Cro-Mags - Best Wishes
Review: All good things must end, and those that burn brightest last least, as they reach an apex and detonate. When that occurs yet external pressure persists an analogue must be made forgoing goals for the methods that once achieved them, plus randomness of musicians casting about for inspiration in technique, creating an amalgam of past visions ungrasped and current influences not quite internalized. The resulting salad confuses: appropriately, the Cro-Mags return with an album that has as many bits of Metallica's "Ride the Lightning" as past punk glories, including a saturation of solos, catchier choruses and smoother vocals. While the vocals on the original were annoying, now they are insincere; while the instrumentalism and musical knowledge are greater, they fill a void of momentum that limply gestures at an idea once not quite remembered in time for its creation. Avoid this album.
