First Strike

Life is full of charming little surprises, and this band, which shares a name with a notorious glam rock act, is among the more potent examples. This German speed metal powerhouse doesn’t have any interest in cherry pies, unless of course they are filled with violence and fury of the kind normally attributed to the likes of Accept, Running Wild, Iron Angel and early Helloween. All the usual trappings of leather clad gladiators, occult references of the more comically unsubtle variety, and fast paced guitar brilliance are present and amplified to the same level of concentration as the famed Metallica debut “Kill Em’ All”, but mercifully in a shorter, less repetitious package.

This little EP came as something of an appetizer for the main course which would be the 1985 LP debut “The Enforcer”, tragically the band’s lone full length offering before their implosion, and actually manages to supplant it by sticking to what works. In much the same way as the Queensryche self-titled EP did, this little collection of slayers wastes little time beating around the bush and goes straight for the speed and power factor. “Satan”, “Condemned Forever” and “Bang That Head” assault from the onset with machine-guns ablaze as palm muted tremolo riffs and relentless double bass thunder paint the background upon which a flamboyant array of lead guitar breaks, gruff shouts and banshee wails dominate the fold.

On the few occasions where things seem to settle down for a brief respite, emphasis should be made upon the “brief” part of the respite. “Ready To Command” only takes the tempo down to an upper-mid tempo assault, bringing in a riff set along similar lines to a “2 Minutes To Midnight” Maiden meets “Fear No Evil” Grim Reaper approach. Likewise, the lone deviation from the electric guitar steeped mayhem that occurs at the onset of “Scavenger’s Daughter” proves to be little more than a short Spanish guitar prelude before launching into an even more vicious speed riff assault than the 3 previously mentioned pure speed metal anthems, with twice the solos and wails to go with it. This song is actually one of the more amazing songs ever produced by the German scene in the mid 80s, and stands quite tall next to the likes of Running Wild’s early offerings, among others of similar prestige.

The fact that this band wasn’t able to stay in the game for little more than 2 albums is a travesty by all measures. Thankfully due to the recent resurgence in the 80s sound of both the vintage speed and Teutonic thrash styles, Warrant has actually reformed and has become active on the live circuit yet again. What better way to commemorate the resurrection of a largely underrated era of metal than to track down a copy of this nice little EP; or at least tracking it down online for further review. Anyone with even a mild familiarity with the mid 80s German sound that was just slightly lighter than Kreator, but still heavier than a crate full of sledgehammers should be familiar with this band.

If you find yourself disappointed with a lot of the short length releases out of the 80's because of the limited amount of content they offer (basically, the short length of many releases. and let's assume you like Warrant here) you could essentially throw this EP together with Warrant's The Enforcer and basically get an extended experience with the band and their works. This EP goes hand in hand with their follow up album and together, they make up what Warrant were all about pretty well. Because of this, I'd suggest reading my review for The Enforcer along with this one since I'll keep this a little short and straight to the point:
http://www.metal-archives.com/review.php?id=6703#75829

Overall every track here would not have sounded out of place if they would've ended up on The Enforcer, though there are a few differences worth noting. The vibe and pacing to this EP reminds me of Running Wild's debut Gates to Purgatory more than its follow up. It's still pretty damn heavy and has those (sometimes silly, but fun) satanic intents, but the speed elements don't seem fully developed or just aren't as big of a focus as they are on The Enforcer. I'd be lying if I said this isn't speed metal though, but let's just say that in the end The Enforcer seems a bit more fierce and faster. The variety here is very comparable to a lot of Running Wild's works, you've got a nice slab of traditional metal with some faster segments and tracks thrown in between to change it up and they're all great (oddly enough, the riffs on Condemned Forever sound like something Running Wild would come up with in their mid-pirate era). Also with the exception of Scavenger's Daughter and Bang That Head, Jörg's vocals don't sound as aggressive and instead he sounds a little clearer and sometimes more emotional. He doesn't seem to shriek or go all out as often as he does with their next release, but still does an amazing job at the mic.

A similar aspect between the two releases is the production which is also like it's follow up, just incredible for its time compared to a lot of other German debuts from 1985. The production and mix on this EP pretty much sounds just as good as the stuff on their follow up release. The re-release comes with two bonus tracks at the end that are pretty awesome, though they seem a bit different. I wonder if they're newer tracks that Warrant recorded somewhere in between the late 80's and early 90's. Both are excellent bonus tracks that seem to show a slightly different side to the band.

Simply put, this is awesome traditional/speed metal in the vein of early Venom / Running Wild-esque stuff. If you've heard The Enforcer and enjoyed it then definitely check this out and vice versa, I'd say if you've heard one it's essential to hear the other. Bang That Head is definitely one of Warrant's best and most unforgettable numbers, those buildups and the chorus are truly memorable. Warrant - A very solid, short lived, and underrated German speed metal act.