CRO-MAGS  „The Age Of Quarrel“ 40th Anniversary Tour

special guests CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE

The Cro-Mags are a seminal American hardcore punk band formed in New York City in the early 1980s. They are widely recognized as pioneers of the New York Hardcore (NYHC) scene and were among the very first groups to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal, laying the groundwork for the crossover thrash and metalcore genres. The band was spearheaded by a young Harley Flanagan in the violent, gritty environment of NYC’s Lower East Side. He partnered with guitarist Parris Mayhew to officially shape the project. Their legendary 1986 debut album, The Age of Quarrel, is universally considered a masterwork of the genre. It paired aggressive punk energy with metal-driven guitar riffs. Huge musical acts ranging from Metallica to Green Day, as well as Dave Grohl, have credited the Cro-Mags as a core influence on their musical development. The group was also a crucial prototype for “Krishnacore,” as multiple members (notably early vocalist John Joseph) integrated Hare Krishna consciousness into the scene’s culture and lyrics.

The band has a famously turbulent history marked by internal conflicts, lineup overhauls, and legal battles. For years, multiple factions of the band toured simultaneously under the same moniker. In 2019, a legal settlement concluded that founder Harley Flanagan holds the exclusive ownership rights to the name Cro-Mags. Flanagan continues to record and tour under the main name. Meanwhile, former long-time vocalist John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson perform under the distinct banner of Cro-Mags JM. 

The band remains highly active on the global tour and festival circuits. Harley Flanagan recently directed a documentary about the band’s chaotic life and multi-generational fan culture titled Wired for Chaos. Alongside the film’s release, the band dropped a ferocious new title-track single, “Wired For Chaos”.