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I remember being vaguely aware of another band named Warrant, besides the lame U.S. version, back in the 80s. This one, from Germany, thankfully plays Speed/Thrash Metal, not crummy glam. Active only briefly in the 80s, Warrant released just one EP and one full-length album before hanging up their guitars, apparently mid-way through recording a second record. Active once again, Pure Steel has re-packaged both official releases, as well as a couple of tracks from the unreleased album and two live tracks from 2007s Keep It True VIII festival, all on one CD.

As all of these songs are vintage 80s, suffice it to say, they sound just as you would expect, raw and simple. This suits the music just fine. Warrant play their riffs fast and aggressive and they brim with 80s metallic spirit. There's no slowing down on Ready to Command 2010, which features the entire recorded output of the band. I hear some Walls of Jericho Helloween here and there, but mainly Warrant reminds me of Beehler-era Exciter, along with a host of German Thrash bands from the 80s like Kreator, Sodom and the like. Standout tracks include the studio version of "Nuns Have no Fun" and "The Enforcer," but at well over an hour, the album starts to get tedious after a while. The songs all sound pretty much alike and the non-stop tempo makes them blur together. The two tracks from the unreleased second album, "Flame of the Show" and "When Siren's Call," show a definite improvement in songwriting and hopefully that is a portent of Warrant's potential new album. The live tracks, especially the live version of "Nuns Have no Fun," which sounds more like the Sex Pistols than anything else, are throwaways.

This isn't the first re-release of Warrant's back catalog, but it is the most complete. If you're a fan of 80s Speed/Thrash, you can safely pick this one up.