If The Warriors are afraid that people forgot about them, then Monomyth, their first album in nearly a decade, will answer that question. And simply put, the answer is no, they’re not forgotten.
Frontman Marshall Lichtenwaldt said in a press release, “I don’t know if people still remember us. It’s been a long time.” Which is true. The Tehachapi, Calif., hardcore legends haven’t released a record since 2011 when they were with Victory Records. Now with Pure Noise Records, home of heavy hitters like UnityTX, Stick To Your Guns, and Knocked Loose, who were influenced by The Warriors, they are back to show that they aren’t dead and are ready to reclaim what’s theirs.
Monomyth was inspired by the hero’s journey concept that was popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With A Thousand Faces. This album features 12 songs that follow the stages the hero takes, much like the 12 stages in the hero’s journey, starting with the Ordinary World (“All Life Is One”) and ending with the Return With The Elixir (“Last S.O.S.”) The Warriors take the listener on this journey, and it’s up to you to figure out if we learn something from this. Fueled by Eastern philosophies and meditative teachings, Monomyth is the most bizarre record from these guys to date. Hell, it might be the weirdest hardcore album to date.
The album begins with “All Life Is One,” a track fueled by militaristic drums and electronic elements that hype you up for the upcoming journey. It sets you up for what you’ll hear throughout Monomyth: hard hitting mid-2000s hardcore mixed with electronic elements. Sometimes it works (“The Painful Truth”) and other times it bombs horribly (“Fountain Of Euth.”) And unlike the concept of ying and yang, it never really seems to find the perfect balance to make both work.
Monomyth has some pretty heavy hitters on the record like “The Painful Truth” which features Parkway Drive’s Winston McCall, “Death Ritual” featuring Xibalba’s Nate Rebolledo, and “Iron Mind.” But it falls flat the most with “Fountain Of Euth,” having The Movielife’s Vinnie Caruana’s vocals pitched over this trap beat for some godawful reason. It doesn’t flow well with the rest of the album and feels like you hit a brick wall. Not everyone can make trap beats work well with hardcore, unless you’re UnityTX, which The Warriors clearly aren’t.
Throughout the 12 tracks on Monomyth, we go through this weird journey which makes you wonder if you ever want to go on it another time. You do get a feel for the emotion and energy the band pump into each song. The messages the band try to push on this record do hit hard, but some of the songs don’t hit as hard as their past material. While I’m glad The Warriors are back, Monomyth feels like a weird misstep. Maybe the next journey won’t be so bumpy.
Punk Goes Prenatt 