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Good lord. I've played air guitar and pumped my fist to War Is Hell an embarrassingly large number of times. The mid-paced crunch of this record regularly shoves me out of my plastic chair and directly into a wide-legged stance for some seriously animated participation. And when the monstrous breakdowns come to an end and I'm left standing in an awkward silence, I feel like an idiot. But I'm a satisfied and smiling idiot.
The Warriors, while not entirely progressive, have unleashed a lumbering beast of an album that is surprisingly unique. The band isn't going to, and likely didn't intend to, escape the metallic hardcore classification, but a formidable element of creativity is at work in their music. For the most part, the songs on War Is Hell are thick, heavy and retain a medium pace. While The Warriors quadruple the speed at times, muscular grooves form the foundation for the album. The Warriors are a hardcore band, but only a relatively small number of bands attempt it at this pace.
When the band is playing at their fastest speeds, the results sound reminiscent of older Stretch Arm Strong or Where Eagles Dare. Vocalist Marshall L. has a distinguished, high-pitched yell that absolutely bubbles with enthusiasm. When the music isn't moving so fast, The Warriors are at their best. The breakdowns are pleasingly straightforward and rhythmic. The guitarists, who often team up and play the same parts, produce a thick-as-molasses stream of chugs with some leads and picking patterns scattered throughout. War Is Hell is an accessible, heavy hardcore record that translated really well in the studio.
The opening song, "Slings and Arrows," is an uplifting slab of music; an engrossing song whose mosh parts had me hooked from the first listen. A number of tracks actually end up sounding very similar to Rage Against The Machine. This is especially true in "Red, Black and Blue," which opens with borderline rapped vocals. The title track stands apart with an unexpected but blatant Southern tinge to the guitar riffing and repeated shouts of "war is hell" to close the song. "Lightning Strikes Again" is the most consistently fast song on the record and its heavily melodic guitar parts bridge the comparison to today's prominent, melodic hardcore bands.
The message on War Is Hell is primarily of the positive variety, but some broad, socially relevant words add some value to songs like "Red, Black and Blue" and "War Is Hell." The lyrics are fairly eloquent, so some respect is due in that department. The Warriors have something great going here. While there's a traditional, metallic hardcore slant and loads of heart and character behind War Is Hell, the inventive qualities allow The Warriors to step above their competitors.
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