Customer Reviews

Warriors Code (Dig)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just when I thought the summer was a musical dud--Gimmicky Dual Discs and over-hyped bands of mediocrity- THE MURPHY'S DELIVER!!!

Blackout was the best album of that year to me-Great songs, great power chords, clever, meaningful lyrics, Blackout put the band not just at the top of Punk or Irish Punk, but right in there with just a plain and simple great album of all time.

The Warrior's Code is just as good and, heck, I just got it, it might even be better. There's something incredibly special about this band that trancends genres. Like the late Joe Strummer and Rancid, the Murphy's not only embrace Punk, but elevate it to its truest art. They wrap a punk ethic around richly textured power guitar hooks, bagpipes, now some piano-, and snarly perfect vocals-- You put that all together and you have something worth listening to finally this summer.

There's also always a healthy dose of humor and irony in their lyrics (Wicked Sensitive Crew) and they don't disappoint if you want to know where they're coming from politically (its what Punk is all about!).

The first 4 songs burn in their Punk Ethic and then they get almost straight up rock and roll with Sunshine Highway- which is a great song. The Green Fields of France is the only "slow" song on the album but it is also one of the best they have ever recorded (But they didn't write it...). Even the bonus Track Tessie will blow you away.

The Dropkick Murphy's are not only a great Punk band, but one of America's greatest bands period.

I'm not particularly interested in Punk music, I prefer roots/americana/folk and on the other hand 70's and 80's rock music. I, like so many others, heard Dropkick's song on "The Departed" and it's gripping sound drew me in to purchase the album. I am now 100% certain that I will sooner or later end up with every album in their catalog. To tell you the truth, I've abandoned the other 1,000 songs on my iPod for 13 of the 14 tracks on this album. The songs are anthem-like, brawl-inspiring, rugby-esque. Music that goes well with a side of raw meat. I am glad I bought this album before the earlier ones, it's mature and established sound helped hook me. I can't wait (now) to get into the grittier earlier tunes.

The Dropkick Murphys deliver on so many levels in this album. Their musicianship is absolutely top-notch throughout, but it is the range of emotionally searing topics that they have put together that reach out and shake you in this masterwork. Their own musical writing skills are considerable, but what is even more amazing is the treatment they have given to the poetry of Woody Guthrie, Eric Bogle and Brendan Beehan. Anyone with even the most remote trace of Celtic blood coursing in their veins (and modern geneticist say that is quite a few of us!) will not be able to resist the wild and hypnotic effects of "Shipping Off to Boston" - that must be why Scorsese chose it for "The Departed".

If you like their most recent releases, well, then, you'll like this one.
There's the usual mix of hard fast celtic punk with songs about loyal friendship. Still lots of bagpipes where appropriate. A couple of songs that have the more accessible "Walk Away" sound to capture the MTV community (that's not a bad thing). A pleasant surprise for me was "Citizen CIA" which could have come from a Dead Kennedys session.
As with their more recent stuff, there are some slow numbers that have something to say, even if you wouldn't include it on a party playlist. (Good for when you're crying in your beer at 2AM)

Like ac/dc, one could accuse these guys of making the same album over and over. Yeah, so, what's your point?

Oh yeah, there is the bonus cut of Tessie. Of course they put Tessie on this CD!

HEY! RED SOX- WORLD CHAMPS. DEAL WITH IT!

The bonus Tessie gives me goosebumps with Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione's play-by-play of the magic moment. Every tune is great and grows on you with repeated listening. One of the best combinations of old and new music ever made, not to mention the combination of fun and meaningful. It sounds better every time I hear it, and my favorite song keeps changing. Last Letter Home is heartbreaking and more real than any song lyric.

I just heard this band from the movie, The Departed. I loved the song I'm Shipping Off To Boston right away and all the other songs are great too! I'm gonna buy all their cds. Their music is a bit celtic, with the bagpipes, blended perfectly with hard rock and some awesome drum/bass.

This is probably my favorite band so this review is going to be biased but i've been listening to this band for some time now. Every cd is great IMO, however some of the "true punks" stopped liking the band after Do or Die/Gangs all here era. The new cuts on this cd expands on where they left off on Blackout. The familiar sound of bagpipes, accordians, and tin whistle mixed in with punk rock has made this band popular amongst Boston and now across the U.S. I would try to chose my favorite songs but i like them all, however "The Green Fields Of France" was a pleasant suprise, I didn't think Al Barr's voice could ever sound that good. The song "Last Letter Home" is also another that stands out, the song was written about a soldier that died over in Iraq. The family had received a letter from him saying if he dies he wants them to have DKM play "fields of athenry" at his funeral. DKM ends up playing it at the funeral and writing this song based on the soldier and his families letters they had sent back in forth. I recently heard that the band is releasing a Memorial Fundraiser CD Single to help raise money for the family, which is something you don't see everyday coming from musicians.

It is always amazing to me how this band keeps maturing. This album is just a way-station toward even better, more elaborate, meaningful work. When last seen and heard, this bunch of brash and brawny souls were not only playing and singing their hearts out, but were playing guitars, drums, accordion, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, piano, not to mention the pipes. All of it fitting. All of it on the money. And, listen to some of the lyrics; "Take it and Run" "Last Letter Home," "Green Fields of France." I mean, some of the best, most relevant stuff out there today. Goes far beyond the self-pitying emo, the trash of rap, the crap of hip-hop, not to mention the Pablum of most of the other "Top 40" stuff. No wonder the record industry is struggling to stay alive - pushing that kind of junk...

I have a confession to make; initially, I did not like the Dropkick Murphys. Like so many others I was reintroduced to them through their audio cameo in The Departed and I decided it was time to give them the time of day. I was hesitant though, screaming, rough music isn't generally in my taste, but I was starving for some new music. I made the mistake of buying 'Sing Loud, Sing Proud' which I did not enjoy, finding it too abbrasive.
However, a short time later I was reccomended The Warrior's Code, and I gave them a second chance...
This whole album is awesome. Being an artist, I often listen to music while I work and I can listen to this 4-6 times in an evening. I listen to it in my car, and at work.
If you are hesitant, or curious about the Dropkick Murphys, start with this. From the other albums I have listened to since, this is by far the best all around. It's rough and gruff, but also so much fun. It's impossible not to smile while belting out the lyrics to 'Wicked sensitive crew'
Dropkick Murphys are one of those bands like Tom Waits, where if on your first listen you do not like it, then wait a bit, and give it another listen and it will grow on you like a Chia Pet.
Buy it. Try it. Love it. Share it.

I recently purchased this CD at a Warped Tour concert, not hearing a single song... Something I don't usually do... I am a fan of the Murphys but some of their other CD's didn't quite do it for me... This CD is AWESOME!!!! Every single track is a knock out... And I got it for only $10 bucks and got the group to sign it right then and there... what an extra bonus... Go out and get this CD!!!! It is the best of their CD's yet!!! Loved how they incorporated the bagpipes!