Agorapocalypse

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Agorapocalypse is the fourth full-length studio album by American grindcore band Agoraphobic Nosebleed (ANb). It was released by Relapse Records on April 14, 2009 in the U.S. and April 20 internationally. The album was recorded at Visceral Sound Studios between October 2007 and December 2008, with guitarist Scott Hull writing the drum parts using Toontrack's Drumkit from Hell. This is ANb’s only album with vocalist Katherine Katz.

Cover art was created by German artist Florian Bertmer. He aimed for an old-school thrashcore vibe and drew on influences like the Misfits’ Earth A.D.; the artwork is dense and features many iconic characters, with the central green head based on Bertmer himself.

To promote the album, ANb streamed it in full on their site on April 13, 2009. Agorapocalypse was released on CD, a limited edition LP with a 28-page booklet, and a mailorder-only longbox CD set that included a poster, pin set, and embroidered patch.

In the United States, the album sold about 1,300 copies in its first week and reached No. 41 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. The Japanese edition added four bonus tracks from the split with Insect Warfare.

Critics noted the album’s shift toward a 1980s thrashcore sound and a slower pace. Exclaim!’s Greg Pratt called it “shockingly straight-ahead,” About.com said it still has thrash and grind with a chaotic edge, while Pitchfork’s Cosmo Lee felt the longer, more varied songs made it less intense than previous work. All songs were written by Scott Hull.