CRO-MAGS
2020 MISSION TWO ENTERTAINMENT NYHC mainstays sum up a year of shit, with production to match
Hardcore has long been recognised as the place for raw and honest musical reflections of the state of the world. 2020 will long be recognised as the 365-day shit-stain to end all shitstains. So, who better to reflect on these turbulent times than one of the genre’s originals? With self-referential titles like Cro-Fusion and Age Of Quarantine and various misleading intros, it initially appears Harley Flanagan and co are glossing over the annus horribilis, but the fire eventually emerges. Unfortunately, the drums sound like cardboard, the guitars like wet blankets and Flanagan’s vocal clarity fights a perpetual losing battle. Despite the shortcomings, the vitriolic chug and classic NYHC vibe of Chaos In The Streets and Violence And Destruction still bubble on the verge of explosion, demonstrating that anger can’t be bottled but it can certainly be muffled. ■■■■■■■■■■