Government Warning has always been a "grower" of a band for me. After my first spin of the No Moderation LP I wasn't that impressed. It took a few months for me to really get into it, same with their first seven inch. With Arrested, there was no growing period necessary. It hooked me faster than Theo Fleury in a pharmacy.

The fact that the title track of the 7" wasn't written by Rikk Agnew is astonishing. How did four guys from Richmond manage to capture the exact essence of early `80s Orange County? This song has everything: the "OC" drum beat, the perfectly placed guitar solo, desperate lyrics, a great sing-along chorus, basically the total package. This shit would have fit in perfectly on any Adolescents, D.I., or early TSOL record. Part of me is really hoping they follow this direction more in the future. It is really that great of a song. Crazy Uncle Rikk would be damn proud.

"Maniacs" and "Killing for Fun" are easily the two most pissed off songs this band has ever written. Neither makes it past 1:15, and both make me want to hurl my glass of water at the wall just to see it shatter. I'm not too crazy about the last song "Safe and Sound," though. They pull the throttle back a little bit on the speed but didn't seem to have a solid hook to go with it. It's not a bad song but not the same caliber as the first three.

There was a period for awhile where I was burnt out on hardcore and almost gave up on it completely. Government Warning is one of the main reasons why I'm back in with more of a vengeance than ever before. Pick this record up now.