Last Decade Dead Century

by Ed RivadaviaIn retrospect, one has to wonder whether Warrior Soul missed the bull's-eye of rock immortality by a hair. Listening to their impressive 1990 debut Last Decade, Dead Century, one can't help but notice some striking parallels between its anti-establishment message and the one championed by Nirvana's Nevermind the very next year. Rebellious tracks such as "I See the Ruins," "We Cry Out," "Downtown," and "Superpower Dreamland" deliver powerful, angst-ridden messages that are quite similar to those on Nevermind. But while the gripping "The Losers" manages to mirror "Smells Like Teen Spirit"'s desperate cry for help, it lacks that anthem's simultaneous middle finger to the status quo. Perhaps that is the key missing ingredient that made it impossible for Warrior Soul to connect with generation X in the same way as Nirvana. Or was their failure rooted in the demand for action, rather than encouraging nihilistic escapism like Nevermind? The less intriguing, but more realistic explanation, however, is that Kory Clarke's hypnotic metal riffs and political rants were simply no match for Kurt Cobain's inimitable pop instincts and pure punk rage, hence, the former's descent into obscurity and the latter's ascent into saintly martyrdom -- though at what price.