Dropkick Murphys - The Warrior's Code

Dropkick Murphys
The Warrior’s Code
Hellcat Records
Grade: A-

At first listen or so, I thought that the Warrior’s Code fell a bit from the 2003’s Blackout and the songs were too insular to Boston and friends. Yet, several listens in, I finally succumbed to the brilliant Irish punk love thrown up by the continuously punishing seven-piece. With shortened time and longer playlists, the Warrior’s Code has been one of the few records to quickly grow on me after an initial ho-hum feeling. One fear of any DK fan is the wildly spinning success of the band of the past few years will lead to a possible watering down of the product. This includes getting playing a Boston Bruins game, coming up with an theme for last year’s Boston Red Sox (“Tessie” featured here as a bonus track), among other endeavors. Yet, the Warrior’s Code may be the band’s most solid record, even if doesn’t contain ‘the’ best song of the band. Seriously, when you hear bagpipes accompanying perfectly-pitched punk songs how can you not love that? Songs that instill and force a sense of pride to brim to the surface? While there are a number of songs written specifically about/for Boston locals, there is enough outside appeal to reel anyone in. Check out highlights from the opener “Your Spirit’s Alive,” the title track, the traditional Irish “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen,” the odd pop chorus on “Sunshine Highway,” “Wicked Sensitive Crew,” “Take It And Run,” “The Auld Triangle” and “Last Letter Home” revolving around true letters from and between soldiers in Iraq and their families, including one who died and had wanted a DK song played at his funeral. As the Dropkick Murphys make their way towards the top of the music world, their honesty, pride and hardworking appeal seems as solid as ever on the Warrior’s Code.