Warrior are a band who’ve passed into rock n’ roll folklore as perhaps the greatest metal band that ever wasn’t. In their short history they burned brightly, but briefly, recording a series of demo tapes that were bursting at the seams with promise but when their young, hotshot guitarist got the call to join Kiss full time, well, the rest is history (or, more appropriately, Kisstory). The band’s demos have been released haphazardly and in piecemeal fashion over the years but they now get collected in one beautiful package as Warrior featuring Vinnie Vincent: The Complete Sessions to offer a tantalising glimpse of what could have been.

When it comes to metal monsters Kiss, it is often the branches of their musical family tree that bears the juiciest fruit, and case in point being Vinnie Vincent (born Vincent Cusano). When rock band New England were in need of a new guitarist, Vincent’s name was put forward by none other than Gene Simmons and such was the chemistry displayed that New England was put on hold and the guys merged into a new band named Warrior. Playing with his new band by day and moonlighting with Kiss at night (helping them with their Creatures Of The Night record) Warrior worked on a set of songs with the aim of getting a record deal and the fruits of their labour are included here.

Originally compiled and released as Warrior in 2017, the first disc in this set rocks in a way that only early ‘80s metal can; it is sleazy, mean, downright dirty and, most importantly, tuneful. Opening shot ‘Boyz Gonna Rock’ is indicative of the whole disc; Vincent’s pedigree immediately shines through and his squealing riffs and spiky solos take centre stage, this was before he became a household name and if you need proof that cream rises to the top, then it is right here. You can hear the seeds of what would later come to fruition in both Kiss and Vinnie Vincent Invasion and tracks such as ‘Back On The Streets’ sound tailor made for FM radio or some ‘80s blockbuster soundtrack (say, Rocky III). In general these songs veer towards the heavier end of AOR (and for a while Warrior featured future Toto singer Fergie Frederiksen) and even a song with the innocuous title ‘I Need Love’ swings with some force. You feel that with a bigger budget and a named producer to pull all the strands together, Warrior could have hit the top with this album, but even as it stands this record emits a rough hewn charm that not only highlights the talent of Vinnie Vincent, but the whole band.

Digging even deeper into the vaults, Warrior II was released in 2019 and comprises the second and third discs in this set. Shining a light on the inner workings of the band they feature some surprise names, and no more so than on the Steven Rosen-penned ‘Thrill Of The Chase’. Including the talents of Mark Slaughter, it’s a slice of rock that could stand shoulder to shoulder with anything else unleashed in the 1980s and comes with an adhesive quality that’ll stick itself to your memory bank, alongside some amazing fretboard pyrotechnics from Vinnie. Due to the varied, sometimes rudimentary, nature of these recordings they often have that starved, bones-poking-through-the-flesh feel and that makes the quality of songwriting and musicianship all the more satisfying. The twenty minute ‘That Time Of The Year/Forbidden’ contains little beyond guitar/keys/vocals but it sounds full and lustrous and holds the listener’s attention, despite the elongated running time.

Disc Three firstly presents seven cuts from an instrumental rehearsal and, sans vocalist, brings Vinnie’s magic to the fore. It evidences a complete player, he doesn’t feel the need to scrawl his sound on every surface and the tight-but-loose riffage found on ‘Gypsy In Her Eyes’ leaves plenty of room for the song to breathe. This instrumental form also turns the spotlight on the writing and song structure, two things that can often get overlooked when a singer is warbling on top. Needless to say, Vinnie certainly understands the mechanics of music and listening to these songs it becomes obvious why Kiss utilised his talents and why he had such a prominent role in the writing and recording of their Lick It Up album. Five tracks featuring the aforementioned Fergie Frederiksen on vocals close this set and only make it more infuriating that this band never got a chance to take on the world (and they surely would have won).

Such was the brief moment in time that Warrior existed that no group photos were taken, no gigs were played, nor a logo designed. All that we are left with is the music but when the music is this good, that’s all you need.

• Warrior featuring Vinnie Vincent: The Complete Sessions is released via HNE Recordings/Cherry Red Records on 26th October 2024.

Track List:

Disc One:

1. Boyz Gonna Rock
2. It Ain’t Pretty…Being Easy
3. Back On The Streets
4. Gypsy In Her Eyes
5. I Need Love
6. Baby Oh Why
7. No Substitute
8. Hot Nights
9. Tears
10. Back On The Streets (Alternative Demo)
11. I Need Love (Alternative Demo)
12. Time Of The Year (Writing Demo)
13. Forbidden (Writing Demo)

Disc Two:

1. Thrill Of The Chase (1988 Demo with Mark Slaughter & Jimmy Waldo)
2. Gypsy In Her Eyes (Rehearsal with Vocal)
3. That Time Of Year/Forbidden (Rehearsal with Vocal)
4. My Heart Goes With You (Demo)
5. Forbidden (Vocal Demo with Vocal)
6. That Time Of Year (Vocal and Keyboard Demo with Solo)

Disc Three:

1. Boyz Gonna Rock *
2. Gypsy In Her Eyes *
3. Betrayed *
4. Hot Nights *
5. Baby Oh Why *
6. Back On The Street *
7. I Need Love *
8. Back On The Street **
9. Gypsy In Her Eyes **
10. Baby Oh Why **
11. Hot Nights **
12. Betrayed **

* Instrumental Rehearsals

** Rehearsal with Fergie Frederiksen Vocal