Dropkick Murphys, The Warriorâs Code. 2005 â Hellcat Records. CD Review
...And the best part is, Mickey Ward is on the cover! You know when a kid comes home from school, or wherever, and they breeze in with some kind of fantastic news? All that energy and wonder? Then they end their little announcement with, "And the best part is, I get to hold the blue sign...blue is my favorite color!" Their best part is not necessarily the best part, but itâs quite important to them.
And so it is with the Dropkick Murphysâ The Warriorâs Code. Mickey Ward is on the cover of this CD â the title track (âThe Warriorâs Codeâ) is actually dedicated to him, and what a surprise that was. In my Greater Lowell Massachusetts area, Ward is a boxing hero. This super lightweight champion retired in 2003, after a 38-11, 27 KO career. His final bout was another HBO special, the last of his trilogy of fights with Arturo âThunderâ Gatti. The Murphys describe Ward this way, ââŚa boxing legend who defines the heart and soul of the sport. He also happens to be the guy on the front coverâŚâ
So, we know what the cover art is about, we know that the Dropkick Murphys cheer local heroes, but is it a good CD?
Definitely.
This is the first Murphys CD Iâve heard, so I canât compare it to previous works. Doesnât matter though, its great stuff. Most of the tracks are very lively, infectious even. From the first, âYour Spiritâs Aliveâ to the last, âTessieâ, the Dropkick Murphys are pumping, pulsing and rocking hard.
âYour Spiritâs Aliveâ, the first track, is a bit of a tease. It starts out sweet and slow, just pipes and piano. Someone like me, who loves all that folk Celtic stuff will smile and say, âAhh.â After 20 seconds though, the rest of the instruments come in and the beat just about triples, with the Murphys shouting the lyrics, âWe are the ones who will never be broken, we are the ones who surviveâŚâ And someone like me, who loves the punk likes of Green Day, Quiet Riot metal, or Sublime ska will smile and say, âAhhâ, again.
Article comments
1 - Bob A. Booey
That Red Sox song sounds really cool. I'd like to hear it.
I always get the Murphys confused with Flogging Molly. Those damn Irish-American street-punk bands.
There's a band from Chicago called The Tossers that does similar kind of stuff, but less hardcore and more Irish ditty-ish.
There's a Scottish band called The Real McKenzies that plays Scottish punk, complete with bagpipes.
That is all.
2 - John Bil
GreenDay are a bunch of little sissies. My grandma could knock them out.
3 - Mary K. Williams
Bob, soon as I can figure out how to translate my CD into an mp3 file, you'll be in line to get a file.
The song IS great. If you're inclined, it's also on the Fever Pitch DVD.
Flogging Molly is cool too, havn't heard them in a while.
4 - Mary K. Williams
John-
Grandma sounds tough - wonder why she really wants to take out Green Day?
Good thing this post was about the Dropkick Murphys - whew!
5 - Mark Saleski
nice review. looks like this is another cd i must pick up...especially since i don't have 'Tessie' yet.
6 - Chris
Dropkick murphys Rock man. Them and all other irish punkers. Blood or whiskey Bitches.