Best Wishes (Cro-Mags album)
| Best Wishes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Cro-Mags | ||||
| Released | April 26, 1989 | |||
| Recorded |
1988-89 at Normandy Sound, Warren, Rhode Island, USA | |||
| Genre |
Thrash metal crossover thrash | |||
| Length | 33:09 | |||
| Label |
Profile Records Another Planet 1994 reissue | |||
| Producer | Chris Williamson | |||
| Cro-Mags chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Best Wishes is the second album by New York hardcore band, Cro-Mags. It was released on April 26, 1989 on Profile Records and was subsequently re-released on Another Planet – along with their debut album, The Age Of Quarrel, on the same disc.
The album's cover reflected the band's interest in the Hare Krishna religion which started with previous singer John Joseph and then carried on through Harley Flanagan who also became a devotee. The Krishna faith was ultimately the demise of the band, as the contradiction of a faith of pacifism against the violence of the band's music was often even too much for the band members to handle. However, before this, in 1992, their next album, Alpha Omega, saw the return of John Joseph to the Cro-Mags fold, and an even further gravitation towards a metal sound.
Overview
After the short, sharp bursts of song encountered on their previous album, 1986's The Age Of Quarrel, this album saw a complete change of style as Cro-Mags entered the crossover thrash and thrash metal arena, complete with guitar solos. The songs also became longer – averaging around four minutes, whereas over half of Quarrel's songs came in under the two-minute mark. There were two line-up changes from the previous album – most notably, John Joseph's departure paved the way for Harley Flanagan to take up both bass and vocal duties. Flanagan's was a very different vocal style and it further juxtaposed the band's image from straightout hardcore punk to a more metal sound. Another change was Pete Hines coming in on drums.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Death Camps" | Harley Flanagan, Doug Holland, Pete Hines | 5:22 |
| 2. | "Days Of Confusion" | Flanagan | 2:19 |
| 3. | "The Only One" | Flanagan, Paris M Mayhew | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Down But Not Out" | Flanagan, Mayhew | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Crush The Demoniac" | Flanagan, Holland, Mayhew | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Fugitive" | Flanagan, Holland, Mayhew | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Then And Now" | Flanagan, Hines | 3:12 |
| 8. | "Age Of Quarrel" | Flanagan | 4:45 |
Total length: |
33:09 | ||
Personnel
- Cro-Mags
- Harley Flanagan – vocals, bass
- Parris Mitchell Mayhew – guitar
- Doug Holland – guitar
- Pete Hines – drums
- Production
- Recorded in 1988-1989 at Normandy Sound, Warren, Rhode Island, USA
- Produced by Chris Williamson
- Engineered by Tom Soares
- Assistant engineered by Jamie Locke
- Mixed by Chris Williamson and Tom Soares
- Further assistance by Robert Windsor
- Original cover illustration by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
- Additional production
- Re-issue remastered by Alan Douches at West Westside Music
References
- ↑ Best Wishes at AllMusic