CRO-MAGS

PAGE UPDATED IN 2023

Reviewed:
- The Age of Quarrel (1986)
- Best Wishes (1989)
- Alpha Omega (1992)
- Near Death Experience (1993)
- Hard Times in an Age of Quarrel (1994, live album)

- White Devil: Reincarnation (1995, EP)
- Revenge (2000)
- Before the Quarrel (2000)

- Harley's War: 2012 (2012)

- Harley Flanagan: Cro-Mags (2016)

- Bloodclot: Up In Arms (2017)

- Harley Flanagan: Hard-Core (Dr. Know EP) (2018, EP)

- The Original Cro-Mags Demos 1982/83 (2018)

- In the Beginning (2020)

- 2020 (2020, EP)


THE AGE OF QUARREL          1986          (Profile Records)

Standouts: This is one of hardcore's finest, so everything. 

It's been a while since I sat down and properly listened to any hardcore music, aside from the odd tune here and there. I was really into it at one point, but as I've gotten older and started listening to more and more music, I find myself almost allocating different time slots to different genres. It's not because I don't enjoy hardcore music as much as I used to, more like I try to listen to all the stuff I like, meaning I don't have time to always listen to just one genre... if that makes any sense. Anyhow, I've decided to revisit this page because like I said, I haven't been listening to any hardcore music lately, and the Cro-Mags were always one of my favourites.

This is an interesting debut album from an interesting band. Seriously, I can't think of any other band with as much infighting and internal conflicts between band members as the Cro-Mags. It's mostly to do with vocalist John Joseph and bassist/later vocalist Harley Flanagan, but even guitarist Parris Mayhew has talked shit about both of them too. I won't go into the details, but I would definitely recommend reading both Joseph and Flanagan's books because it's all interesting stuff. Not as good as the actual music on The Age of Quarrel however. This is a highly influential and important record in hardcore history, mainly because it was one of the first albums to really move hardcore punk out of the 'punk' realm and more into the metallic style that other bands would soon follow. What I mean by that is, when you listen to early hardcore punk bands like Minor Threat and Dead Kennedys, the music essentially just a faster and more manic take on what the first-wave of punk bands in the late 70's brought to the table. Yeah they're hardcore bands, but put on an album like Age of Quarrel and the music is much heavier and hard-hitting, with more emphasis on riffs. The songs themselves are much more focused and well-performed compared to a lot of early hardcore.

Songs like 'Malfunction', and 'Seekers of the Truth' are good examples of the metal sound that merges with the hardcore on this album. They're slower, heavier, more structured songs and a far cry from what the scene was all about to begin with. Of course, the faster songs kick major arse too. I mean, how can you not love the pummelling 'We Gotta Know', when it kicks in properly after that massive slow riff introduction. Then you've got other most pit, politically-motivated classics such as 'World Peace', 'Show You No Mercy', 'It's the Limit', 'Street Justice' and 'Hard Times' - these songs will never get old and will forever get people rowdy. 

Despite John Joseph generally being associated with Cro-Mags as their 'classic' vocalist, he only appears on three of six studio albums. While Harley Flanagan does a decent enough job handling vocals on later releases, I can't imagine anyone other than John on Age of Quarrel - despite the fact he actually had a cold during the recording of this record, and according to Flanagan sounded better on the demo! Whatever, production is punchy as hell, and the band are on fire throughout these songs. Not really a lot to say about 'em individually, because aside from the odd mid-tempo metallic number, most are short and swift, full-speed, thrashy assaults of the senses. I dunno if I can put it as my number one hardcore album - the first Suicidal Tendencies record takes that crown, but Age of Quarrel certainly comes close.
Adam's rating: 9.4/10


BEST WISHES          1989          (Profile Records)
- Standouts: Everything.

This album gets thrown in with the whole 'crossover thrash' malarkey, but to me Age of Quarrel fits into that category quite nicely. Best Wishes on the other hand, has always sounded like a fully-fledged thrash metal album to me, with slight touches of hardcore here and there. Fans back in the day might have taken issue with this; the hardcore scene and metal crowds didn't exactly get on with one another back in the 80's - it was effectively short hair and shaved heads (hardcore) vs long hair (metal). But that was a long time ago. Who gives a shit if Best Wishes is metal, it's fucking great!

The second most notable change is the fact John Joseph isn't present, with Harley Flanagan taking over vocal duties whilst continuing as the band's bass player. In terms of vocal styles, John was more unhinged and violent, Harley has slightly more melody in his voice (at least on this particular record) whilst still retaining a harsh style. Either way, he does just fine here. As for the new full-on metal approach to the music, it means that the songs are generally longer overall than on the predecessor, and the actual playing has gotten better too. Not that the playing on AoQ was poor or anything; in fact, I'd argue that musically they were more accomplished than much of their competition at the time, it's just that Best Wishes is as competent musically as any other thrash metal of the time. And since they came from that hardcore background, it means you get fucking slammin' breakdowns like the one you hear in opening track 'Death Camps'!! What an absolute 'banger of a tune it is! Yeah, 'Death Camps' kicks so much ass that the rest of the album has a lot to live up to already.

Thankfully, each of the seven remaining songs are all brilliant too. 'Days of Confusion' is another razor-sharp, fast and frantic slab of thrash. As is 'Down but Not Out', which is mostly played at breakneck speed and features another absolutely phenomenal breakdown riff towards the end. But you also get songs with some melody in 'em too; 'Crush the Demoniac' is fast and mosh-ready for sure, but next to a tune like 'Death Camps', the riff has a definite melody that many of the other thrashers on here don't. It just makes the album that little bit more varied. 'Fugitive' definitely has a lot of melody too. Sure, it still has enough speed to keep my adrenaline pumping, but there's some tuneful parts to this song indeed. There's also a mid-tempo number on here in 'The Only One', which is slower and heavy with it's chugging riff style. And it's great too, naturally. I love the militaristic intro to 'Age of Quarrel' (yeah, it's ironic that the previous album didn't actually have a song called 'Age of Quarrel' on it...), which sets things up for the thrash monster it is.

There may only be eight songs here, as opposed to the fifteen seen on Age of Quarrel, but each and every one of them is a classic and as a whole I think Best Wishes is just as good overall at the end of the day. I feel like a bit of hypocrite then, that my main criticism is that I feel like the album could do with one more song, but ahh well. I get that the debut is a more influential record as a whole, but it really is surprising just how good Best Wishes is despite the fact they never even began life as a metal band. It obviously helps that I've always liked metal as a genre, and was listening to it way before I went anywhere near punk rock, but really, this is top-tier thrash.

Adam's rating: 9.4/10

ALPHA OMEGA          1992          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'See the Signs', 'Eyes of Tomorrow', 'Other Side of Madness', 'Apocalypse Now', 'Paths of Perfection', 'Changes/Cro-Mags Jam'

This album is kind of underrated, all things considered. True, it's not in the same league as the first two and never will be, but I've always liked Alpha Omega. It's a perfectly solid thrash album with the slight touches of hardcore that you've come to expect. Essentially, it's a continuation of Best Wishes, only with some longer and more (at times) experimental songs. Not experimental in the genre-shifting sense thankfully, it's just more ambitious in a way. John Joseph's back too, but according to Harley Flanagan, he and John shared vocal duties throughout this record. This neither a good or bad thing; unlike the vocal comparisons between Age of Quarrel and Best Wishes, both dudes deliberately sing in a similar style on Alpha Omega that unless you really are a die hard Cro-Mags fan, you'd hardly notice there's two guys singing here at all. So that decision was kind of odd if you ask me, but like I said, it doesn't make the music any worse even if it doesn't really add anything positive of note either.

And as for the actual songs, there's no major red flags here. That is, unless you weren't a fan of the metallic Best Wishes of course, because this album is once again much more metal than it is hardcore. 'See the Signs' is a cool opening number - fast, thrashy, some breakdown-ish riffs that you've come to expect - just a solid, well-written and performed song all things considered. 'Eyes of Tomorrow' sounds like it could be lame on paper; John (almost) raps his way through this song, and there's even some deck scratching at one point, but the riffing is still metal all-round and the second half of the song is full-on thrash, so I still like this one. 'The Other Side of Madness' kind of reminds me of 'The Only One' from the previous album, in that it's kind of a mid-paced chugger, but it's also much longer and has more going on overall. The chorus is a little bit melodic too. 'Apocalypse Now' (which has nothing in common with the film lyrically, aside from the title) is the closest thing you're gonna get to an epic from this band, at over eight minutes in length. It's pretty great too, and despite it's long length, it doesn't really do anything radical or different to the rest of this album. It's just a well-paced long metal track with plenty of tempo changes and crunchy riffage to keep it from ever being boring or overblown.

'Paths of Perfection' steps further away from hardcore territory, treading closer to groove metal if anything. It's probably the catchiest song on the album, and once again it gets a thumbs-up from me. 'Victims' is weaker than any the previous songs, but is still solid and enjoyable overall. It's often slower and even has brief moments of mellowness, as well as a sense of melody. The faster parts sound closer to Anthrax than they do typical Cro-Mags. 'Kuruksetra' has it's own little instrumental intro called 'VII'. 'Kuruksetra' itself is another tight slab of thrashy metal with the hardcore sensibility. The final track is actually made up of two songs, which would explain the twelve-minute run-time and the title of 'Changes/Cro-Mags Jam'. 'Changes' is almost proggy with that acoustic introduction, but once it gets going is one of the fastest and most intense songs on the album. The 'Cro-Mags Jam' on the other hand, is a cool instrumental with some great bass playing, nice guitar leads and just an all-round fun way to end this CD. Different, yes, but in a good way. 

I like this record a lot, and I guess my main complaint would be that it's almost kind of pedestrian compared to it's predecessor. The music may be fast and heavy and the performances better from a technical viewpoint, but it doesn't quite reach the intensity of Best Wishes. I dunno, somethings just missing here, and I can't quite put my finger on it. That said, I still find Alpha Omega to be pretty great at the end of the day. Like I said at the beginning of the review, I think it's underrated. Many other thrash bands of the time were jumping onto the alternative and groove metal bandwagon in the 90's, yet here's the Cro-Mags releasing quite possibly one of the thrashiest, truest metal albums of 1992.

Adam's rating: 8.2/10

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE          1993          (Century Media)

- Standouts: 'Say Goodbye to Mother Earth', 'Kali Yuga', 'War On the Streets', 'Death in the Womb'

Well, this is a bit of an oddity in the discography. It is an official studio album, but it was never intended to be. The songs were apparently written and recording during the Alpha Omega sessions, but not mixed properly, hence why the production on this disc is a little rough 'round the edges. Harley Flanagan hates it, and according to him so do the rest of the band - save for John Joseph of course, who Flanagan suspects gave Near Death Experience the go ahead, despite the fact there was no incentive to release it in the first place. I don't know how true this story really is, I'm just going by what Harley says in his book.

Despite these points, a small portion of great tunes did slip out of this one. Of course, musically this album is very similar to that of Alpha Omega, with the same lineup present - only the production is weaker and the songwriting slightly ropier overall - which is probably why these tracks were left off the predecessor in the first place. Like I said though, there are songs on here that I do like. 'Say Goodbye to Mother Earth' is a rock-solid, proggy thrash opening piece with a lot going for it. 'Kali Yuga' is a very strong and thrashy, speedy number too, chock full of great riffs. I also think the anti-abortion song, 'Death in the Womb' is cool too - it's very fast and frantic, and to me it's the punkiest the band have sounded in a long while. Of course, lyrically this song will piss off some people today, 'cos you know... people aren't allowed to have different opinions anymore.

'War On the Streets' is decent enough I suppose - the main riff is pretty much directly ripping-off Black Sabbath's 'Zero the Hero' (or you could also say Guns N' Roses' 'Paradise City', but fuck Guns N' Roses...), so it isn't exactly the most original of songs. But it's still kinda fun anyway. 'Time I Am' could be considered a ballad - it's slow-building and melodic, and has plenty of heavy parts to contrast. Trouble is, John doesn't always have the voice for this kind thing, but the rest of the band sound good on it anyhow. 'Reflections' is another competent thrasher, if a little generic. Certainly not bad at all though. The title track is okay, if a little uninspired. I quite like the little jam-style break in the middle of the song, but overall it's one of the weaker songs on this CD.

I definitely consider this to be better than what most of the band members think of it, but it still pales in comparison to any of the previous albums. The murky production doesn't do the songs any favours, and the fact the last track on the album is an alternative version of 'The Other Side of Madness' (originally from Alpha Omega) just reinforces the fact that this album most likely wasn't intended to be released. Don't get me wrong - for an album of this ilk, it's far better than it should be, and you should check it out if you liked Alpha Omega. Just don't expect it to be great. 

Adam's rating: 7/10

HARD TIMES IN AN AGE OF QUARREL          1994         (Century Media)

This live album consists of two different shows across two CD's. Disc one is a show recorded at the Hollywood Paladium in LA, 1991 whereas the second is a performance from Studio One in New Jersey, 1994. The first disc is obviously pre-Alpha Omega, so you're getting more of a 'classic' Cro-Mags setlist with songs from only the first two records. By the time of the second gig however, both Alpha Omega and Near Death Experience were out, so the setlist features songs from all their albums (at the time), though it's still mostly Age of Quarrel and Best Wishes material because...well...those are what people know them best for, really. Apparently when they toured in the 90's, the crowds were mostly hardcore guys. When they played AO or NDE songs, people would leave because they were 'too metal'. Both discs do have their issues; the mixing on the first CD is a thin and 'tinny', with bass that's barely audible - but the performance itself is packed full of energy. The second is much rougher; not much better than a bootleg, but it sounds much more involved with the listener for that reason. I don't think the performance itself is quite as good as the first disc though. What you have then, is an enjoyable yet flawed package. Both discs are pretty good on the whole, but could've been a tad better.

Until 2022, this was the only official live Cro-Mags release. It's also kinda pricey in my books. I won my copy in an eBay auction for around £9.99 GBP, but it usually sells for around £15.99 from what I gather.
Adam's rating: 7.6/10


WHITE DEVIL - REINCARNATION (EP)          1995          (Lost and Found Records)

Yep, this isn't a Cro-Mags album - it's an EP from another, short-lived band formed by Harley Flanagan and Parris Mayhew, and also featured Alpha Omega/Near Death Experience Cro-Mags drummer Dave DiCenso. Biohazard lead guitarist Bobby Hambel was later recruited, but does not appear on this EP. I've decided to group any Cro-Mags-related bands and projects to this one page, rather than create multiple ones. Reincarnation may be the only release from White Devil, but interestingly, each and every one of the five songs here would later appear on the 2000 Cro-Mags album, Revenge. Funnily enough, I actually prefer the White Devil versions, mainly because I think the production has more low-end, and a fuller sound overall.

Of course, Harley's handling vocals, and musically this is very much an old-school hardcore disc. Well, aside from 'My Life' that is, which is actually more of a straight-up punk song, but a great one at that. Really catchy, really cool - let's not forget that Harley was the drummer for the punk band The Stimulators in the 70's, when he was fucking TWELVE YEARS OLD!! So I totally understand why he may want to dabble with traditional punk rock every once in a while. The rest of the tracks are the most hardcore Flanagan's been since Age of Quarrel, with little of the thrash metal that albums such as Best Wishes and Alpha Omega brought to the table - save for maybe the riffy 'These Streets'. 'Fireburn' and 'Can You Feel?' are fast and furious while 'Steal My Crown' is a more mid-tempo, pounding number by comparison.

So yeah, this EP is pretty damn cool actually. It actually has more in common with what the Cro-Mags were all about when they started, which is straightforward, hard-hitting hardcore music. Like I said, the production is great, and the songs in general are a nice departure from the thrash metal sounds of late 80's/90's Cro-Mags. Despite being a relatively obscure release, it's not particularly hard to find a copy at reasonable price, even all these years later.

Adam's rating: 8/10

REVENGE          2000         (Cro-Mag Recordings)

- Standouts: 'Premeditated', 'Jones', 'My Life', 'Tore Up', 'Without Her', 'Pressure Drop', 'These Streets', 'Fireburn'

As with the 1995 White Devil EP, Reincarnation, this fourth Cro-Mags studio album is the least metal, and most hardcore punk thing from the band since The Age of Quarrel. Each of those five songs from that EP also appears on Revenge, and this whole album kind of feels like it was written during those White Devil days. It could well have been, but it's not totally clear in Flanagan's book (who still handles all the vocals on Revenge). Either way, the album feels like a continuation of White Devil, which was something of a throwback to old-school Cro-Mags mixed with more of a punk rock sound at times. 

In fact, as well as featuring 'My Life', which was one of those White Devil tunes that was pure punk rock, there's also two more traditional style punk tracks on here - 'Jones' and 'Without Her'. The former is a straightforward and fun little punker, while the latter is an extremely melodic, *gasp* radio-friendly punk tune! Not Cro-Mags-y in the slightest, but still a very good song in it's own right! The rest of this album is very much a hardcore record in every sense of word. Along with the other White Devil tracks (which are all strong), there's also some aggro shit on here like 'Premediated' - this is an angry, twisted opener that starts off the album with a bang. Others such as 'Tore Up' and 'Pressure Drop' are very much in tune with hardcore music in it's rawest state. 'Open Letter' and 'Don't Forget'  sound like something from the first wave of hardcore punk of the early 80's. Also of note is the fact that ex-Suicidal Tendencies lead guitarist Rocky George plays on this record, which is cool if you ask me.

I do have some complaints - like I said, musically in some ways, this feels more like a full-length White Devil LP than it does a Cro-Mags album. Punk songs like 'Jones', 'My Life' and 'Without Her' would likely never have appeared on a Cro-Mags record if that White Devil EP didn't exist. They're far too tame and lightweight compared to anything prior, and even the harsher songs are lacking any of the metallic traits of the Cro-Mags. I get that Age of Quarrel was more hardcore than it was metal, but even during those early days, the band had some metallic structure to their songs. Revenge has very little metal influence, at least to my ears... 

But ya know what? These issues would only be a big deal if I cared that much about the album sounding like any of their past releases. I still enjoy every song on here, even if they often don't resemble any of the past Cro-Mags releases. So yes, this is the punkiest and most diverse Cro-Mags album - the metal is gone, the short songs have returned and Harley's even taking you back to the early days of punk rock at times here! But it's still a great album for what it is. 

Adam's rating: 8.2/10


BEFORE THE QUARREL          2000          (Cro-Mag Recordings)

Both Harley Flanagan and Parris Mayhew state that this pre-Age of Quarrel demo is superior, and actually prefer it over said final album. I can understand why, but for me I almost always listen to Age of Quarrel over this thing. I'll admit that John Joseph's vocals are great here. Like I said in the AoQ review, he was supposedly ill during the recording of the final product, so he actually sounds quite a bit different on Before the Quarrel, and in a good way. But aside from that, I wouldn't say I like any other aspect of this CD more than I do the album that followed. The guitar tones are kinda trebly and lacking the metallic crunch. Harley's distorted bass tones are fine, but a little overpowering. To be honest, this demo feels more like a pure hardcore punk album, while Age of Quarrel has that metallic edge to it that this disc lacks. It's also missing a 'Seekers of the Truth', 'Do Unto Others' and 'We Gotta Know', but it does at least have 'Everybody's Gonna Die' as well as some random jam track titled 'Dub'. 

In all fairness, as much as I prefer AoQ, hardcore fans should definitely still check this out. These songs are legendary, highly influential and still brilliant whichever way you listen to 'em. It's on Spotify, but kinda pricey on CD. According to my old review, I apparently obtained it 2018 for the sum of £6.30 which was a good deal even back then.

Adam's score: 8.5/10

HARLEY'S WAR - 2012          2012          (MVD Audio)

- Standouts: 'Life is a Struggle', 'Extinction', 'Purpose of Your Life'

For several years during the past couple of decades, there were legal disputes over the Cro-Mags name. For a long time, John Joseph seemed to have control over the name and was performing as Cro-Mags, but in 2019, Harley Flanagan won the rights to the name and now has the band under his own control. In that space of time when he didn't though, he performed under his own name and also 'Harley's War'. This CD is essentially a Flanagan solo EP and a live album rolled into one. The five original tracks are mostly decent; I enjoy each of them, but some are definitely stronger than others. 'Comfort the Children' is slightly more melodic than usual both musically and vocally. 'The End is Drawing Near' is a metal/punk hybrid with a surprisingly laid-back vocal approach, but in terms of the music, is pretty cool. Others like 'Life is a Struggle' and 'Purpose of Your Life' are pure unadulterated rage however, and much closer to classic Cro-Mags.

The live side of this thing however, is disappointing. I mean, the setlist is great, full of Cro-Mags songs from various albums, but the sound quality is terrible. We're talking bootleg-level stuff here, like someone was recording the set from the back of the venue with a phone. And it's a shame because the energy is there - the show itself was probably a lot of fun if you were actually there. The sound quality really ruins things for me though, so if I were you I'd just listen to the five studio tracks on Spotify and skip the rest. Definitely don't go out of your way to actually buy a copy like I did though!

Adam's rating: 5.5/10

HARLEY FLANAGAN - CRO-MAGS          2016          (171-A Records)

Standouts: 'I Come in Peace', 'Can't Give In', 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent', 'To All My Friends', 'Fighting the Urge to Kill', 'Trust No One'

Another Harley Flanagan solo record, only he started using his own name now instead of the 'Harley's War' moniker. Spoiler alert - this 2016 album really isn't far removed at all from what Flanagan does with the 2020 Cro-Mags comeback album, In the Beginning - the album he made when he legally won the rights back for the Cro-Mags name. In fact, In the Beginning might as well be a spiritual sequel to this. I mean, fuck, this thing is even called 'Cro-Mags', with that title written out in exactly the same classic font as the Cro-Mags label on The Age of Quarrel. So, it's a solo album with the title 'Cro-Mags', by a guy who was the only member to ever play on every Cro-Mags album! It really does feel like the man was basically advertising this as a new Cro-Mags record then, 'cos John Joseph never dropped anything new when he officially had control over the band name.

Musically, this album does the term 'hardcore' justice. It's an extremely hard-edged, violent and dangerous-sounding record that sits closer to Age of Quarrel than it does any of the heavily thrash metal-influenced Cro-Mags albums. The songs are all short, swift, and get to the point quickly - twelve songs, with a total playtime of just twenty-four minutes. The music does occasionally slow down a tad at times, with songs like the moody instrumental 'Ascending', and also 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent' - a riff-heavy, personal tale whereby Harley reflects on the time he spent in jail due to the whole fracas that occurred in 2012 with John Joseph's version of the Cro-Mags. It's not exactly clear just how this whole incident occurred (I've read both sides of this story and can't pick who's right or wrong...); long story short, multiple people got stabbed, including Flanagan. But all charges were eventually dropped. Erm, yeah - 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent' is a highlight anyhow.

Most of these songs rage though, especially tracks like 'Fighting the Urge to Kill', 'I Come in Peace', 'Can't Give In', 'Trust No One' and 'To All My Friends'. The riffs are fast and tight while Flanagan's trademark bulldozer bass tones pack in more punch. Good stuff. Production is pretty good too, sounding rough enough to give the album more of an underground vibe whilst simultaneously being clean enough that every instrument can be heard clearly. The whole package doesn't blow me away - I'll still take any Cro-Mags record over this (bar Near Death Experience that is), but this is an album that does what it's supposed to do just fine - which is pure, unadulterated hardcore music. It does it more than just fine actually, it does it very well. Harley may look like the kind of bloke that makes you wanna cross the street when he approaches you (if that's not enough, the man holds a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu...), but when it comes to music of this nature, that just means you're in safe hands.
Adam's rating: 7.8/10

BLOODCLOT - UP IN ARMS          2017          (Metal Blade)

- Standouts: 'Up In Arms', 'Fire', 'Kill the Beast', 'Siva/Rudra', 'Kali', 'Slow Kill Genocide', 'Slipping Into Darkness'

Bloodclot is John Joseph's band that have actually existed since before he was ever a part of the Cro-Mags. Despite this, he didn't actually release anything with Bloodclot until the 21st century, with Up In Arms appearing in 2017. This album is hardcore through-and-through, but doesn't necessarily offer up a close alternative to either the Cro-Mags or any of Harley Flanagan's solo material. Nah, this record is the sound of early New York hardcore, kind of like a mixture of the first Agnostic Front album (Victim in Pain) and Bad Brains. It doesn't really have the thrash metal-influenced punch that hardcore bands were incorporating into the genre since, well, Age of Quarrel first arrived in 1986. But that's okay! After all, this isn't John bringing us a new Cro-Mags record, it's him doing his own thing, writing his own songs alongside an impressive lineup consisting of Nick Oliveri, Todd Youth (RIP) and Joey Castillo. 

So yeah, musically this isn't a Cro-Mags album in all but name, but chances are if you like Cro-Mags, you like hardcore, which automatically means you'll like Up In Arms. Like I said before, this album has that really early NYHC sound backed up with modern production values. This means the music is fast, intense and relatively simplistic while the crisp production irons out any of the janky, amateurish vibes of old-school punk rock and adds a layer of professionalism instead. John sounds particularly great - I must admit, I enjoy him as a vocalist over Flanagan these days. Harley kind of sits in the 'tough guy' realm on more recent works in terms of his vocals, but John's voice, despite being clean and audible, is still wild and unpredictable, and is just better in my opinion. Shame there's almost zero chance of him and Flanagan ever letting bygones be bygones and reuniting.

As for individual standout tracks, I like 'Fire' a lot - the riff is simple, catchy, fast and totally punk rock. I also really dig 'Siva/Rudra' - the 'Siva' side is a bit more structured and tuneful, while the 'Rudra' part is maniacal. 'Kill the Beast' is fun, and 'Kali' reminds me of Rock for Light-era Bad Brains, which can only be a good thing. Really though, the whole thing is strong from start to finish. The songs are almost all short (as they should be) and follow a similar structure, with twelve in total and an overall playtime of just under half an hour. The whole album doesn't do anything new or groundbreaking, it's just very well performed old-school hardcore with what sounds like a decent budget behind it (hence the quality production). I enjoy this disc slightly more than I do that 2016 Harley Flanagan record - it might not be as hard-hitting overall, but the vocals are better, and the music is just more fun in general.

Adam's rating: 8/10

HARLEY FLANAGAN - HARD-CORE (DR. KNOW EP) (EP)          2018          (MVD Audio)

This EP was released to help raise money for Bad Brains guitarist Gary Miller (aka Dr. Know), who suffered a heart attack in 2015 and spent a long time in hospital.

Musically the songs on here are essentially a continuation of the 2016 Flanagan Cro-Mags album. I think it sounds a little better production-wise however, with more bass overall. Six tracks in total, and the only one that isn't a savage, unrelenting slab of angry hardcore is 'I Love My Life'. This song actually features a slow-building, picked-guitar introduction. The rest of the songs are what you've come to expect, and are all on par with anything you heard on said 2016 record. When I first got hold of this disc in 2018, I assumed 'Friends Like You' was a Sick of it All cover, but it's not. Really, if you liked anything Harley's done with or without the Cro-Mags, there is absolutely no reason not to check out this enjoyable collection of short, swift and intense hardcore tracks. It's definitely worth the twelve minutes of your time!
Adam's rating: 7.9/10

THE ORIGINAL CRO-MAGS DEMOS 1982/83          2018          (MVD Audio)

Note: this CD was released under the 'Harley 'Cro-Mags' Flanagan' moniker because Harley Flanagan still didn't own the rights to the band name in 2018, but is technically an actual Cro-Mags release. You'll also find it on the Cro-Mags discography on Spotify.

Mr. Flanagan's really takin' us back! This disc contains four demo tracks recorded entirely by Harley himself back in 1982/83, before the Cro-Mags were even a touring band with a real lineup; Flanagan plays all the instruments here and sings, making the whole package feel more like a musical project than an actual band. The first two songs, 'Don't Tread On Me' and 'Wake Up (Do Unto Others)' obviously wound up on Age of Quarrel, but they still sound considerably different in this demo format - and it's not just because of Harley's vocals either. They have much more of a traditional punk sound here, which makes sense because this was still way before the bands started getting heavier. But you can still hear the natural evolution if you listen to these, then the AoQ versions afterwards. The remaining tracks, 'Dead End Kids' and 'Why Don't You' sit firmly in line with other early hardcore punk bands of the time, such as Black Flag or Circle Jerks. 'Why Don't You' is particularly sleazy and sloppy, but in a good way. I'm not sure how much these songs were tampered with in order to make the sound quality as listenable as possible, but they're surprisingly good sonically. I've heard far worse sounding demos that's for sure.

Unless you're a Cro-Mags fan, I can't quite call this essential listening, but it's still an interesting little release that provides more insight into the roots of this band. The music is still enjoyable and surprisingly competent given how young Flanagan was at the time, and the fact he was known to be more of a drummer than anything else back in those days. Cool stuff.

Adam's rating: 7.4/10

IN THE BEGINNING          2020          (Mission Two Entertainment)

- Standouts: 'Don't Give In', 'Drag You Under', 'No One's Victim', 'From the Grave', 'No One's Coming', 'PTSD', 'Between Wars'

Even if you lean more towards supporting John Joseph over Harley Flanagan, at least Harley instantly began releasing new Cro-Mags music the second he won the rights back in 2019. We had a couple of small EP tasters in 2019 (Don't Give In and From the Grave, which I'm fairly certain were digital-only, save for a limited vinyl run. Also, every track on either EP appears on this album), and then in 2020 we finally got this new studio album, titled In the Beginning. So yeah, the Cro-Mags are officially a recording band once again. Plus, Rocky George and Gabby Abularach are back on guitars, which is cool.

If you listened to anything Flanagan did as a solo artist in the past twenty years, then you won't find anything surprising musically here. Hell, there's nothing remotely experimental or different for the Cro-Mags on this record. If you read my review of the 2016 Flanagan album (the creatively-titled 'Cro-Mags'), I hinted that In the Beginning is essentially a continuation of that LP. It does improve things in subtle ways however; the production is much beefier this time around, with a real vintage quality. There's tons of low-end, bassy overtones that I really dig on In the Beginning. A lot of modern metal/hardcore albums sound very clean these days, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - but this album has sounds tight and professional whilst simultaneously having an oddly nostalgic, old-school charm about it. The actual playing here is a slight step-up too, probably due to the additions of George and Abularach on guitars. Also, this is a surprisingly long album compared to the last bunch of Flanagan solo projects. The songs are still largely short, but there's thirteen in total and the whole thing lasts nearly forty minutes. I welcome this though; I mean, the last Cro-Mags album was Revenge, and that was way back in 2000.

As I said, musically this is just Flanagan doing what he's consistently done for the past twenty years - fast, heavy, hard-hitting and violent hardcore music. Once again, this album sits closer to the sound of Age of Quarrel than it does Alpha Omega, which is just fine really. I don't think the man has any intentions of taking the Cro-Mags back to those thrash metal days. The introductory riff to opener 'Don't Give In' even mimics 'We Gotta Know', though once the song gets going, it stops imitating. The fast songs on here are all great, to be fair. Songs like 'Drag You Under', 'No One's Coming' and 'No One's Victim' are classic 'Mags in every sense of the word. 'The Final Test' sounds a bit like Bad Brains if you ask me. Motorhead legend Phil Campbell plays guitar on 'From the Grave'. You'd hardly know it, as this track follows the same formula as the bulk of the other songs here, but it's still kinda cool. 'PTSD' too, is another standout, a good old fashioned slab of face-ripping hardcore.

The album does take a breather at times however. 'Between Wars' is the longest track on here, at almost six minutes. It's a surprisingly vast, foreboding instrumental - not fast, not aggressive in any real way, yet somehow really suits the overall atmosphere of this album. 'Two Hours' and 'No Turning Back' are slower too - still heavy, but mid-tempo cuts with a more spoken-word approach to the vocals. These aren't the kind of songs that would appear in a live setting, but they do help pace the overall album quite nicely.

This album was everything I expected it to be when it first dropped in mid-2020, when the world was still going nuts over COVID. I guess if you've literally not heard anything by Harley Flanagan since Revenge, then maybe this album could surprise you in one way or another. Thing is though, In the Beginning doesn't necessarily need to feature any surprises to be good. It's a fucking Cro-Mags album after all, and all I want from this band is either a set of thrashy songs with hardcore tendencies, or just a straight-up aggressive, heavy hardcore record. This album is the latter. It's never gonna top Age of Quarrel or Best Wishes for me, but it's a welcome return for the band, and it's definitely nice to buy a physical CD that bears the classic 'Cro-Mags' logo on the album cover.

Adam's rating: 8/10

2020 (EP)          2020          (Mission Two Entertainment)

Well, looks like I completely missed out on this EP. I only just got 'round to actually obtaining a copy. It was released around the end of 2020 (hence the title), about half a year after the In the Beginning record, and musically it does share some similarities. Some of the tracks here seem to expand on the more drawn-out nature of songs like 'Between Wars' and 'Two Hours' from the previous album, rather than the typical sucker-punch ferocity of most  Cro-Mags tracks. I wouldn't want a full-length record like this from the band, but since this is an EP and only lasts twenty minutes anyway, it actually works in this CD's favour, and makes it standout among the discography.

Songs like 'Age of Quarantine' and '2020' are understandably heavy, yet bleak affairs. They seem to reflect on the state of New York City at the time, which was empty streets and a lot of uncertainty surrounding the COVID situation. 'Life On Earth' is a bit more in-line with old-school 'Mags, with it's short run-time and adrenaline-pumping tempo. Same goes for the appropriately-titled 'Violence and Destruction', which is also fast and heavy, but also features some shredding guitar solos as well as a surprisingly tame vocal performance from Harley. You'd think his vocal style on this track wouldn't really suit the music all that well, but somehow it does. 'Chaos in the Streets' is another fine continuation of the hard-hitting, punchy hardcore that the band does best. The CD ends with the instrumental 'Confusion', which is fucking awesome, frankly. The bass is cool as hell, and borders on funk metal - it kind of reminds me of what Suicidal Tendencies were doing in the 90's. Then again, Rocky George does play on this EP! Still, Harley's bass playing is comparable to Rob Trujillo on this track, and that is definitely a compliment.

I actually felt more of a metallic edge to this EP than I did the In the Beginning album. I think that's mostly due to the higher number of guitar solos, as well as some of the songwriting ideas from time to time. It isn't quite as aggressive overall as the former album, but it's still very strong for different reasons. A fine companion to In the Beginning, that's for sure.

Adam's rating: 8/10