Ok, I know you just saw the cover of this album before you started reading
this review. Before I get to that let's discuss the band themselves and the music. Warrior started in 1999
under the name Reign. Shortly after...the band doesn't say how long, they changed their name to Warrior.
The band plays a dirty, gritty, hard rock/metal mixture. Musically they are not all that bad. They have a pretty
heavy sound with a pretty catchy feel to most of the tunes. Vocally, Tad Donley, while not being the best vocalist in
the world, puts forth a fairly strong and passionate performance with his somewhat gruff clean vocals.
Now to the other things...first off, you may be wondering why this band is named Warrior when
their is another band named Warrior on Nuclear Blast Records that sported Rob Rock on vocals on a recent album. Well,
to my knowledge the Warrior on NB has been around a lot longer than this Warrior as is evidenced by the fact that they had
recorded albums before this Warrior even started as the band Reign.
Next, I want to address the band's image. Before I get ugly e-mails from fans, I want
you to know that I am not trying to address the band's intentions. They may have perfectly good intentions and they
may sincerely be trying to spread the gospel and I applaude them for that. However, they look like absolute morons!
Face paint is one thing that I don't mind, but these guys need some serious help. They are easily....EASILY...losing
the attention of over half the people they are trying to reach with the gospel as soon as those people see the album cover
for this disc. Are they getting extra attention because of it that they wouldn't normally get? Probably.
But is all that attention good and positive? I would guess no. Another thing is that the band calls themselves
"America's Rock Band". I beg to differ, as this band IS NOT what I want to represent me and my country
and our music. Not that they don't have some talent musically, but the image just kills any respect at all that I may
have for their musical abilities.
Lyrically the band is very bold for Christ. Some of their lyrics are actually pretty decent
at times. The opening song "Cry as One" states, "Jesus says there's nothing good in you/Satan laughs as you've been
played the fool/Thinking you're too good to be in Hell/Has left you a key resting next to your cell." Not incredible
writing, but it's definitely something that will make you think if you are one of the ones out there that believe the
crazy lie that you can get to Heaven by just "being good".
Now before we heap too much praise on the band, there is something that is on the front of the
album cover that made me bust out laughing when I saw it: "Featuring the Hit: I Want a Wal-Mart Girl." Now after
reading the lyrics I found out that the song is about a guy that is wanting a more normal, down-to-earth kinda girl that goes
to church, etc. The song is actually very catchy with some pretty cool, swirling background vocals and good guitar solo.
However, it just makes it extremely difficult to take a band seriously that has a song like that.
I will admit that my wife and I got some seriously, gut-busting laughs in while listening to that song and viewing the album
cover on the first day I got this disc.
One more thing, in the band's bio it talks about how they won a contest and got to open up in
front of 22,000 fans at a Carmen/Avalon concert. THAT I would've paid to see!! If you think Napoleon Dynamite
was a good laugh, seeing Warrior in their face paint and Carmen and his "show" would've been too much to take. And before
you Warrior fans get your panties in a wad, I'll reiterate what I said earlier. I am not questioning the band's intentions.
They may truly be trying to do a good thing with this band. However, this reviewer is finding it hard to believe that
grown adults can seriously think they are cool doing this. This is the exact kinda stuff that makes many non-Christians
continue to believe that Christians playing heavy music is nothing but a joke. (Review by Matt)
