CRO-MAGS Release First New Song In Six Years, 'Wired For Chaos'

Rolling Stone magazine has premiered the official by Rex Miller-directed music video for CRO-MAGS' first new song in six years, "Wired For Chaos". The track — which shares a name with a recent documentary about CRO-MAGS frontman Harley Flanagan's life — will appear on the New York hardcore legends' upcoming album, which will be released in 2027 via BLKIIBLK, the heavy metal imprint of Frontiers Label Group.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Flanagan said about the "Wired For Chaos" song: "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."

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for the track, Harley said: "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."

This past March, Harley revealed that he was working on the band's new album with SEPULTURA drummer Greyson Nekrutman and acclaimed producer Arthur Rizk. Arthur had previously helmed LPs by KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE and SOULFLY, among others.

CRO-MAGS' most recent album, "In The Beginning", came out in June 2020 via Arising Empire and Mission Two Entertainment.

CRO-MAGS' "Don't Give In" EP was released in August 2019 via Victory Records. A second three-song EP, titled "From The Grave", arrived in December 2019.

The history of the CRO-MAGS is integral to the history of hardcore, its evolution from punk and the development of alternative music genres such as hardcore, cross-over, thrash metal, post punk and grunge, to name a few. Numerous iconic bands from METALLICA to GREEN DAY, and individuals such as Dave Grohl have credited CRO-MAGS with having had a primal influence on their development.

Born out of the violence and depravity of the Lower East Side of New York in the late '70s and early '80s, the CRO-MAGS was the brainchild of a very young Harley Flanagan (at the time 14 years old) when still playing with THE STIMULATORS. By 1982/83 he wrote and recorded the very first CRO-MAGS demos consisting of four songs that would become the blueprint for the seminal 1986 LP "Age Of Quarrel". He wrote all of the music, played each instrument and sang. Before long, he connected with Parris Mayhew and the two started writing music and auditioning band members.

Last October, Flanagan told George Miller of United Kingdom's Devolution Magazine about his songwriting process: "A lot of the stuff is actually written in the studio. Typically I'll go in with half the songs kind of formulated and the other half will just kind of happen, and then I'll just move a couple parts around, but that'll be the basis of the song. In fact, I find more often than not, those are the songs that come out the best because they're just burning; they're coming out right then and there. And then the good thing to do is to freestyle some vocals or whatever, and then come back to them and revisit them later with actual lyrics, and take it from there."

He added: "My process is still evolving. Who knows? Maybe that's why I haven't had any real success, because I haven't stuck to a formula long enough for people to sink their teeth into it. I don't know. But do you wanna be a successful artist or do you want to be a satisfied artist?"

The feature documentary "Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos", which charts his tumultuous life and survival, arrived in theaters in June 2025.

This past January, a freshly re-recorded version of the CRO-MAGS classic track "Hard Times" was made available online. The song arrived just in time for the 40th anniversary of the hardcore legends' "The Age Of Quarrel" debut album. This version, dubbed the "Wired for Chaos Session", also celebrates the aforementioned documentary film of the same name.

In addition to touring with his band CRO-MAGS all over the world, today Harley is a jiu-jitsu professor (under the tutelage of Master Renzo Gracie),devoted husband (having married a Park Avenue attorney) and the father of two sons.