Review: Cro-Mags

Cro-Mags
The Final Quarrel: Live at CBGB 2001

MVD Visual
Street: 08.28

I’m not going to pretend to say I know a lot about NYC hardcore, my expertise pretty much runs into the realm of Agnostic Front. I can however say that I own a couple Cro-Mags records and was excited to check out this DVD of the final Cro-Mags show fittingly at CBGB’s filmed in 2001. The set features pretty much all of the Age of Quarrel album as well as some other classic Cro-Mags tunes as well as a cover of The Ramones “Bliztkrieg Bop,” which is actually pretty cool to see sped up to hardcore intensity. While not surprisingly the quality of the set is pretty much bootleg quality, the camera angles are few and the sound mixing is poor, pretty much like it was filmed on a fans camcorder or something, not to mention the damn lighting is horrific more than half the time you can’t even see anything except darkness. Then again the Cro-Mags albums were never really produced so why expect a fine-tuned DVD show, it pretty much just shows them in their raw glory. As a bonus to the DVD is a full set from Cro-Mags bassist Harley Flannigan’s band Harley’s War which ironically has better sound mixing, more camera angles and better lighting, go figure. Add some extra videos and Harley talking about CBGB’s and it’s effect on the NYC hardcore scene as well as the international hardcore realm. This DVD release is definitely for the die-hards that don’t mind poor production values. -Bryer Wharton