In a new interview with music writer Joel Gausten, Warrant bassist Jerry Dixon discusses a variety of topics including the struggles the band faced following the release of 1992’s Dog Eat Dog, which saw the band’s record sales drop as the grunge movement took over. An excerpt from the chat appears below:
 
Joel Gausten: This year is the 25th anniversary of the Dog Eat Dog record. That record’s always been of particular interest to me, because it was obviously a departure for Warrant during some really interesting times in the music industry. When you look back at that album now, what are thoughts on it in terms of its place in Warrant’s history and its success as a Warrant album?
 
Jerry Dixon: "I think we really found who we wanted to be on that record. You do your first record, and those are the songs that you played in the clubs. Then, we did the second record, and that was a lot heavier; it had ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin.’ That was the vibe we were going for, and at the last second, the label wanted a big anthem, ‘We Will Rock You’- type song. Out popped ‘Cherry Pie,’ and it changed the face of the earth (laughs). It was the title of the record, and we were like, ‘Oh, wow!’ I mean, we’re thankful, but that wasn’t the master plan. When Dog Eat Dog came up, we had a little time off and time to reflect on kind of what happened to us – all the good stuff and all the touring. We just said, ‘You know what? Let’s really just make a serious kind of record. Seriously play and make the songs have more substance.’ We just kind of grew up a little bit, and I think that was kind of the sound in the band that we were always striving to end up being. I think it just came out a little bit too late. The grunge wave hit, and it just got clobbered."
 
Joel Gausten: The band had a few lineup changes over the years, but we’re at a point now where the four surviving members of the classic lineup have been working together again for a few years now. What makes the combination of the four of you work as well as it does to where it’s still the same four guys nearly 30 years later?
 
Jerry Dixon: "I think it’s super cool that we’re able to do that. I think other variables made the lineup change along the way. There were a lot of hurt feelings; there was a lot of shit that happened. We had a horrible run for about 10 years. We lost all of our homes, we went bankrupt, our manager died and to cap it all off, Jani ends up passing away. It was just fucking horrible. At the end of the day, there’s something that four people – or any band – do when they play their songs that can’t be duplicated. We’ve had other drummers and other guitar players and things like that, and it just doesn’t sound the same. I think now, with all the deaths and all the horrible things happening to us, the four of us are so happy that we’re actually a functioning band. This is kind of what we wanted all along. It took forever to get to this spot where things are cool and there’s no more drama. We can just go play music and have fun."
 
Go to this location for the complete interview.

Warrant have released a video for the title track of their new studio album, Louder Harder Faster, which was released on May 12th. The clip is available for streaming below.

Under their belt, Warrant has eight million records sold worldwide, two Top Ten Billboard albums, five Top 40 Billboard hits, five #1 MTV videos... the list goes on and on. Now, six years after the release of Rockaholic, the album that relaunched the band as a force to be reckoned with in the 21st Century, Warrant returns with another slab of muscular hard rock, aptly titled Louder Harder Faster, to be released on May 12th.

With a lineup featuring original members, Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon, Joey Allen, and Steven Sweet along with singer Robert Mason (Lynch Mob, Cry Of Love), Warrant are now stronger than ever. Mason's vocals remain a breath of fresh air and his swagger on the songs gives new life and a bright future to the band. With production handled by Foreigner and ex-Dokken bass player Jeff Pilson (Last In Line, Starship, Adler's Appetite, etc.), Warrant is sounding tighter and playing better than ever before. Louder Harder Faster, true to the band's roots, is full of rockers with some classic ballads thrown in and will surely send their faithful fans into a frenzy.

Erik Turner says, “You can hear and feel the emotions of the last 25 + years of being in this band poured into LHF. The fun and the frustrations, the pleasure and the pain... a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears and beers went into the making of this album. Love it or hate it, its the real f'ckn deal, 100% pure melodic hard rock. Hand crafted by five musicians who dedicated their lives to music when they were just little kids with big dreams."

Jerry Dixon adds, "Louder Harder Faster is truly one of our best records to date. It has all the classic Warrant ingredients that people have come to know, plus a lot of extras that keep it in the modern realm of todays music. It's a perfect mix between Balls and Ballads. When we started this project over two years ago, we wanted to bring the listener back to the days of sitting in the living room and cranking up a record from start to finish. Making full records seems to be a lost art, we hope in some small way that this album helps people find that art again."

Warrant was one of the most popular and successful rock bands to emerge out of Hollywood, CA in the late 80's and early 90's. The band was formed in the early 80's by Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon. In 1989, Warrant released their classic debut Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, which immediately entered the charts and launched the hit singles "Down Boys”, “Sometimes She Cries", and "Heaven", which climbed up to number two on the US charts. With extensive touring for DRFSR, sales exceeded 2 million records in the US.

In the summer of 1990, their second album Cherry Pie was released. The album turned out to be an even bigger success, featuring the Top Ten hits "I Saw Red", "Uncle Toms Cabin" and the rock anthem "Cherry Pie", which received massive airplay on MTV and continues to get millions of plays on streaming services and YouTube to this very day.

Warrant's signature style of rock is catchy, very melodic, and remains the band's calling card. The band is fired up and more inspired than ever musically! The band will be out touring in support of Louder Harder Faster, so be sure to catch them when they hit your town.

Louder Harder Faster tracklisting:

“Louder Harder Faster”
“Devil Dancer”
“Perfect”
“Only Broken Heart”
“U In My Life"
“Music Man”
“Faded”
“New Rebellion”
“Big Sandy”
“Choose Your Fate”
“Let It Go”
“I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink” (Bonus Track available on CD only)

“Louder Harder Faster” video:

“Perfect”:

“I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink” video:

"Devil Dancer":

“Only Broken Heart”:

To view Warrant's complete tour schedule, click here.

Warrant lineup:

Robert Mason - lead vocals
Joey Allen - lead and rhythm guitar
Erik Turner - rhythm and lead guitar
Jerry Dixon - bass guitar
Steven Sweet - drums