PacManY2J's Full Review: The Warrior's Code by Dropkick Murphys
2004 finally brought some mainstream attention to the Dropkick Murphys, at least in New England where Tessie became a rally cry for Red Sox fans. Now the Murpys look to further the momentum with a new album. The Warrior's Code certainly could continue to attract new fans, but their latest release is just as certain to appease longtime fans of this rowdy Irish punk rock outfit.
Quite a few of The Warrior's Code's songs hark back to the band's first two albums by providing fast, hard, no frills punk. Sure songs like Your Spirit's Alive, The Walking Dead and the title track contain catchy choruses and Irish instruments, but they feel a lot like those older, straight-up punk tunes. Citizen C.I.A. is not only one of the album's heaviest but it is also one of the most political, as they blast the Central Intelligence Agency: "Now I've trained an army for my kids to fight one day/ We'll teach them all our secrets and then we'll walk away."
But perhaps the album's most political song is also its most depressing. On their version of the Eric Bogle-penned The Green Fields of France, they wisely choose to forgo any punk stylings. Piano, pipes, and Al Barr's sorrowful conversation at the grave of a fallen World War I soldier make this song strikingly poignant: "And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind?/ In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined?" Though this song is certainly timeless, it's clear that this condemnation of war is meant to be topical as well.
Further sentimentality on this album is contained in much more rousing tunes. Your Spirit's Alive pays homage to the Murphys' good friend Greg "Chickenman" Riley as well as two Boston hockey stars who were killed on 9/11. The title track, along with the cover art, is a tribute to Boston boxing legend Mickey Ward. The Burden, heard in acoustic form on the Tessie single, is plugged in for The Warrior's Code and just as brilliant in rockin' style. And Last Letter Home is a hard-rocking yet heartbreaking song dedicated to a soldier who died in Iraq and had asked that the Murphys play Fields of Athenry at his funeral.
But have no fear: there's plenty of fun to be had when listening to this rowdy album. Wicked Sensitive Crew references Rocky movies and the dude from the Darkness while complaining about today's lack of tough guys. Sunshine Highway is possibly the poppiest DKM song to date, but it rocks hard enough to not be soft. Instead its catchy-as-hell chorus makes it the summer-driving song of 2005. Of course, the Irish flavor is strong as evidenced by songs like The Auld Triangle; Captain Kelly's Kitchen with its famous chorus of "Me toora loora la/ Me toora loora laddie;" and I'm Shipping Up to Boston, a drunken sailor anthem written by Woody Guthrie. And yes, the curse-reversing Red Sox anthem Tessie is included, complete with Joe Castiglione's call of the final out.
Aside from The Green Fields of France, there isn't much that's completely different. The Warrior's Code gives us the same Murphys we love: fast and catchy punk, fun cover choices, hometown pride, and touching yet hard-rocking sentimentality. Mark my word: passing on this one merits a left hook to the jaw.
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