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.
The Answer
Warrior Soul Lyrics
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Pleasure films of landscape, dirt on royal gowns
The man said to cop, "Religion, all I want is peace"
He said, "This was the land of freedom but it's not for free"
But I found the answers
But I found the answers
Yeah, to the problems they're in my head
Heavy metal fire fading, lost again until the dawn
Psychedelic friction healing statues carved from Gods
Searching for our true believers, please count me as one
But you know I can't be your savior 'cause I need my own
But I found the answers
But I found the answers
Yeah, to the problems they're in my head
Man kill the administration
Heavy metal fire fading, lost again until the dawn
Little sister, she's been saying plastic prayers to God
Heavy metal fire fading, lost again until the dawn
Little sister, she's been saying plastic prayers to God
Find the answers, yeah, to your problems
Find the answers, yeah, to your problems
I've laid down Lord, I've laid down, Lord
Visualizing a cool breeze demolition
And sacred fevers on rivers weeping insanity
Builders of cities, destroyers of worlds
Kings of extinction, I am no longer yours
The lyrics in Warrior Soul's "The Answer" touch on themes of disillusionment with society, religion, and politics. The first verse takes aim at "plastic leaders," figuratively comparing them to insects and describing tortured cities. The second verse speaks to the decline of heavy metal and the search for authentic belief systems. The chorus asserts that the answers to society's problems are within the individual's mind, but suggests that destroying the system and administration may be necessary to realize them.
The lines "Religion, all I want is peace/He said, 'This was the land of freedom but it's not for free'" criticize the hypocritical nature of politics and religion in the United States. The song questions the validity of the system and institutions that claim to provide peace and security, suggesting a need for individual revolution and taking responsibility for finding answers to life's problems. The reference to "little sister" praying to a plastic god further emphasizes the hollowness of society's institutions.
Overall, "The Answer" is a call for individual cynicism and rebellion against a system that has failed to provide answers for society's problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Plastic leaders seem like insects, tortured cities lost beyond
Leaders who are fake and plastic seem insignificant, while our cities are suffering beyond repair.
Pleasure films of landscape, dirt on royal gowns
We are obsessed with pleasure and beauty, while the powerful people are dirty with corruption.
The man said to cop, "Religion, all I want is peace"
A man asks a cop if religion can provide him with peace.
He said, "This was the land of freedom but it's not for free"
The cop responds by saying that freedom has a price and it's not free.
But I found the answers
The singer has found the answers to the problems he faces.
Yeah, to the problems they're in my head
The solutions to his problems are in his own mind.
Man destroy the system
The singer calls for the destruction of the system.
Heavy metal fire fading, lost again until the dawn
The intense emotion of rebellion and revolution that once burned in the singer is fading away.
Psychedelic friction healing statues carved from Gods
Experiencing psychedelic friction may heal one's soul and spirit, but we also need to question beliefs that treat gods like statues.
Searching for our true believers, please count me as one
The singer is searching for people who truly believe in the cause, and he counts himself as one of them.
But you know I can't be your savior 'cause I need my own
The singer cannot be someone else's savior because he has to save himself first.
Man kill the administration
The singer calls for the killing of the administration.
Little sister, she's been saying plastic prayers to God
The singer's sister is praying insincerely, using plastic words to communicate with God.
Find the answers, yeah, to your problems
The singer encourages us to find the answers to our own problems.
I've laid down Lord, I've laid down, Lord
The singer has surrendered to a higher power and no longer wishes to fight alone.
Visualizing a cool breeze demolition
The singer imagines a refreshing breeze that would demolish the old and make room for the new.
And sacred fevers on rivers weeping insanity
The singer describes people driven to madness because of the oppressive system.
Builders of cities, destroyers of worlds
Those who build cities that are incompatible with nature are destroying the world.
Kings of extinction, I am no longer yours
People in power who drive species to extinction no longer have the singer's allegiance.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHIJS ROOK, PHONTE LYSHOD COLEMAN, SEAN EVANS, KENNETH RENARD JONES, AMIR ABDELMONEM MOHAMED
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind