Wednesday, September 02, 2009

We Are The Government! And We Rock 'N' Roll ...

Warrior Soul are another under-rated band, performing darkly bleak rock n roll. Taking the venom of old school punk into the their spirited style of hard rock and we get a hauntingly bleak form of rock sometimes referred to as Acid Punk.

I first heard Warrior Soul with the video of "Wasteland" on the Power Hour on Much Music. I was enthralled by all the bleeps throughout the song as well as thinking Kory Clarke had great hair (and quite possibly the inspiration for me to grow mine out). I picked up "Drugs, God and the New Republic" and was instantly hooked. This is one of my all time favourite albums.

Unlike the bands oppressive debut (which features my favourite Warrior Soul song "Losers") "Last Decade, Dead Century" as well as their 3rd album "Salutations From The Ghetto nation", "Drugs, God and The New Republic" has a more upbeat rock n roll vibe. That's not to say it's poppy. Far from it. This album is bleak and rage-filled. The difference is that "Drugs..." is flat out rock.

Kicking off with the thunderous "Intro" almost hypnotic in its rhythm and we seamlessly transition into the rocker "Interzone". "Rocket 88", "Real Thing" and the standout song "Wasteland" are flat out fist-pumping rock songs. "Wasteland" stands out due to its melodic bridge.

Melody is not sacrificed one bit here. It is interspersed throughout the entire album making every song memorable and adds loads of conviction. The title track, "The Answer" and "Man Must Live As One" are solid examples of good melodic hard rock. "Hero" is as close to a ballad as you'll get here and is passionate music with thoughtful lyrics. The album closer is this albums call to arms. "Children Of The Winter" is a moving piece chalked full of conviction and a poignant way to end the album.

With an album this good how can I pick a favourite track? Obvious choices are the title track whose bleak hooks that are quite moving and "The Wastelands" blend of kick ass rock and passionate melodies. However, the song I tend to repeat is the thunderously dark and super heavy "Jump For Joy". This song could have easily slipped into cheesy territory, but the band pulls it off powerfully.

It's great when I hear a song that I must buy the album for, but rarely does the album blow away that single. Warrior Soul's "Drugs, God And The New Republic" is just that album and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves outstanding and unique rock n roll.


0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home