Genuine Sense of Outrage

Unlike most pedestrian hardcore bands, the Warriors write songs (generally real good songs, in fact) which just so happen to be fueled predominantly by the genre's undying spirit — plus lots of metallic underpinnings, some plain old hard rock hooks, and even spots of hip-hop, if you can believe that. Actually, more unbelievable is how their third opus, 2007's Genuine Sense of Outrage, consistently delivers the goods, song after song (see instant favorites "The Ruthless Sweep," "The Stone Grinds," and "Silence Is Bliss") without succumbing to hardcore's multiple clichés, and containing not a speck of emo — praise be! Guitarist and chief songwriter Javier Zarate nimbly orchestrates this feat from behind his versatile six-string, and even though he occasionally swerves into melodic singing and even rapping now and then (see "Life Grows Cold," "Belly," and others), vocalist Marshall Lichtenwaldt really only knows one emotional state: psychotically irate. But hey, it works just fine with the Warriors' similarly fuming musical backdrops, and Lichtenwaldt is always kind enough to enunciate, so all can share in his personal pet peeves. Add the endorsement provided by guest performers like Comeback Kid's Andrew Neufeld (he's on here somewhere), Sick of It All's Lou Koller ("Mankind Screams") and — good God! — Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister ("Price of Punishment"), and the Warriors show they've accumulated quite a lot of credibility on the heels of their three excellent albums, of which Genuine Sense of Outrage is arguably the best.