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Cro-Mags - New EP Arriving


Earlier this year, Cro-Mags released their first album in twenty years with the critically acclaimed, In The Beginning. To close out this year of international turmoil and disease, the band announces the 6-song EP, 2020, available digitally on December 11th. The title track is now streaming below.




Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan explains: "Just by coincidence, we recorded 20 minutes and 16 seconds of music, so we simply added a few seconds of real-world chaos. The album cover is meant to look like a calendar - 7 squares across, with one picture from 2020 per day. Coronavirus, quarantine, empty streets, brutality, burning buildings, violence, and destruction: 2020 is a year none of us will ever forget."



Tracklist:

01. Age Of Quarantine
02. 2020
03. Life On Earth
04. Violence And Destruction
05. Chaos In The Streets
06. Crofusion


Source: facebook.com
Band profile: Cro-Mags
Posted: 30.11.2020 by nikarg


Comments

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Comments: 7   Visited by: 23 users
30.11.2020 - 11:13
Hyamendacil1450

The track is mostly meh... in line with the derivative and uninspired EP previously released, as well as Harley's 2016 solo album. Most likely this will be made up of short, mostly incomplete, underdeveloped songs. Good for nostalgia, but irrelevant for the current times.
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30.11.2020 - 17:35
Joppe
Steelemeister
Written by Hyamendacil1450 on 30.11.2020 at 11:13

The track is mostly meh... in line with the derivative and uninspired EP previously released, as well as Harley's 2016 solo album. Most likely this will be made up of short, mostly incomplete, underdeveloped songs. Good for nostalgia, but irrelevant for the current times.


Definitely Not like the band used to be, this sounds more like a cover band playing under that name and it's not killing like the old albums were. I would rather probably listen to the Jon Joseph Cro-Mags due to the vocals if they recorded something new.
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30.11.2020 - 21:48
Hyamendacil1450

Written by Joppe on 30.11.2020 at 17:35

Definitely Not like the band used to be, this sounds more like a cover band playing under that name and it's not killing like the old albums were. I would rather probably listen to the Jon Joseph Cro-Mags due to the vocals if they recorded something new.


Harley has released like 3 albums in the last 20 or 25 years. Music was clearly not among his priorities. He was more preocupied with the cage-fighting bullshit. Probably he got too old for that, being constantly punched in his face. Furthermore, what made Cro-Mags great was not John Joseph, who was musically illiterate and a poseur (well... Harley was a poseur too, but at least he had some talent to back it up) but Harley and Parris Mayhew working together.

John Joseph will not release anything. Not with the bunch of rag-tag musicians he gathered. He masqueraded for years under the name Cro-Mags, singing the songs others wrote while not releasing even a single original song (as far as I know). Even refusing to pay royalties. I would rather choose to listen to Harley's new shit than expecting something out of JJ.

Now don't get me wrong, the previous album, this song and Harley's solo album are not awful. Awful is what I'd describe the last 2 full length albums of Cro-Mags, Revenge and the previous one. There are a few moments, a few riffs that make it worth listening. At least you can listen it in one go rather than drop the album all together after a few songs. Crossover thrash and hardcore punk are dead and gone genres. The formula has been bled dry and there is hardly anything you can do to reinvent it and remain part of these scenes.
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01.12.2020 - 17:53
Joppe
Steelemeister
Written by Hyamendacil1450 on 30.11.2020 at 21:48

Written by Joppe on 30.11.2020 at 17:35

Definitely Not like the band used to be, this sounds more like a cover band playing under that name and it's not killing like the old albums were. I would rather probably listen to the Jon Joseph Cro-Mags due to the vocals if they recorded something new.


Harley has released like 3 albums in the last 20 or 25 years. Music was clearly not among his priorities. He was more preocupied with the cage-fighting bullshit. Probably he got too old for that, being constantly punched in his face. Furthermore, what made Cro-Mags great was not John Joseph, who was musically illiterate and a poseur (well... Harley was a poseur too, but at least he had some talent to back it up) but Harley and Parris Mayhew working together.

John Joseph will not release anything. Not with the bunch of rag-tag musicians he gathered. He masqueraded for years under the name Cro-Mags, singing the songs others wrote while not releasing even a single original song (as far as I know). Even refusing to pay royalties. I would rather choose to listen to Harley's new shit than expecting something out of JJ.


I was mainly commenting to say that I'd prefer Jon as the vocalist instead of Harley. Sure they can say who did what in the past and blame others, there's no way AFAIK to know to get some truthful explananation on who really wrote what songs ect. who ripped off who etc. I wont take sides on this and I only will say that what matters to me is the present and what can they do now, if they can do anything worthwhile, we have seen what Harley can do, and I'd like to see what Jon and Mackie can do.

Written by Hyamendacil1450 on 30.11.2020 at 21:48

Now don't get me wrong, the previous album, this song and Harley's solo album are not awful. Awful is what I'd describe the last 2 full length albums of Cro-Mags, Revenge and the previous one. There are a few moments, a few riffs that make it worth listening. At least you can listen it in one go rather than drop the album all together after a few songs. Crossover thrash and hardcore punk are dead and gone genres. The formula has been bled dry and there is hardly anything you can do to reinvent it and remain part of these scenes.


I agree about those two Cro-Mags albums; they're pretty dogshit alright. But that's pretty long time ago. And I'm not very impressed by the Harley material either. So I'd like hear something more recent from both sides to compare.
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02.12.2020 - 08:50
Hyamendacil1450

Written by Joppe on 01.12.2020 at 17:53

I was mainly commenting to say that I'd prefer Jon as the vocalist instead of Harley. Sure they can say who did what in the past and blame others, there's no way AFAIK to know to get some truthful explanation on who really wrote what songs ect. who ripped off who etc. I wont take sides on this and I only will say that what matters to me is the present and what can they do now, if they can do anything worthwhile, we have seen what Harley can do, and I'd like to see what Jon and Mackie can do.

I agree about those two Cro-Mags albums; they're pretty dogshit alright. But that's pretty long time ago. And I'm not very impressed by the Harley material either. So I'd like hear something more recent from both sides to compare.


Parris Mayhew is a good source of knowledge related to who wrote what during the 80s and early 90s. He is by far the most level-headed guy and the least impressionable among them. He gave an interview a while back where he delved into the history of the band, the relationship between him and Harley, John's influence over the band, how he tried and successfully managed to sour the relationship between him and Harley, etc.

Mayhew described John as the kind of guy that wanted desperately to be a vocalist in a band but had no musical affinity and he was also reluctant to take lessons. Harley had a great deal of difficulty coaching him to vocalize over the songs in "The Age of Quarrel". Mackie was this kind of nutjob as well, and he became even more insufferable due to John's machinations.

Based on Mayhew's interview, the songwriting process in early Cro-Mags was he and Harley coming up with riffs and melodies and then arranging them together, while also teaching and coaching John and Mackie. This working relationship was what produced those first 3 great albums.

So it is clear that John Joseph ripped off and benefited tremendously from the band's back catalogue, where all tunes were written by Harley and Mayhew. Also, the fact that he played under the moniker Cro-Mags for roughly 12-13 years, not releasing a single song pretty much shows that he and the musicians he had with him were musically illiterate. Mayhew even tells a story of how John approached him some years ago, before Harley claimed legal rights over the band on a reunion where Mayhew would help him write another album because the guys with which he was playing with could not fill in the shoes of a songwriter.

This is the interview I am talking about, in case you are interested: https://www.vice.com/en/article/r3wxkr/parris-mayhew-cro-mags-interview

The only thing I don't agree with Mayhew is how he bashes Alpha Omega (most likely due to his bitter relationship with Harley and how he left the band) while praising that piece of crap called Revenge. Revenge, quality-wise was crap. Professionally recorded and written (unlike NDE), but songwriting wise, crap. Alpha Omega is literally the band's best album.
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03.12.2020 - 20:31
Joppe
Steelemeister
Written by Hyamendacil1450 on 02.12.2020 at 08:50


Parris Mayhew is a good source of knowledge related to who wrote what during the 80s and early 90s. He is by far the most level-headed guy and the least impressionable among them. He gave an interview a while back where he delved into the history of the band, the relationship between him and Harley, John's influence over the band, how he tried and successfully managed to sour the relationship between him and Harley, etc.

Mayhew described John as the kind of guy that wanted desperately to be a vocalist in a band but had no musical affinity and he was also reluctant to take lessons. Harley had a great deal of difficulty coaching him to vocalize over the songs in "The Age of Quarrel". Mackie was this kind of nutjob as well, and he became even more insufferable due to John's machinations.

Based on Mayhew's interview, the songwriting process in early Cro-Mags was he and Harley coming up with riffs and melodies and then arranging them together, while also teaching and coaching John and Mackie. This working relationship was what produced those first 3 great albums.

So it is clear that John Joseph ripped off and benefited tremendously from the band's back catalogue, where all tunes were written by Harley and Mayhew. Also, the fact that he played under the moniker Cro-Mags for roughly 12-13 years, not releasing a single song pretty much shows that he and the musicians he had with him were musically illiterate. Mayhew even tells a story of how John approached him some years ago, before Harley claimed legal rights over the band on a reunion where Mayhew would help him write another album because the guys with which he was playing with could not fill in the shoes of a songwriter.

This is the interview I am talking about, in case you are interested: https://www.vice.com/en/article/r3wxkr/parris-mayhew-cro-mags-interview

The only thing I don't agree with Mayhew is how he bashes Alpha Omega (most likely due to his bitter relationship with Harley and how he left the band) while praising that piece of crap called Revenge. Revenge, quality-wise was crap. Professionally recorded and written (unlike NDE), but songwriting wise, crap. Alpha Omega is literally the band's best album.


Thanks for the elaboration, man. This makes the band(s) look like a shitshow for most of their existence I guess Harley is indeed the more original Cro-Mag then, but I still wouldn't support either of these formations with the line-ups they have. Cover bands both IMO.
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My vision is augmented
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04.12.2020 - 08:57
Hyamendacil1450

Written by Joppe on 03.12.2020 at 20:31

Thanks for the elaboration, man. This makes the band(s) look like a shitshow for most of their existence I guess Harley is indeed the more original Cro-Mag then, but I still wouldn't support either of these formations with the line-ups they have. Cover bands both IMO.


The band(s) are a shitshow )))

You can make quite a few movies, or even a TV series with multiple seasons regarding Cro-Mags. All the infighting, the threats of stabbing, the actual stabbings, the incessant fights and provocations, all the posing and how some of the members hate each other... this is cinema material.

Harley founded the band with Mayhew. The others got hired after the band was founded. I would not support them either, but I have a bias towards Harley admittedly. He is an asshole, probably the biggest asshole in the band (even bigger than JJ), but the guy is quite an unique figure and is very charismatic. Too few interviews have been done with him and most people that know the band and him only got to see his worse side.

I have to disagree with you describing Harley's incarnation of Cro-Mags as a cover band. JJ's incarnation was essentially a cover band as he did not release even half-a-new-song in more than a decade while claiming songwriting credits over songs he never wrote (except a few lyrics here and there). Harley's incarnation, while uninspired and average, at least puts out new stuff and can fill in the shoes of a songwriter. He does recycle quite a few riffs and melodies from the first 3 albums, but at the end of the day you can hardly call his band a cover band. Anyway, Harley is now in his 50s, and the music he plays has been obsolete for almost 30 years.
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