Artist: Warrior Soul
Title: “Salutations From The Ghetto Nation”
Label: Escapi Music
Release Date: 3/14/2006
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 7/10

For the third album by Warrior Soul there would be more of a solid and straightforward heaviness than we found on the previous two recordings. Yes they had a N.Y.C. grit to them, but the edge in the sound was tempered with a fine mix of Hard Rock and Punk formula that for this group seemed to work very well. Singer Kory Clarke continues his lambasting of societies inequity and indifference with fervor and again gives you lyrics that offer you something to mull over at the end of the day. It’s 1992 when this release first hit the streets and I think the conscience provoking content of Warrior Soul music started to meet it’s match in the self-pitying “why me” dynamic thrust on the music world by the Seattle Sound. The listener was being pulled in directions were one side stressed “change this, it is broken” while the other side said “I’m like this because no one talks to me in school”. As a result far too many people didn’t get to hear perhaps the best produced of the bands initial work. Production was tight on this and while I still preferred the first two releases, there was a level of power in this one that was not to be denied.

The band remained Clarke, McClanahan, Ricco and Evans and was good to find that they were ever tighter on this album. Despite the larger public unawareness this was a group that was all over the New York and surrounding club circuits of the day. Notable tracks on this album were in my eyes the anthemic “Punk And Belligerent”, “Love Destruction” and “Ass Kickin’” (the latter track being what the band was aiming at from a largely politic charged mindset). My love of ballads also held “The Golden Shore” in my top choices from the album. The Warrior Soul remasters are great in overall sound and packaging and are perfect example of a band that had so much to offer but was not given the proper chance to shine based on the trying and turbulent musical times. They also include bonus tracks recorded live at the clubs, but these are more for the diehard as their sonic level is only so good. Do yourself a favor and pick up the first three albums by this band and see

Track Listing:
1. Love Destruction
2. Blown
3. Shine Like It
4. Dimension
5. Punk And Belligerent
6. Ass Kickin’
7. The Party
8. The Golden Shore
9. Trip Rider
10. I Love You
11. The Fallen
12. Ghetto Nation
13. Intro – live
14. Love Destruction – live
15. Blown – live

Official Web site: www.warriorsoul.com