Back around 1998, P.O.D. was recognized by Atlantic records. However, there was going to be a long gap between the release of Brown and the upcoming Fundamental Elements of Southtown. So in the meantime, P.O.D. put out The Warriors EP to keep their dedicated fan base happy by giving a taste of some of their newly recorded tracks on Tooth and Nail Records.

The entire EP consists of seven tracks with each track transitioning with the crackling sound of an old record player. The disc opens with a European/Italian style accordion intro instrumental. Following the opener is an early version of the song "Southtown." This version is quite different from the final cut as far as the song structure. After this, the crackling record effect transitions to a more recently recorded "Breathe Babylon." The song sounds fresher with the new mix and take on the song. Then comes the acoustic track "Rosa Linda" displaying some of Marcos' talented classical guitar playing. Following is a newly recorded version of "Draw the Line" which sounds significantly cleaner musically and with the mix than the original cut from Snuff the Punk. The crackling record then takes you into the funky guitar intro of a newly recorded version of "Full Color." The song sounds fresher with the new take and slightly changed song structure. This song also sounds dominant to the original cut from Brown. The only downside is it sounds like the tempo is a little slower than the original, which can make it seem to drag in areas. Finally, the EP closes with the instrumental rocker "Sabbath." Later on, it would become apparent that "Sabbath" is in fact an early instrumental version of the Fundamental Elements of Southtown track "Follow Me." So the EP ends with this instrumental and a fading crackling sound.

All in all, The Warriors EP is a good EP. Most of the tracks can be found on almost any other P.O.D. album in one form or another (except for the intro and the short "Rosa Linda" instrumental). Any dedicated P.O.D. fan should have this just for the sheer intrigue of hearing some of P.O.D.'s older songs brought up to mainstream par, in a way, and an early look at some of P.O.D.'s mainstream successes. It's also an excellent sampler for someone interested in hearing some of P.O.D.'s older work. And having had only 30,000 copies ever made since 1998, this is a rare collectable. The Warriors EP is a good testimony to P.O.D.'s best days of being more focused on heavy music transitioning from their early days to mainstream success.

Review date: 10/17/09, written by Jordon Pletch for Jesusfreakhideout.com