Warrant bassist Jerry Dixon recently sat down with EonMusic and reflected on the band's early years, their decline in popularity, and the passing of founding vocalist Jani Lane in 2011 due to alcohol poisoning. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

EonMusic: Jani Lane’s death must have been tough for you to watch; did you see it coming?

Dixon: "Honestly, it was horrible. The whole thing still gives me a stomach ache. I try to tell people it’s not about Warrant; we’re just people. We’re no different to anybody else, and to have a family member suffering like that – and there’s loads of people that are going to read this, and they’ll know what I’m talking about – and it’s a hopeless feeling, because you want to help, and you want to get somebody better, and you want all bad stuff aside; “Dude, just function in life, and get through this, and basically don’t kill yourself!”. We brought sober coaches out and set up AA meetings and took all the fun stuff off the rider – all the alcohol and really tied to create an environment that was conducive to somebody’s being sober."

EonMusic: When Jani re-joined the band in 2008, did you notice a change in him since the intervening years?

Dixon: "Well, the best way to describe it is it was a long, painful death, one drink at a time. He had tried. There was periods before that, he was sober for a while and we had to keep him busy, so he was out tour manager! We went to Hawaii and he collected the money, and you know, it kept him busy. He fuckin’ fought, and he did the best he could."

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