Today, Cro-Mags, the iconic New York hardcore outfit fronted by Harley Flanagan, proudly make their BLKIIBLK debut with the new single, “Wired For Chaos.” The new track marks Cro-Mags’ first new music in six years, giving fans a taste of what’s to come.
“Wired For Chaos,” which shares its name with last year’s documentary about Harley, was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange, Cavalera Conspiracy). It was produced by Harley and Arthur and features drum phenom Greyson Nekrutman. The new single arrives alongside an official music video, available below.
On the new single “Wired For Chaos,” Harley Flanagan comments: “The new video for ‘Wired For Chaos’ reminds me of our first video, ‘We Gotta Know,’ which came out 40 years ago, except that it shows where the band is at now. I am proud to say that we are one of those few bands that have a multigenerational audience and bridge the gap between hard-core kids, metalheads, punks, skinheads, and more, as seen in the audience of this video, which was filmed at our shows on the past few tours. Not many bands have such a blended fan base besides Motörhead, and I am proud to say that we are following in that tradition.”
Harley continues, “The song title ‘Wired For Chaos’ was taken directly from the recent documentary of the same name. It comes in with an aggressive metal intro befitting a UFC walk-in or a video game, then bursts into a more traditional HC thrash vibe before returning to a heavy beatdown at the end in an unmistakable Cro-Mags style. The song is literally about being programmed and Wired For Chaos from birth, not just by environment, but by parents, trauma, childhood experiences, and the resulting PTSD that I personally struggle with as a result.”
Stream the single here, and watch the music video for “Wired For Chaos” below:
Find Cro-Mags’ tour itinerary here.
The history of Harley Flanagan and his band Cro-Mags is integral not just to the history of hardcore, but to modern metal, rock, and punk itself. With roots stretching from the shadow of Warhol and the Velvets to CBGB’s hardcore matinees and L’Amour Brooklyn thrash-a-thons, all the way through current generations of punk and extreme metal, Cro-Mags are the connective tissue. Just ask the likes of Dave Grohl, Green Day, and Turnstile. Cro-Mags stand side by side with Black Sabbath, Motörhead, and Metallica as both an influence and a gamechanger.
The brainchild of a 14-year-old Harley Flanagan, Cro-Mags began in 1981 while Flanagan was playing drums for The Stimulators. By 1982/83, he had recorded the primal Cro-Mags demos — four songs that would become the blueprint for the seminal 1986 release, ‘Age of Quarrel.’ Initially a solo vision, Flanagan wrote and played all of the music himself. In 1985, alongside guitarist Parris Mayhew, vocalist John Joseph McGowan, and drummer Mackie Jayson, the genre-defining ‘Age of Quarrel’ demo was recorded. The full-length album followed in 1986, with Doug Holland of Kraut joining on second guitar.
Explosive both on and offstage, Cro-Mags have had a tumultuous history, to put it mildly. Through multiple lineups, six studio albums beyond the original demos, and more than four decades of worldwide touring, Cro-Mags remain one of the most iconic bands in American hardcore and metal. Today, the band is led by Flanagan on bass and vocals — a role he has held since ‘Best Wishes’ (1989). He remains the only member to appear on every Cro-Mags release since the band’s founding.
(Photo – Maurice Nunez)
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Black Angel Promotions on the new Bangalore Choir album, “The choruses soar in that way only bands from this era know how to do – chock full of hooks and melodies that get stuck in your head for days and tough enough to make you want to roll the windows down and howl them into oncoming traffic.”.
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