The band hit the scene in New York City in 1987. Coming of age during the presidency of the first George Bush, many of its songs were politically based, from the prescient "In Conclusion" to the call to arms, "Children of the Winter."
The term "Acid Punk" was coined by Clarke to explain the hard driving trippy sound that was Warrior Soul, particularly the Space Age Playboys album, mixed by Ben Gross. The style once again predicted what was going to break on the American and International rock music scene with the success of Green Day and The Offspring.
The critical acclaim that accompanied the band translated to record sales in Europe but there was not enough push or touring to break in the USA. Despite recognition by peers, including Lars Ulrich from Metallica, who had been quoted as saying Space Age Playboys was his favorite album, Warrior Soul disbanded in 1995.
In 1996, Odds & Ends was released as a posthumous collection of demos and left material that were to be part of a major label record (Electra, Nancy Jeffries) that got squashed by Peter Mench at Q-Prime management. Clarke took 2 years off after disbanding "The Playboys" and moved back to New York and wrote and released on "Cargo Records" his spoken word solo album "Opium Hotel" 2004. Soon after Clarke was tapped to be the lead singer of Dirty Rig and coproduced their album for "Escapi Records" in 2006. All the Warrior Soul albums were re released in 2006 and the latest is called "Destroy The War Machine" due to be out March 2010. Mark Evans, the band's drummer for three of their albums, was murdered in London, UK in 2005.
Following the re-release of the band's first five albums on in 2006, Clarke reformed Warrior Soul for a UK tour in March 2007, using long time musician friends from England and Sweden. Work has begun on a new Warrior Soul album and a live album taken from the band's October UK tour. (This was released in mid 2007) Clarke has since been announced as the new lead singer of Trouble as of May 2, 2008, according to Trouble's website.
The band released a limited edition studio album titled Chinese Democracy in October 2008, just a month before the Guns N' Roses album of the same name was due for release. The band shortly re-named the album Destroy the War Machine and began to print more copies.
In 2008, the band played the second incarnation of Hard Rock Hell, in North Wales, with the large room over capacity when the band play, rendering the opposing Hawkwind show on the next stage virtually unattended. Kerrang! magazine reviewed the show as KKKKK (5 Ks)[citation needed]
In December 2008, also saw the band return to large indoor stages, with shows at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London, and the Academy Glasgow.
In 2009, the band's re-issues of the classic Warrior Soul work on vinyl, and a European tour to support the release of Destroy the War Machine.
2010 saw singer Kory Clarke living in Berlin, Germany, and performing his new rock cabaret "Kory On The Rocks" with local backing band Stashbox.
Warrior Soul will be on tour in Europe in September 2011.
In Dec 2021, Warrior Soul featuring frontman Kory Clarke unleashed their first single “We’re Alive” from their upcoming studio album Out On Bail, which will be available via Livewire/Cargo during the first quarter of 2022.
Concrete Frontier
Warrior Soul Lyrics
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Feelings, thought evolution left behind
Look out at the shadows of weeping buildings
Destroyers of your own civilization
Look out at the dead of summers window
In the heartland of the inner city winter
The dying, the empty figures wait
Love the dying
Love the dying
Species slowly disappear
From the canyon of the new concrete frontier
All races of the suicidal species
Drawn faces, just fire their babies
Love the dying
Burnt stone crying
Love the dying
Burnt stone crying
The lyrics of the song "Concrete Frontier" by Warrior Soul speaks about the destruction of our civilization and the slow extinction of the human race. The lyrics describe the perspective of the singer who is experiencing a feeling of loss and hopelessness for the world he is living in. He feels left behind by the evolution of thoughts and feelings that he cannot relate to, and is left looking at the shadows of buildings, the destroyers of his own civilization. The singer depicts a world where summers feel dead and winter reigns in the heartland of the inner city. The term "concrete frontier" is used metaphorically to represent the unstoppable force of civilization that is swallowing nature and slowly killing off the human race.
The singer observes the dying and the empty figures waiting, hopeless riding a world they cannot save. The term "love the dying" represents the idea of accepting the plight of a dying civilization and coming to terms with it. The second verse talks about the slow disappearance of species from the canyon of the new concrete frontier. The juxtaposition of "new" and "concrete" is ironic and implies the dark reality that the singer is trying to depict. All races of the suicidal species have drawn faces and fire their babies, implying a kind of cultural decay that is eroding the foundation of civilization.
Line by Line Meaning
Inside, inside my mind
This line introspectively sets the stage for introspective lyrics that follow. The artist is taking us on a journey through their thoughts and feelings.
Feelings, thought evolution left behind
The artist is exploring emotions and thoughts that they believe have been abandoned or lost over time, as society evolves.
Look out at the shadows of weeping buildings
As the artist looks out at the world around them, they see a landscape of sadness and neglect, where buildings and structures are in disrepair.
Destroyers of your own civilization
The artist is pointing out that humanity itself is responsible for the destruction and decay around us. We are our own worst enemy.
Look out at the dead of summers window
Again, the artist draws our attention to the dark, neglected corners of the world where life has left.
In the heartland of the inner city winter
The artist sets the stage for another lonely and forgotten place- a place where one might feel isolated and disconnected from society.
The dying, the empty figures wait
There is a sense of despair and desolation in these lines- something dark and hopeless that hangs over the landscape the artist has painted.
While riding a world they cannot save
This line suggests that while humans may be responsible for our own destruction, we are powerless to save ourselves from the inevitable consequences of our own actions.
Love the dying
This line turns the earlier sense of despair on its head, as the artist urges us to find hope and compassion even in the bleakest of circumstances.
Species slowly disappear
This line suggests that our neglect of the environment and other living creatures is leading to an extinction crisis.
From the canyon of the new concrete frontier
The artist is drawing attention to the way that civilization tends to encroach on nature- and how this is contributing to loss and decay.
All races of the suicidal species
This line underscores the idea that we are all responsible for the impact we have on the world- and that we must take action to preserve life.
Drawn faces, just fire their babies
In this darkly ironic line, the artist suggests that our neglect of future generations is leading to their destruction- as if we are killing our own children with our disregard for tomorrow.
Burnt stone crying
These lines evoke a sense of pain and suffering that is palpable- and suggests that there is still hope even in the midst of tragedy and loss.
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: CLARKE, EVANS, MCCLANAHAN, JOHN RICCO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind