Band:	The Warriors
Album:	Beyond The Noise
Style:	Punk, Hardcore
Release date:	2006

01. Dice Game
02. I Won't
03. Downbeat
04. Interlude
05. Shaddows Of Birth
06. To Finally Feel
07. Habitual
08. Awakened
09. Interlude 2
10. Re-Vital-Eyes
11. Holding Sand
12. And Yet They Say...
13. Outro

The Warriors are a band from California and their sound combines elements of metal, hardcore and rap into one quite consistent whole. Indeed, the band is obviously influenced heavily by alternative metal bands such as Rage Against The Machine or Stuck Mojo and this is very clearly audible on their latest album Beyond The Noise.

Although it is popular amongst metal fans to hate anything even remotely related to rap, I always enjoyed rap-metal hybrids, especially if they were done well. Beyond The Noise is definitely an example of such a successful hybrid. What we're dealing here is a band with a hardcore attitude but with a more urban way of delivering it than what we're used to. Think Biohazard but without the tough-guy shtick. Although the Warriors spend most of their time on this album playing groove-laden and heavy stuff, they also have a penchant for more harmonized and melodic parts that remind me a little bit of Bane in that they are like an eye in the middle of a storm. "To Finally Feel" is a great example of this. "And Yet They Say" is another brilliant song. The rest of the tracks aren't always as consistent quality-wise; however, it seems to me that the ratio is definitely in favor of the good stuff. I would definitely throw out those "interlude" and "outro" sequences though, since they are far too repetitive and take away from the albums otherwise solid flow.

Although rap and metal have already flirted with each other in a multitude of ways it still seems to me that a lot remains to be said for this particular mix of styles. The Warriors are a new voice and they are quite unique on the contemporary metal scene. Although this is not a flawless album, it is definitely worth listening to and not a bad purchase this year.