Cry Havoc – “And Let Slip The Dogs Of War”
Cry Havoc is an American war drama film from 1943.
Cry Havoc is a Connecticut hardcore band from now.
Cry Havoc comes from the land of the fruitful punk bands where they grow so rich and full on the vine, full of goodness and nutrients all ripe for the plucking. We have so many bands we love from Connecticut topped with the Damn Broads and M-13. But these guys would probably be tops in any other state we cover and, whatever state you happen to be in, I’d be surprised if you didn’t like them as much as we do.
But what’s up with their singer, Johnny Disaster? Listening to him is like listening to the deranged rantings of a mad man.
But really, Johnny is not a disaster waiting to happen but more-so, waiting to deliver all the greatness of passion and punk and realness and hard hitting fury that’s true and pure and hits you like a volcanic eruption of guts, feeling and emotion spewing all over your modern listening devices.
Like the one you’re listening to now. Let’s clean this mess up and check out a few.
This song “See Something Say Something” starts like you woke up with a hurricane going through your ears. Double time drumming with a sustained blur of guitars and bass blarin’ while the hysterical vocals shoot pass you like a disturbed ventriloquist on speed. The intensity, power and passion is only let up slightly in the chorus allowing three chords to ring out while “It’s always there,” is shouted before heading back into the eye of the storm. Towards the end the drums continue alone a bit until the vocals come in careening off the walls while the sinister, menacing intro is revisited and then this powerful song of emotion crashes into a mountain, or drops off a cliff into the sea or maybe, is blown to smithereens in front of your very eyes.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01-See Something Say Something.mp3|titles=See Something Say Something]“Diseased Mind” starts with a sound bite from one of my favorite movies- Taxi Driver. And there’s Travis Bickle going, “I think the president should just clean up this whole mess here and just flush it right down the fuckin’ toilet.” A gloomy bass line starts this song off until a dissonant guitar line slices in recalling the Dead Kennedy’s to me. “Okay, here we go,” starts off a descending chord change and some back up shouts aid the volatile vocals while the rhythm section pushes the guitar lick along. A short instrumental part is met by the vocals and then a headlong rush to the end. “I got some bad ideas in my head.” but now I have this great tune, as well.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/04-Diseased Mind.mp3|titles=Diseased Mind]“Broken History” starts with a whirling firestorm of drums pounding, vocals screaming, basses clanging and guitars swarming like a nest of angry bees being disturbed. The passion hurdles onward picking up some guttural screams along the way. Then a little breakdown with a calm beat and calm vocals but a “Fuck you” brings back a four chord march to oblivion. And a sharp tag of an ending to finish off this terrific tune.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/16-Broken History.mp3|titles=Broken History]“We Were” starts mildly with some nice arpeggiated guitar chords and some notes cascading over them. The beat stays moderate but the hysterical vocals come in which seems to tell the tale of hardcore. “We were punks, we were kids…we were straight edge, we were drunks.” After a great chorus the verse returns. “Why the fuck do we conform/ It’s not supposed to be like this.” What follows is a spoken word part about uniting instead of “squabbling amongst ourselves and let’s fuckin’ have a good fuckin’ time.” It returns with a crashing, rushing push of, as Faulkner would say, sound and fury. “I’m wasting my life/ I’m wasting time.” It ends with a sound bite but wait! If you stick around to about the 4:05 mark a hidden track arrives. It’s their cover of “In Your Eyes” by Minor Threat which is my favorite song of my favorite hardcore band. And they do a difficult song to cover- great!
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/17-We Were.mp3|titles=We Were]Is Cry Havoc the last true hardcore band on our site? Maybe so. We have lots of heavy New York style ones and crossover metal/doom/ hardcore ones as well.
I’m probably exaggerating and there’s others but I will say that Cry Havoc, along with their state mates Damn Broads, are the best pure hardcore bands on our site, or at least they are my favorites.
And what’s wrong with that Johnny Disaster guy? Christ, he wears black war paint under his eyes like football players do or maybe Indians. And he smashes his forehead open during a song during every performance; all the while screaming like a homicidal maniac.
That’s the voice of the misfits, the losers, the outcasts from society. The nerds of the high school- the out crowd- away from the social proms, the popular kids and the football teams.
That’s not madness or if it is, it’s the frustration and anger we all share of a world that is not right, of a society that doesn’t care about the best things, about a life that’s compelled to celebrate it’s cruelty and unawareness, it’s failure to comprehend.
But sometimes you find something that makes it all a little better.
Sometimes you find something that speaks to you but it sounds like the words and thoughts are coming out of your own mouth, your own mind.
And for me….Well, that is….this CD.
(Slimedog)
