Cro-Mags - Age Of Quarrel: 40 Years Of Quarrel

As the band who defined New York Hardcore 40 years ago, Harley Flanagan takes a look back at his legendary debut album that kickstarted the whole scene.
There are few albums in hardcore history that hold as much weight as The Age of Quarrel. The album served to define the sound of crossover hardcore and punk with fast and aggressive energy with the heaviness of metal. As the album turns 40, Harley Flanagan comes back to it with Age of Quarrel: 40 Years of Quarrel. Obviously there is a lot of risk involved in re-recording such an influential album, but Flanagan has never been one to play it safe.

This album goes far beyond just celebrating the album’s 40th anniversary. During development on his documentary Harley Flanagan: Wired for Chaos, the inability to licence the original recordings meant that certain songs needed to be re-recorded. Eventually this developed into a full re-recording.

Flanagan has brought together some interesting names. Original guitarist Doug Holland, along with ex-Cro-Mags/Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Rocky George. Current guitarist Dave Sharp and Sepultura drummer Greyson Nekrutman all help bring the album up to date. Meg Mills from Turnstile and Zach Blair from Rise Against provide guest features showing how far the album has influenced people. Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Blood Incantation) provides production and mixing.

This isn’t a copy of the original album. Rizk gives the songs more depth, clarity and heaviness whilst keeping those raw elements. There is plenty of bass, aggressive guitar and tight rhythm sections throughout. Nekrutman’s drumming really helps to bring things to life with speed and powerful groove.

“We Gotta Know” kicks off with some aggressive riffing from Holland and Sharp. From the get-go you know what to expect. The song has a good balance of metal and hardcore. “World Peace” has that familiar drive. “Show You No Mercy” and “Malfunction” show how well the band can switch between aggression and slower crushing sections. “Street Justice”, “Survival OF the Streets” and “Hard Times” are shorter bursts of aggression providing those raw hit.

Elsewhere, "It's the Limit" really benefits from Meg Mills. She adds another modern hardcore voice to the track which sounds fresh. “Life of My Own” is one the best examples of how well the band can mix punk energy with metal filled choruses. “Seekers of the Truth” with Rocky George and Rizk really push the metal side of the album. “Face the Facts” and “By Myself” keep the pace relentless and “Signs of the Times” wraps up the main part of the album with a reminder of how the album still has social frustrations.

One of the most interesting things about this album is how much the themes of anger, isolation and challenging authority still resonate. The album was based around a very specific New York Hardcore scene, but the messages within the songs still feel relevant.

A nice bonus track is "Everybody's Gonna Die". This was recorded during the bands 1985 demo days and gives a little insight into the beginnings of the band.

Obviously this doesn’t change how important the original Age of Quarrel was. The original 1986 recording had a real chemistry that couldn’t be copied. However, this band has a lot more experience having spent decades in the music industry and hardcore scene. This album acknowledges the difference.

Overall this album works because it has a point. It celebrates an album that helped shape hardcore, introduces the album to a new generation and most importantly it is a personal attempt from Harley Flanagan to tie up some loose ends.Whilst the original album wasn’t purely about the music, the music is the best argument as to why it was important.

This isn’t The Age of Quarrel. It was never going to be. But it is a heavy, convincing follow-up to one of hardcore’s defining albums. Some stories can’t be changed but sometimes they deserve a new chapter.