Artist: Cro-Mags
Genre(s):
Other
Discography:
Best Wishes
Year: 1989
Tracks: 8
The Age Of Quarrel
Year: 1986
Tracks: 15
Before the Cro-Mags, the thought of combining heavy metal and hard-core together was unheard of. But with the release of their classic debut, The Age of Quarrel, hardcore-metal was born, and in its rouse came a legion of likewise styled young (Biohazard, Vision of Disorder, etc.). Although the radical endured an endless amount of card shifts (which is probably the main reason they never became as well known as they should have), the Cro-Mags continued to disk and tour in one form or some other. Through it all, the New York City-based group's leader has been bassist Harley Flanagan wHO, in 1977 at the ripe old age of ten (!), started his first-class honours degree punk band during a European trip. Upon reverting to NYC, Flanagan supplied drums for the Stimulators, a band that performed quite a Washington, D.C., alongside Bad Brains. The early '80s power saw the initial Cro-Mags lineups formed with a change of members playing alongside the only constant: Flanagan. By the center of the 10, the best-known Cro-Mags card was in station -- Flanagan on bass, onetime Bad Brains roadie John Joseph on vocals, Parris Mayhew on guitar, and Mackie Jayson on drums -- and shortly reinforced a overzealous undermentioned via shows at CBGB's. The quartette recorded a 13-track demonstration that made the rounds throughout the resistance -- eventually formally released in 2000, as Before the Quarrel -- and landing the Cro-Mags a record book deal with Profile's Rock Hotel label (with second guitarist Doug Holland connection, as well). Similar to how Bad Brains aligned themselves with Rastafarianism, it was around this prison term that members of the band became closely associated with the Hare Krishna faith. With a garish buzz forming, the Cro-Mags issued their aforementioned debut, The Age of Quarrel, in 1986. With such bands as Slayer and Metallica comely increasingly popular, it seemed like the musical tides were ever-changing in favour of groups like the Cro-Mags, as nationwide tours with such groups as Motörhead and Megadeth expanded their audience. But it wasn't meant to be, as both Joseph and Jayson exited the radical after its load-bearing turn (the latter of which would later turn up in the Bad Brains and the Fun Lovin' Criminals). Instead of undermentioned up their debut correct away, it wasn't until 1989 that Best Wishes was released, which saw Flanagan double as pencil lead vocalizer. With increasing troubles with their label, Mayhew left hand the mathematical group, merely by the early '90s, the Cro-Mags were up and functional once more, as Flanagan and Joseph resuscitated the band with a pair of albums for the Century Media label -- 1992's Alpha-Omega and 1993's Good Death Experience. However, after the waiver of a double-live album, Arduous Times in an Age of Quarrel, the Cro-Mags split up. Since then, diverse versions of the Cro-Mags have recorded and toured (including a abbreviated reunion of Flanagan and Mayhew which resulted in 2000s Retaliation). Flanagan finally returned with a newfangled band, Harley's War (which included ex-Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Rocky George); world Health Organization issued their debut in 2003, highborn Cro-Mag.
Ben Kweller
