Tie your Mother Down
Warlords
while this is NOT the "official" Straw Dogs site, it IS the "Officially Endorsed" Straw Dogs site. I, like the rest of you, am merely a fan (who happens to be mates with the singer). I decided to put this together because I knew I was not alone and perhaps there would be others out there who would find their music as cool as I found it over twenty years ago. I still love this band and feel they are perhaps one of the most original-sounding and most kick ass bands around. Any questions for the band will be forwarded and answered promptly. I am in the process of putting together a FAQ to pass along, so if anyone has any queries (that aren't overly personal and/or out-right slap-ass stupid) let me know.
from the ashes of Boston's legendary F.U.s, the Straw dogs unleashed a fury of hardcore-laden metal-tinged garage-band kick-ass rock and roll. between 1986 and 1991 they released two full-length albums (with "Under the Hammer" basically being a re-issue of the first EP and the first full length sans one track), several EPs and are even featured in the DVD re-release of The Return of the Living Dead ("Young Fast Iranians").
their music defied most constraints and expectations of the time and did more to carry the entire genre of "crossover" (thrash-metal/hardcore punk) than they have ever been rightfully credited for. the music of the Straw Dogs contained progressive riffs, driven by a nearly thundering beat and great grooves. with the Straw Dogs, you had it all and Sox's voice never once wavered from his hardcore roots. he made the great leap from shouting to singing without ever loosing his definitive punk sound; in other words, he could not only sing, but sing with a sneer.
unlike most bands of the era, the Straw Dogs were not only way ahead of their time, their music has a staying power that few others can even begin to match. the sound itself is simply timeless. it's been over twenty years since their debut, and the music continues to kick ass, even picking up younger fans (thanks in part to this humble page).
sometimes touted by a jaded press as being "right-wing" and even "ultra-patriotic", it was obvious that many in the rock n roll press simply did not get the running joke. "who cares if people don't think like us? we're a bunch of fuckheads, anyway". with contemporaries such as Gang Green and Jerry's Kids, they helped define what Boston hardcore is all about: a cynical bite and a good time for all. even the Dropkick Murphys have demonstrated the Straw Dogs' influence on their own music by recording a cover of "Warlords" (which is actually an F.U.s cover, but why get technical?).
