' to me. All the tracks pack a punch too, as they should. 'Cleansing' is probably the best one here, and maybe could have fit on either of the last 2 (minus the lack of guitar solos of course), and I you do still occasionally get hints of groove metal with 'Control' and 'Gravity'. The bulk of the songs have more of a classic hardcore punk feel overall meaning they're still fast and moshy, just in a more simplistic way with less focus on heavy metal. 'Stigmatized', 'Competition', 'Better Days', 'A Way' and 'A Lot to Learn' for example, are punk rock Biohazard through-and-through - not as good as what they were doing on the last 2 records, but still can be a lot of fun in their own right. Other songs like 'Authority' and 'Modern Democracy' blend this punk rock style with the rap-style vocals they'd dabbled with previously. Again, a little different, but still kinda decent all the same. 

This is certainly a disappointment after the last 3 records, but in it's defence, it's still a good album for different reasons. It's pretty much Biohazard without the metal factor and the guitar solos. As a result you're basically getting hardcore punk infused with rap and the occasional hint of groove. The musicianship is far less impressive, but the songs are still fun for the most part. Thankfully the whole disc is 20 minutes shorter than the last 2, which definitely helps the flow of the tracklisting. I think if you're a punk rock fan you'll probably enjoy this one too, but metalheads will have a hard time with it.

Adam's rating: 7/10

NO HOLDS BARRED: LIVE IN EUROPE          1997        (Roadrunner)

Still the only Biohazard live album available to date, and that surprises me because during the Urban Discipline/State of the World Address era they were a big deal. I get that 1997 is not exactly a long time after that period, but it also means the original line-up aren't present here. Bobby Hambel had left the band at this point (although he would return many years down the line) and I certainly feel that this band weren't quite the same without him. This band have always been a bit like Smashing Pumpkins for me, in that their first 3 records with the original line-up are truly special, with the rest being good if inconsistent. But hey, at least they hired lead guitarist Rob Echeverria after Mata Leao, who appears on this live disc as well as the 1999 album New World Disorder (reviewed below). The good news is that this is still a rock-solid live platter with a fuck-load of testosterone pumping through it's veins, i.e. the 24 songs we're presented with. Erm, 1 of these tracks is just a speech labeled 'German Lesson #7', but whatever! For the most part the band don't play the songs too differently from their studio counterparts, but 'Survival of the Fittest', 'Blue Blood' and 'Black and White and Red All Over' have been transformed into a sort of moshpittin' medley; I guess it is kind of disappointing they didn't just play those tracks in full, but I will at least say that the medley idea works. It's a good time! Even the Mata Leao songs sound great alongside all the classics from the first 3 albums! 

Really, you're in for a good time here. I've seen Biohazard 3 times in my life, and they've always delivered. In fact, I'd say the first time I saw them in 2012 on the Reborn in Defiance tour was maybe one of the best club venue-sized gigs I've ever seen. It was nuts! It's just a shame that I can't help but feel No Holds Barred could've been that little bit more special if it'd been recorded 2 or 3 years earlier with the OG line-up. Still, this disc does a good job scratching that live Biohazard itch for me.

Adam's rating: 8/10

NEW WORLD DISORDER         1999         (Mercury)

- Standouts: 'Resist', 'End of My Rope', 'Camouflage', 'New World Disorder'

This one's maybe a bit more Biohazard-y than Mata Leao, in that the songs feel a little less traditionally hardcore punk-focused and more metallic once again. The big chunky riffs return, and even though most of the songs on offer rarely stretch over 4 minutes in length, none of them are under 2 minutes and they feel more structured for it. What else has changed? Well, they made the correct decision in hiring a new lead guitarist (Rob Echeverria, although he'd only play on this album), so that probably explains the return to a more familiar sound once again. Production is very strong too; the songs are heavy as hell once again thanks to the beefy guitars and bass tones.

So far, so good then. It's a shame then, that it's really hard to stick New World Disorder in the same ranks as Urban Discipline and State of the World Address - or even the debut for that matter. As with Mata Leao, the songwriting just isn't as good once again, and the music doesn't have the same level of grittiness that vintage Biohazard has. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing truly offensive about this album; I really like the twisted 'End of My Rope', and 'Camouflage' makes me wanna pump some iron every time I hear it. The closing title track features Sticky Fingaz of Onyx, so it's basically a full-rap song with a touch of heaviness. And it's actually rather good! This wasn't the first time the band collaborated with Onyx, but you'll hear more about this in my review below of Tales from the B-Side. The songs are full of meaty riffs and the usual Graziadei/Seinfeld vocal sharing. The riffs aren't as good as what you heard on the first 3 albums, but at least they still pack plenty of punch. But next to those earlier records, there's no real competition. It's really difficult to talk about them individually, to be honest. There's also too many of them for my liking - I know Urban Discipline and State were both over 55 minutes long, but when the songs are that good, who cares? New World Disorder is also made up of 14 songs, but since they're only of good and not great quality, the 53 minute play-time is simply too long!! And weirdly enough, I actually enjoyed Mata Leao that little bit more, hearing them both back-to-back!

Really though, this is just a 'consistently decent' kind of album overall. It goes on for too long despite the fact every song sounds comfortably like Biohazard, but whatever. I can easily stick this on at the gym or in the car and get some enjoyment out of it. It's just a shame it's difficult for me to really talk about any of these songs on an individual level. I like pretty much everything Biohazard put out, but I wasn't looking forward to revisiting this page because it's not always easy to talk about their albums in detail.

Adam's rating: 6.9/10

TALES FROM THE B-SIDE          2001          (Renegade Records)

- Standouts: 'Slam (Remix)', 'Beaten', 'Sadman', 'Enslaved', 'Judgement Night'

An odds n' sods collection of rarities. These compilations can be pretty lame if they're just full of demos of studio songs you already knew and loved, yet I still buy them anyway because that's how sad I am! Tales from the B-Side however, is thankfully a good one. Only 2 out of 13 of these tracks are demos of already well-known songs ('Shades of Grey' and 'Punishment'), and there's also a pointless remix of 'How It Is'. The rest of this CD is rather good however; I finished my Biohazard collection way back in my early 20s, and I've probably listened to this disc more than I have the New World Disorder album! The fact it has the 2 Onyx collaborations, 'Judgement Night' and 'Slam' on it is cool. 'Judgement Night' is a really fun rap metal number taken from the film of the same name (I never saw the film, but the entire soundtrack is full of rock/metal/rap collaborations and always gets loads of praise) while 'Slam' is a remix of the original Onyx tune, only with added guitar and vocal contributions from Biohazard. The original is better (and I'm no rap connoisseur), but I still dig this remix. There's also a nice number of unreleased studio tracks - songs like 'Beaten', 'Sadman' and 'Enslaved' are as good as anything New World Disorder had to offer, while others such as 'Inhale' and 'Piece of Mind' hearken back to the early days of the band. Production can be a little rough at times, but in some ways it only makes these songs go even harder.

Reading my old review of this disc (which I've deleted because honestly, most of this page was badly-written garbage when I first made it in 2017), I still agree with my 7.2 rating. Nothing here is among their finest material, but the bulk of it is good. Obviously these kinds of compilations can be a little ropey and don't always flow all that well. True, this one doesn't flow too good either because the songs are drawn from all eras of the band (at the time) and recorded during different periods. But I enjoy 75% of this CD, and for that reason it's probably one of the better rarities compilations in my collection that I can think of.
Adam's rating: 7.2/10

UNCIVILIZATION          2001          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'Sellout', 'Wide Awake', 'Get Away', 'HFFK', 'Domination', 'Cross the Line'

From New World Disorder up to 2012's Reborn in Defiance (when Bobby Hambel finally returned) there was a revolving door of lead guitarists coming and going from Biohazard, so 2001's Uncivilization has a dude called Leo Curley filling in that slot. Worth mentioning because as I've already stated before, for me this whole period feels like the band's wilderness years. Luckily this doesn't automatically mean the music is of poor quality, not at all. I just think these albums aren't among their best. Still, Uncivilization is definitely an improvement on both Mata Leao and New World Disorder. Musically there's more variety throughout the songs here, and as a result there's more standout tracks for me this time around. Funnily enough this album has the first 'Hazard track I ever heard on it - 'Wide Awake' - yet I didn't actually hear it on this album! No, way back when I bought a 3-CD compilation called This Is Thrash (it must have been in 2008, because that's when this comp was released) and for whatever reason 'Wide Awake' was on it. This makes zero sense, a) because 'Wide Awake' is a rap metal song and b) Biohazard were never really a thrash band in the first place! They have thrashy influence, sure, but no sane person would ever call them a full-on thrash band. Anyhow, 'Wide Awake' made no real impression on the 16 year old me, and it wasn't until I was 18 that I bought Urban Discipline and actually got into this band.

Like I said though, this album is actually better than either of the last 2. And I actually like 'Wide Awake' when put into the context of this CD, and not on some random thrash metal compilation! There's a lot more on offer here that I like too - opener 'Sellout' is built around an awesome groovy riff, 'Get Away' is a frantic piece of schizophrenic hardcore and 'Gone' is uglier than Willem Dafoe's face (and I mean that in a good way). Meanwhile 'HFFK' (which stands for 'Hate Fuck Fight Kill', a happy title) is kinda catchy despite it's rage-inducing anger. I think 'Domination' and possibly 'Trap' are 2 of the heaviest Biohazard songs ever. 'Cross the Line' is a really murky, dark and somewhat experimental closing track for them and I think it's cool. It's also worth noting that Uncivilization is full of guest appearances, something I'm not always a big fan of when other bands do the same thing. But here's it's been done in a mostly subtle way that only enhances the songs for the better. Guys like Roger Miret, Phil Anselmo, Igor Cavelera, Derrick Green, Jamey Jasta, Sen Dog, Peter Steele and even Corey Taylor lend a hand throughout the tracks, but never in a way that takes away from the core Biohazard sound. It's mostly just backing vocals and little bits of instrumentation, so I'm cool with it.

I'd be lying if I said there were no misfires however. The title track is kind of a boring mid-temp romp, and takes way too long to get going. 'Unified' doesn't really settle that well with me for some reason and 'Letter Go' is a filler instrumental track. 'Last Man Standing', despite the fact Sen Dog guests on it, definitely doesn't work as well as well this time around as 'How It Is' did from State of the World Address. Also, this being one of their wilderness records means it still doesn't stack up to the first 3! As fun as it is, the vibe is still not quite the same as what made those early records so great. Generally speaking though, the bulk of Uncivilization is solid as a rock and a lot more interesting than New World Disorder ever was. The production is also crunchy and the guitar tones are really thick with distortion - it gives the album the sound it deserves.

I enjoyed hearing this album again for this re-review. I hadn't heard it in years and was surprised by the number of standout tracks it has going for it. Apparently I gave it a 7.5/10 in 2017, but in 2025 I think it's better than that. Still not good enough to qualify as a classic, but certainly underrated and worthy of your time. It's also a good example of a record that does guest slots pretty well, so there's that too. One of their better 'forgotten albums'. 

Oh, I just found out that this thing was ironically released on 9/11! So was Slayer's God Hates Us All...

Adam's rating: 7.7/10

KILL OR BE KILLED          2003         (SPV)

- Standouts: 'World on Fire', 'Kill or Be Killed', 'Heads Kicked In', 'Beaten Senseless', 'Hallowed Ground'

This time around they focused on nothing but rage and brutality, and being as angry as possible. The Wikipedia page lists nu metal and only nu metal as the genre, which makes no bloody sense to me. It's more like beatdown hardcore in my opinion, and by default this is the heaviest Biohazard album. I don't enjoy it as much as I used to; for some strange reason I gave this an 8.4 in my original review, which means I thought it was as good as the debut - no way! But I did still have a good time with it for this 2025 update. 

Obviously Biohazard were always aggressive, just not to the same extent as Kill or Be Killed. While this thing isn't as typically Biohazard-y as you'd expect, it does still manage to sound like Biohazard at the end of the day. The riffs are still mostly in similar vein as the other albums (except Mata Leao), only more detuned now. Billy and Evan have adjusted their vocals to match the intensity of the music. Evan in particular has added this new level of gutteral deepness to his voice, and even Billy's managed to do the same despite being the higher-pitched guy of the bunch. Either way, this new vocal style only makes the songs that more abrasive and fucked up. Even though you do get crushing mid-tempo numbers like 'Dead to Me', for the most part the songs are made up of fast and hard-hitting riffs, like 'World on Fire', 'Heads Kicked In' and 'Beaten Senseless', with added breakdowns in typical hardcore fashion. Closing number 'Hallowed Ground', which is by far the longest track here at over 6 minutes long, is somewhat experimental. It has a really slow-building, dark and moody intro, and is maybe my favourite track on this album. Hmm, what else do I like about this disc? Well, it's a good thing that they kept most of the song lengths relatively low, and the overall length of the record to just 36 minutes. By the band's standards, that's pretty short. The whole point of Kill or Be Killed is to kick the listener's arse for half an hour, and then leave again! And that it does.

What I don't particularly like about this CD is the drum sound. It comes close to that snare-less sound that Metallica's St. Anger had, meaning it sounds like Danny Schuler comes dangerously close to banging on pots and pans for the duration of the album. It isn't as painfully obnoxious as St. Anger of course, but I can't help but feel the album would sound better sonically with a different kind of drum tone. I guess it was an intentional choice to make the album sound as harsh as possible? Who knows. The other issue I have is the simple fact this album in general isn't exactly signature Biohazard. The music is definitely as close to raw heavy hardcore as it gets, and not as metallic as before. And if you were looking for any of Evan's rapped vocal arrangements, forget it. Uncivilization, which was obviously full of guest musicians, still sounded like a true Biohazard album - and I'd even argue that Mata Leao sounds closer to Urban Discipline than this does. This feels more like an experiment overall, like they wanted to get some inner rage out their systems.

But you know what? I still like this one a fair bit. That initial 8.4 score I gave it was crazy, but I definitely enjoy it more than albums such as Mata Leao or New World Disorder. Yeah the lyrics can be a little too edgy at times (expect profanity on every Biohazard album, but this time it's been pushed to hilariously silly levels) and thank god it doesn't go on for any longer than it does. But the songs are still good for what they are, and I'll be damned if they don't kick my ass!! It's an oddball in the discography for sure, but all they wanted to do with this album was tear you a new one for little over 35 minutes, and they certainly achieved that.

Adam's rating: 7.2/10

MEANS TO AN END          2005          (SPV)

- Standouts: 'My Life My Way', 'The Fire Burns Inside', 'Killing to Be Free', 'Filled With Hate', 'Kings Never Die', 'Don't Stand Alone', 'Set Me Free'

Another album and still no Bobby Hambel! This time they recruited Scott Roberts as the lead guitarist who interestingly would return to the band later down the line. They'd breakup in 2006, but reunite in 2008... and then Evan Seinfeld would quit in 2011 with Roberts filling in for him. So this is a guy who's acted as both a lead guitarist as well as a bassist/vocalist in the same band at various different stages! I'm also bringing this up because the first couple of times I saw Biohazard was with Scott Roberts replacing Seinfeld, and his whole demeanour was alarmingly close to Evan's. He did a great job imitating Seinfeld's vocal style and even had the shaved head to go with it (just less tattoos!)! In 2025 I finally saw the band with Evan, and interestingly enough I saw Scott Roberts in 2019 with his own band The Take, in support of Agnostic Front (both were great).

Anyway, I'll say right now that Means to an End is probably the best Biohazard album without the original lineup. The reason for this is for the simple fact it sounds a bit more like it's been ripped straight out of the early '90s for a lot of it's duration. Maybe 'Killing to Be Free' takes some inspiration from Kill or Be Killed as that one is has a similar beatdown kind of feel about it (but is still good), but others like 'My Life, My Way' and 'The Fire Burns Inside' are awesome slabs of pure Biohazard goodness! The riffing and lyrics of 'Filled with Hate' could have easily been written during the State of the World Address sessions. Great stuff! 'Kings Never Die' is a nice blend of old-school hardcore punk and big metallic riffage. 'Don't Stand Alone' is a bulldozer of an assault! I'll admit that both Evan and Billy's vocal style is more aggressive than how they sounded on the older records (sort of in between the Biohazard of old and Kill or Be Killed) with Billy in particular sounding like Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed at times. But it only really adds to the intensity of the music once again, and isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also the production is less abrasive and easier on the ears than Kill or Be Killed, with a thankfully better drum sound once again. They kept the album's play-time to a humble 34 minutes, making it the shortest Biohazard album to date. But again, that's cool with me.

Picking holes is kind of hard, but like a lot of these post-State of the World Address records, Means to an End still isn't quite top-of-the-pile Biohazard for me. Even though it does basically everything a Biohazard album should, it's still not among their best!! That said, I always have a really good time with this one. For the most part, I think I was being too generous with some of my 2017 reviews. Even though I still dig albums like Mata Leao, New World Disorder and Kill or Be Killed, they definitely weren't quite as good as I'd remembered. Means to an End is easily still worthy of that 8/10 I gave it, and is certainly my favourite behind any of the albums recorded with the classic lineup. I just find this one gets the balance right; it has enough old-school style to remind me of classic Biohazard whilst still having a personality of it's own. 

Adam's rating: 8/10

REBORN IN DEFIANCE          2012          (Nuclear Blast)

- Standouts: 'Vengeance is Mine', 'Decay', 'Killing Me', 'Countdown Doom', 'Come Alive', 'Waste Away', 'Skullcrusher', 'Never Give In' 

Bobby's finally back! Yay! And since this album's release in 2012 it's been my favourite behind the first 3 ever since. Thankfully I still feel that way. The only thing I find slightly depressing is the fact Reborn in Defiance is still the most recent Biohazard studio album to date! I got into this band a year or so before the album was released, so I bought this as a new release - and since then I've added zero Biohazard discs to my collection! In truth, the band were actually kind of inactive around 2014/2015 for a number of years, which is why I didn't get to see them again for many years after 2014. Billy Grazaidei released a solo album in 2018 and formed a new band with Sen Dog called Powerflo too. So basically, life projects happened for the members, but the good news is that Evan Seinfeld reunited with Biohazard in 2022 and the band started touring again. The Wikipedia page also states that a new album is expected to drop in 2025, so we'll see.

Back to the point though, which is this album! Somehow everything just feels a little bit more legit again now. While I do like Uncivilization and Means to an End quite a lot, there's something more honest about Reborn in Defiance. I still think it's the fact Bobby came back, because the band were never quite the same without him. And now he's back, things just fall into place better with the songwriting. There's no toying with new bells and whistles here, just good ol' fashioned, down n' dirty metallic hardcore! The album opens with a thrashy barnburner, the excellent 'Vengeance is Mine'. They also crank up the intensity on other strong cuts such as 'Come Alive', 'Skullcrusher' and 'Never Give In'. 'Killing Me' and 'Decay' are slower, but maintain that level of groove the band do so well. They also have a hint of maturity to them, which obviously comes with age; I don't think the band would have written these tracks back in the day, but they still sound 100% Biohazard to me. 'Countdown Doom' is monstrously heavy; mostly mid-tempo, but with some thrash metal riffing to counter the grooves when necessary. I also like 'Waste Away'. All in all, a lot of standout tracks to be found here.

There's still plenty of anger within Reborn in Defiance, but with that level of maturity within the band now, both Billy and Evan aren't spewing out the profanity in a quite as direct manner anymore. They aren't effin' and jeffin' for the sake of it - on older albums, they'd often have the habit of throwing in plenty of "motherfuckers" and the like. You don't get that so much on this album, yet they're still playing at a level that is plenty pissed off enough to satisfy that side of things. They've not gone soft, so don't worry. The production is nice and organic too - unlike a lot of highly-textured modern metal albums, this feels a bit more stripped-down and basic to me. I'm not bashing someone like Andy Sneap, who's a prime example of what modern producers do with heavy bands today, but I'm glad Biohazard didn't do the same thing with this album. It suits the hardcore style better in my opinion.

Yep, this is my favourite 'Hazard record behind the first 3, although it's not entirely without it's flaws. All these years later and still a bit on the fence with 'Vows of Redemption'. The riffs are nice, but weirdly I don't like the way Evan raps on this one. I also can't tell if it's trying to be a ballad or not (?!), and it kind of affects the flow of the record somewhat. 'You Were Wrong' is kinda boring too. It goes on too long (6 minutes) and it doesn't help that it also comes with next to no energy to back it. I'm not entirely sure why they chose to end the album on an atmospheric instrumental either ('Season the Sky')? And to be honest, maybe the album in general is just too long thanks to tracks like these? Cutting those 3 would leave me feeling more than satisfied by the end, but at least the pros massively outweigh the cons.

Obviously this one comes highly recommended. It's a strong comeback from a band that really needed it at the time. I have it on both CD and vinyl; I bought the CD when the album first appeared in 2012, and I want to say I got the fancy double gatefold vinyl the year after? I know I bought it from the marketplace at Bloodstock festival, I just can't pinpoint exactly when. I just looked around online at the vinyl, and right now there's no copies for sale on eBay at all and only 3 on Discogs, the cheapest going for €49.99. So this might be one of the more valuable LPs I own. I also saw the band on this tour just a few weeks after the album appeared, and I still have the tour shirt sporting the artwork (I wore it to the Biohazard gig I went to in 2025 this year!)!
Adam's rating: 8.2/10  

BILLYBIO - FEED THE FIRE          2018          (AFM Records)

- Standouts: 'Freedom's Never Free', 'No Apologies, No Regrets', 'Generation Z', 'Sodality', 'STFU', 'Untruth'

The first and so far only solo album from Mr. Billy Grazaidei. When I first got hold of this back in 2018 I was essentially just expecting Biohazard minus Evan Seinfeld, but in actuality that's not quite what you're getting here. Musically Feed the Fire is certainly a hardcore-inspired record - I wouldn't expect anything less from the man. But a lot of the time it's definitely more hardcore in the punk sense of word than it is the metallic, groove-based edge that Biohazard do on their albums. Obviously I still get a lot of Biohazard vibes from this disc (especially on 'Sodality' and 'Rise and Slay', which are exactly like Biohazard minus Evan) - Billy still sounds like Billy no matter what after all, and also he incorporates similar gang chant backing vocals to the songs. So he definitely has things that he can't help but carry over from Biohazard to his own personal material, which is totally understandable.

Most of these songs are strong too! Opener 'Freedom's Never Free' and the untamed 'No Apologies, No Regrets' are absolutely savage! Definitely savage in a different sense to Biohazard, so Billy's definitely done enough to differentiate these songs from the band he's always gonna be associated with. Meanwhile, 'Feed the Fire' is much more traditionally hardcore punk, and 'Generation Z' is an anthemic punk rocker that's full of catchy melodies! Heh, I don't think I even mentioned the word "melody" in a single one of my Biohazard reviews! Even though Billy sticks with his usual socio-political lyricism, 'Generation Z' is a surprisingly positive tribute to that younger generation. I mean, I'm a millennial, so obviously I think my generation knows better... but still, yay for positivity towards the young from an older man! 'STFU' is a rough n' ready, NYHC-style 'monger. I'll also add that 'Sick and Tired' and 'Untruth' kind of blend Biohazard-style heaviness with melodic punk... in fact, maybe that's a good way of summarising this album in general? Some Biohazard influence within the riffs, lyrics etc., but also with an extra layer of old-school hardcore punk rock and the occasional sense of melody?

You know what? I think I like this better than some of those '90s and 2000s Biohazard releases. Like some of the other CDs on this page, I hadn't heard Feel the Fire in years and had a pretty darn good time with it. Billy doesn't stray too far from Biohazard to turn off his regular fanbase, but he still does enough to differentiate the album from his normal gig. I really don't see why any self-confessed 'Hazard fan wouldn't enjoy this too, I certainly do. None of these tracks blow me away, and of course it doesn't stack up to Urban Discipline either. But it makes for perfect gym music that's for sure! A respectable first-effort solo album from a guy who clearly can still make good music without his usual pals in Biohazard.

Adam's rating: 7.8/10