When the curtain went up November 24 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, the stage lights painted four young men in radiant colors as they poured out their souls for their fans. In a hail storm of melodic harmony they showered the crowd in songs of rebellious empathy, heartbreak and penetrating truthfulness.

We Are the Arsenal, a band from Orange County, has exploded onto the music scene, establishing itself as a dramatically talented rock band from the very beginning. Opening for such major musical acts as Angels and Airwaves at last year’s Bling Fest has made WATA aggressively popular in their first year and their name is infamous throughout the OC and on My Space. The talented foursome supply a lyrical Molotov cocktail of romantic sarcasm that leaves one with a punch to the face of  reality. Listening to We are the Arsenal is like shopping for dynamite in a monster truck, seems  harmless enough but let’s face it, it’s going to leave a mark.

The rhythm section, owned by Alan Bauer on bass and Kristopher Dufour on drums, had the crowd at the House of Blues in a frenzy.  While the majority of their fans that night moshed around in a friendly battle royal, the front row overflowing with gorgeous young ladies, looked up at Peter Moe, on guitar and Ryan Terrigno with his tantalizing vocals in love struck admiration.

Yet even with all this attention from their fans and playing two or three shows a week, the band remains unsigned. One visit to myspace/wearethearsenal.com, the band’s official home page, will haveyou asking why? With so much talent, what is holding them back?

According to the band, offers are up in the air, but none have proven promising as of yet, but they are confident they will be making a deal with a major record label in the near future. WATA has had to unwillingly turn down venues offering them stage time in New York and New Jersey because of inadequate transportation for equipment.

Dufour said the band could be much more popular than they currently are if they could get to venues in other states. The lack of safe and cost-effective transportation has unfortunately been their one major downfall, he said.

Front man, Ryan Terrigno, said the band practiced together for an entire year in hopes of finding their sound bfore even playing one show. Patients, he said, is not lacking yet for Terrigno, Moe, Bauer, and Dufour. The focus is on their music. For them the road to greatness is about finding something they are proud to put their name to.

“We don’t want to be just another garage band,” said Terrigno. “We are the Arsenal from the beginning and that’s the way we are going to be.”