Warrior
Warrior is a Classic Melodic Metal band who draws influence from the 80's Metal scene in the veins of Black Sabbath, Ozzy, and Dokken. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Warrior is a clone or exact copy of the aforementioned bands but there are some recognizable similarities present.
When looking to purchase a copy of Warrior's debut, It's obvious that they are not the only band with the same name. One shouldn't confuse Warrior with their secular counterpart- who have four releases to date with one titled 'The Code Of Life', featuring Rob Rock on vocals.
When looking to purchase a copy of Warrior's debut, It's obvious that they are not the only band with the same name. One shouldn't confuse Warrior with their secular counterpart- who have four releases to date with one titled 'The Code Of Life', featuring Rob Rock on vocals.
With the band's name and the band's attire along with their lyrics that show their servitude, we can easily draw a connection to 2 Timothy 2:4 which states:
4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
In 2004 Warrior released their independent debut full-length album titled 'The Battle Has Started'. OK I admit, the album's cover doesn't look very original with the band members sporting Kiss like makeup. With that said, it's interesting that way back in history we find that the 'Picts' were an early tribal confederation in Scotland who used to don their warriors in facial paint to put fear into the hearts of their enemies. This was alluded to with the release of the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson donning the famous blue facial war paint. Maybe Warrior is trying to put fear into the enemy of darkness with their message of light and hope for all the world to hear.
Warrior might not get high marks for their cover art but they show a sense of humor in not taking themselves too seriously which is reflected in some of the band's tunes as well. I'm reminded of an old saying - 'you can't judge a book by its cover' which I believe applies here with Warrior's debut release. One thing the cover art does do a good job of is letting us know the period and style of music that the band is performing which falls into the 80's Metal realm.
Warrior might not get high marks for their cover art but they show a sense of humor in not taking themselves too seriously which is reflected in some of the band's tunes as well. I'm reminded of an old saying - 'you can't judge a book by its cover' which I believe applies here with Warrior's debut release. One thing the cover art does do a good job of is letting us know the period and style of music that the band is performing which falls into the 80's Metal realm.
With one listen of this release one will find that there's a captivating electrifying energy in the arrangements throughout this disc that will lift one up and get you moving. This energy is found in every aspect from the Vocals to the Guitars to the Bass and Drums.
Lead Vocals are handled by fronman Tad Donley who delivers up a clean mid to upper-range delivery along with the hooks to keep one coming back for more. There are frequent moments where he sounds very similar to well known vocalist Ozzy Osbourne without drawing such a strong comparison as artist 'David Benson' is known for. Speaking of Vocals, there's an interesting dynamic present throughout this release in the vocal harmonies found in the lead and backing vocals to where it reminds one of such bands like The Beach Boys.
Guitars are handled by frontman Tad Donley and sounds as if there are two guitarist present due to a wonderful technique called overdubbing. Donley is no amateur when it comes to the axe which he wields with the skill of a well trained warrior. What we find here is Driving riffs, 80's noodling, plenty of solos, Doom like guitar play all mixed together to produce a beautiful slab of Metal.
On this 2004 release, the skins are pounded by percussionist Keith Coleson. The drums play a big part for Warrior helping to capture that big Arena Rock sound that was so prevalent in the 80's Metal scene. If I had to make a comparison to Coleson's style of play I would have to say it's similar to Mick Brown(Dokken).
The Bass is handled by Michael Goodnight who lays down some heavy bass lines adding the right injections of heaviness to this killer project.
The tune "I Want A Walmart Girl" was a big hit for the band as it tore up the radio and internet charts upon its release. With this tune, the band reflects some humor showing that not every tune has to be all out serious.
"I Want A Walmart Girl"
She's Not Afraid To Go Out In A Black Miniskirt
But You'll See Her Every Sunday In Her Favorite Church
She's Nice And Normal, Sensible, And Down To Earth
She's Not Afraid To Love, Even Though She's Been Hurt
She Doesn't Want Extravagance And Riches For Fun,
And I Know I Kind A Like Her
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
She Wants To Be Sexy, She Can Be Real Cool
She Grew Up In Her Town, And She's Nobody's Fool
She Really Loves Her People, And They Know Her Well
Once You Get To Know Her She Comes Out Of Her Shell
She Turned Around And Saw Me, And She Gave Me A Smile
I Can See It In Her Eyes..
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
While The Rest Of The World Is On A High-Crash Course
Trying To Get More Money - More Control Over Us
She Is Helping People - Wants It All To Slow Down
Trusting God To Help Her - She's The Queen Of Her Town
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
Her Morning Is Her Coffee And Her Pickup Truck
The Life She Built Around Her Is What She Made Up
I Gotta Get A Tire For My Formula One
Maybe She Will Be There Working, Having Fun
She Turned Around And Saw Me, And She Gave Me A Smile
I Can See It In Her Eyes...
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
"Right Here Right Now"
...The Bible says it's true that He loves you
Enough to send His Son to die and live
Hes coming soon
The loser wants to keep you from the Light
You tried your best to run from the pure love that gave you life
Right here right now
if you see the smile that is shown upon God's face
Right here right now
you can feel a love that you never can replace
you want to get to know Him
And He wants to show you how
I believe He's calling you
Right here Right now
Yea!!
I believe Hes calling you
Right here right now
She's Not Afraid To Go Out In A Black Miniskirt
But You'll See Her Every Sunday In Her Favorite Church
She's Nice And Normal, Sensible, And Down To Earth
She's Not Afraid To Love, Even Though She's Been Hurt
She Doesn't Want Extravagance And Riches For Fun,
And I Know I Kind A Like Her
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
She Wants To Be Sexy, She Can Be Real Cool
She Grew Up In Her Town, And She's Nobody's Fool
She Really Loves Her People, And They Know Her Well
Once You Get To Know Her She Comes Out Of Her Shell
She Turned Around And Saw Me, And She Gave Me A Smile
I Can See It In Her Eyes..
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
While The Rest Of The World Is On A High-Crash Course
Trying To Get More Money - More Control Over Us
She Is Helping People - Wants It All To Slow Down
Trusting God To Help Her - She's The Queen Of Her Town
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
Her Morning Is Her Coffee And Her Pickup Truck
The Life She Built Around Her Is What She Made Up
I Gotta Get A Tire For My Formula One
Maybe She Will Be There Working, Having Fun
She Turned Around And Saw Me, And She Gave Me A Smile
I Can See It In Her Eyes...
I Want A Walmart Girl
I Want A Walmart Girl
"Right Here Right Now"
...The Bible says it's true that He loves you
Enough to send His Son to die and live
Hes coming soon
The loser wants to keep you from the Light
You tried your best to run from the pure love that gave you life
Right here right now
if you see the smile that is shown upon God's face
Right here right now
you can feel a love that you never can replace
you want to get to know Him
And He wants to show you how
I believe He's calling you
Right here Right now
Yea!!
I believe Hes calling you
Right here right now
One thing that sets Warrior above other bands is that there's no question as to whom these warriors are serving with their overtly Christ centered message. If you are into classic bands of the 80's like Black Sabbath and even enjoy bands like Weezer or Rez then I can see you finding this album very enjoyable. Grab your axe, don your facial paint, put on your body Armour, and prepare for war because The Battle Has Started!
Musicians:
Tad Donley–Lead Vocals & Guitars
Michael Goodnight–Bass
Guest Musicians:
Keith Coleson–Drums
Doug Webb–Drums
Steve Sparks-Bass
Tad Donley–Lead Vocals & Guitars
Michael Goodnight–Bass
Guest Musicians:
Keith Coleson–Drums
Doug Webb–Drums
Steve Sparks-Bass