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The Warriors and Casey Jones…

The Warriors - Beyond the NoiseWow, yeah, holy shit... despite its minor setbacks I knew from the moment I first heard The Warriors' debut album that the band had something special to offer, and they're certainly coming closer to fully realizing that vision on "Beyond the Noise", their latest full-length offering from Eulogy Recordings. Aside from the unique vocals and a few chunky metallic hardcore rhythms this material sounds very little like The Warriors of old. Make no mistake though, that's actually not a bad thing, they've just kind of morphed into this much more developed unit that's dealing in far more of a post-hardcore sort of territory—one where surging rhythms and the intense layering of dissonant melodies and lightly caustic guitar textures lay the foundation for intriguingly arranged vocal patterns that continue to differentiate the band from their contemporaries. Though in all truth, at this rate they're not going to have many "contemporaries" left, because few others are really doing this kind of thing at the moment.

It's cool, too, because in a lot of cases "post-hardcore" is almost like code for "wimpy" on some level, you know? Admit it, even if it's great, most bands that are deemed "post-hardcore" are tagged as such because their music is "hardcore, but not that hard", right? But this record is still pretty damn hard in many respects, there's just no denying that it's on another level, and I'll be damned if the nature of the good majority of these riffs wouldn't have put this album more at home in the mid-90's alongside Orange 9mm and company (but that's not a comparison, just a point of reference). Oh, and it's also worth noting that these days the band's sounding fuller and more efficient in the production realm as well, and the recording on this outing is indeed another impressive step forward. Slick layout with handwritten lyrics and all that, too. This is just a damn well done album all around, to the point where I'm actually really fuckin' curious to see what's gonna come of it. I was seriously shocked when I first popped this thing in. Great work... I'm impressed.

The Warriors "Dice Game"
The Warriors "Re-Vital-Eyes"

If you dig the tracks please support the band and the label by buying the CD for yourself:

Eulogy Recordings
RevHQ
@ Very Distribution

Casey Jones - The MessengerAlso from Eulogy Recordings and also a shocking improvement is Casey Jones' newest record, "The Messenger". I'm not gonna lie, I liked "The Few, the Proud, the Crucial", but I don't know if I even have that disc anymore because it didn't hold up but so well over time, and in most cases I can't really hang with "humor" in my hardcore. There's still a degree of lightheartedness hanging around on this album, but it's a little more blatantly bitter and sarcastic this time around. Plus, from a musical standpoint this is a mixed bag that jumps from the crunchy and relatively straightforward metallic hardcore of old to some crazy melodic riffing that borders on having a Fat Wreck sort of pop-punk edge to it (in a good way). And believe me, there's more melody and catchiness than not on this thing, so... it's a pretty damn shocking change of pace, but damn if I'm not all for it.

Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same, so lyrically speaking the material's still pissed as hell and pulls no punches, with plenty of unrepentantly straightedge anthems and all that stuff. The older I get I'm finally starting to get a little bored of straightedge tunes, but at the same time I'm still surprised at how few bands there are currently keeping that whole niche alive, so I definitely hold an appreciation for those who choose to keep flying that flag. I kind of wish the recording was slightly more polished up around the edges, but it sounds pretty strong, and I'm digging the bulk of the songwriting enough for it to win out in the end. Hell, the entire disc's only about 27 minutes long, so... they keep the energy moving for the most part. Some of the riffs on this record are completely badass and totally up my alley, so I'm pretty psyched in that regard. Hopefully this is indicative of the direction the band will continue to explore in the future. Well done...

Casey Jones "1 Out of 3 Has an STD"
Casey Jones "Time's Up"

Hopefully a few other people will be as pleased as I am with the progression this band has made over the years, so if you're one of 'em then I wholly encourage you to pick up the disc for yourself:

Eulogy Recordings
RevHQ
@ Very Distribution

Comments

  1. OH FUCK YES! FUCK YES! FUCK YES!!!! Thank sweet Jesus! BOTH of these bands own!!! I got to see both of them with Evergreen Terrace at Epicenter in San Diego a year ago or so and both bands tore shit up! Especially THE WARRIIOOORRS!

    6.30.2006 | By Adrianoso

  2. *sigh* i think the new warriors is the biggest let down EVER. i get really sad when i listen to it casue i thought war is hell was perfect. had you handed me the cd and said listen to it id be like ehh this is pretty good i bet they could be something real good in the future. but since i know its the warriors i just think its a step behind. there are some minor parts that surpass war is hell for me but other than that it just bums me out.casey jones on the other hand has always been horrible.

    6.30.2006 | By phil d

  3. ohh yea samob has both of these cds in their distro if you acutally like them unlike me snatch them up at http://www.surpriseattackrecords.com/store

    6.30.2006 | By phil d

  4. Funny you should say that because thats exactly what I thought about War is Hell, “ehh this is pretty good i bet they could be something real good in the future.” Even though I’ve only listened to the mp3’s posted, I like the direction in which they are heading.I personally plan on buying the album so thanks for the link. As for Casey Jones, I thought they started off as a joke band?

    6.30.2006 | By Adrianoso

  5. I havent got the warriors yet but I’m looking forward to hearing it, but Andrew, didnt you review a H8INC CD on the old site and pan it??? Good call on picking up the CHorus disco, amazing band!

    6.30.2006 | By xbenx

  6. Yeah, I didn’t like that first H8 Inc. disc at all the first time around, I don’t recall why.  But I picked up both albums recently in a big lot of CD’s, and while the recordings could be a little more evenly mixed, the songs do the trick.  Go figure.  That happens every now and then, heh… my mistake, I guess!?

    6.30.2006 | By Andrew Aversionline

  7. Dude, I just heard the rerecorded or remastered (whichever it was) version of “War Is Hell” last week, and LOVED it, so when I heard that the new Warriors was very different, I was worried about what it would sound like. But I’m with you, this is a good bit better! “War Is Hell” is the first straight-up brutal mosh record I’ve liked in a long time—it reminds me of Fall Silent. This still has that feel, but these songs are way more complex, which just makes it more likely that I’m going to be able to enjoy them for a long time to come, instead of finding them boring. There’s still enough of the crunch from the first record for me to rock the fuck out to it the way I did to the first record. On the whole, I can’t see how this could be better than it is. Thanks for bringing this record to my attention.

    6.30.2006 | By Andrew TSKS

  8. where in the world did you get your hands on a Run Deveil Run “killing civilization” CD?  those aren’t easy to come by in the states.

    7.1.2006 | By EMS / COREGASM / SA MOB

  9. The Run Devil Run CD was in the same lot as the H8 Inc. CD’s mentioned above, among many others.  I bought like 20+ CD’s at one time, which was great, I rarely run into people selling lots that have a lot of stuff that I need…

    7.1.2006 | By Andrew Aversionline

  10. Not normally my kinda stuff, but The Warriors is now a much purchase! Thanks Andrew! Anyone else pick up on the Rage Against the Machine vibe of these Warriors tunes?

    7.1.2006 | By SadoGoat

  11. EMS, I’m the one who sold him that RDR CD, and will go on record as a music critic/motorcycle journalist saying they’re one of the most crucial, and criminally under-rated, bands ever.  I got the disc (and a killer “Killing Civilization” shirt) when RDR opened for Madball in Akron, OH in September of 1998. I still have a list of other odd stuff for sale.  Hit my blogger profile and email me if you’re interested in seeing the list.

    7.2.2006 | By Johnny

  12. Johnny, Oh yeah man, Run Devil Run were some good times.  Many of my friends still LOOOVE that band.  I was actually at that show in Akron with RDR & Madball.  I can’t recall any of the other bands that played.  If I remember correctly though Madball were pretty drunk.  I think Beto was on guitar at that time.

    7.2.2006 | By EMS / COREGASM / SA MOB

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