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Liberator: Warpath Review


Liberator’s first record, Warpath, is a bit of an experiment in mixed signals, unless you take the title as tongue-in-cheek. The riffs rip, and there’s plenty of loud, angry-ish vocalizing, but the attitude seems misplaced. 

I suppose we didn’t come for the poetry, though—we came for the rippage, and the record does provide that. “Fasty” kicks off with a Motörhead feel, with lyrics that seem determined to kick ass (“I’ve been lyin’ in bed/ Like a gun to the head) then moves into descending chromatics for some rapidfire, neurotic, unsure lines (“I’ve been doin’ some thinkin’ about it, man…”) that are kind of a letdown, considering where the song first seemed to be going.  

The group’s musicianship is sterling all-around. Perhaps Liberator feels burdened by the need to write lyrics, or just views vocals as means to an end. Andy Steck’s guitar playing shines, especially on the latter three tracks, and especially especially on “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” a blues dirge (most of the songs are blues dirges), where he introduces a classical-sounding riff before falling into a heavy, string-bending moan. Likewise, Jon Beck’s drums provide solid, tight support throughout. 

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