To celebrate the release of Sick of it All’s awesome new album, Based on a True Story, we asked SOIA vocalist Lou Koller to compile the definitive list of quintessential hardcore albums. Luckily for us and all of you, he agreed! So we’ll be running one entry a day from Lou’s list of the top-ten (+1) hardcore records of all time for the next couple of weeks. You can read his first installment here and his second installment here; the third one is after the jump…

Agnostic Front, Victim in Pain

Released in 1984, this album was showed the world that New York Hardcore was here! Out of the ashes of the N.Y. punk scene came this collection of eleven songs of naked aggression that last around fifteen minutes. This is what hardcore is about: short, brutal, and to the point! Filled with anthems that called for the end of violence in our city and the underground scene, these songs weren’t just about suburban boredom. Though more towards the punk side than their later works, Victim in Pain is no less heavy. Songs like “Your Mistake” and “Society Sucker,” with their blasting speed and brutish breakdowns, still stand the test of time. This is the birth of N.Y.H.C.

Later,

Lou

Based on a True Story is out now on Century Media. Visit Sick of it All on MySpace for tour dates and all the latest news from the band.