I've always been pretty into Warzone. Even most of their Victory Records era stuff could hold my interest, but their self titled record on Caroline is most puzzling. Sometime in the late 90s, I was actually able to find a still sealed copy of Warzone's self titled record at a record store called For What It's Worth. The store was located in a suburb of Portland by the name of Beaverton. Even my Dad mentioned that he would make the trek out there occasionally when he was a teenager, but by the time I got my driver's license, they were mostly known for having a decent selection of imported CDs. Before getting really deep into hardcore, I would have my Mom drive me out there, so I could buy the Australian only versions of AC/DC's classic records with Bon Scott on vocals. However, one day in the late 90s, I decided to drive out to For What It's Worth, and as I was looking through their vinyl selection, I came across two very interesting finds: still sealed copies of B'last - The Power Of Expression, and Warzone - s/t. I had never heard the self titled Warzone record before, so I was equally as stoked on it as I was the B'last record, but that all soon got shot to shit when I got them home and gave them a first spin. This was unlike any Warzone I had ever heard before. There weren't really and fast parts to speak of, the solos were cheesy and seemed out of place, and Ray's vocals even seemed to be lacking. I quickly filed the record away, and haven't listened to it again until today, which is fitting since this is the 13th anniversary of Ray's death. After giving it another try today, I find that time has still not been kind to this record, and I would kind of like to strike it from my memory, or render it nothing more than an oddity in an otherwise great discography.
It was mentioned in a post today on
TeeTillDeath that there is a demo out there of these same songs, but played in a much more standard Warzone fashion. If anyone has those, and would be willing to hook it up, please get in touch with me: sitner.justin[at]gmail.com
Warzone - s/t[1989 - Caroline Records]
On a sidenote, I also never got to see Warzone live. They played here when I was 17 or 18, but it was at a bar, so myself and most of my friends couldn't go, but we figured they would for sure be back soon since a new record was out on Victory, but sure enough, Raybeez died just a few months later.
On a sidenote, I also never got to see Warzone live. They played here when I was 17 or 18, but it was at a bar, so myself and most of my friends couldn't go, but we figured they would for sure be back soon since a new record was out on Victory, but sure enough, Raybeez died just a few months later.
The cheesy-looking cover should have been an indication.
ReplyDeleteI love this record. I have the cd somewhere and I used to listen to it often. I even think it's better than the Victory releases and only matched by Don't Forget....
ReplyDeleteRaf
Did you ever come across the demo version of these songs that you mentioned in your post?
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing when I was super stoked to come up on this record used for like 4 bucks. Listened to it and kept anticipating a war zone fast break to a slow down break. That never materialized. I think of it as an oasis where you’re dying of thirst and imagine water at a distance and that distance never seems to get shorter. I put it on the back burner since my divorce in 2011 when I moved, boxed my shit, unpacked and decided to play it. Not a great record. It just seems like it was their liability to release a record for contract sake. No catchy riffs or singalongs. Unpacked and played it again as I’m separated again and in a new environment. Still no sizzle regardless of how much I want there to be some. 🤷🏽♂️
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