| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Firepower Kills The Black Hand Reaches Out Crushed Beneath The Tracks Defiance Of Fate Unraveling Heart Of Darkness Power Unsurpassed Outer Reaches Notre Dame (King Of Fools) Glorious End Release Date: April 24, 2020 Label: Napalm Records Website: www.warbringermusic.com www.facebook.com/Warbringermusic www.twitter.com/warbringerband |  |
WARBRINGER IS:
John Kevill - Vocals / Adam Carroll - Guitars / Carlos Cruz - Drums / Chase Becker - Guitars / Chase Bryant - Bass
John Kevill - Vocals / Adam Carroll - Guitars / Carlos Cruz - Drums / Chase Becker - Guitars / Chase Bryant - Bass
Honestly, who doesn't love new music from Warbringer? In 2017, they made a triumphant return with Woe To The Vanquished after a couple of years of being in limbo with a few lineup changes. That album was their best album since Worlds Torn Asunder in my opinion, and because it exceeded everyone's expectations, the anticipation for the follow-up seemed even greater. After touring the world in support of Woe To The Vanquished, the band went to work on the follow-up. The resulting album Weapons Of Tomorrow picks up where Woe left off in terms of direction and quality.
Two tracks from the album were already heard in their demo form way before the full album was announced. Those being "Firepower Kills" and "Power Unsurpassed". Both tracks were re-recorded for the final album. Another difference between this album and Woe is that aside from side A being a brutal attack, and the side B going into more epic territory, the songs are more spread out this time. The two longest tracks "Defiance Of Fate" and "Heart Of Darkness" see bassist Chase Bryant paying tribute to Steve Harris with very Iron Maiden-esque bass lines. On top of that, the guitar work between Adam Carroll and Chase Becker takes centre stage with in-your-face riffs, raging solos, and glorious harmonies.
"Firepower Kills", "The Black Hand Reaches Out" and "Crushed Beneath The Tracks" is an amazing triple shot of aggressive thrash, groovy thrash 'n roll, and stomping heaviness. Of course, how can you not love those awesome gang vocals? When we arrive at "Defiance Of Fate", things slow down, and John Kevill's vocals are pushed to the back in the verses as he uses his black metal voice. It's the closest thing to a ballad that we will ever get from Warbringer. The harmonized guitar section that closes out the song is one of my favourite moments on the album. Carlos Cruz is simply on fire once again. He is one of the most technically proficient drummers in the modern thrash scene, and his work on the last four Warbringer albums proves that.
After a couple of more groove-oriented numbers, the thrash kicks back into high gear on "Unraveling", which is the fastest track here. You have to hand it to Kevill for having the ability to spit out lyrics at a rapid-fire pace. The breakdown section of "Outer Reaches" sounds like a tribute to Megadeth with a stomping riff akin to "Symphony Of Destruction". Even though the riff is a few beats slower, and the drums are playing a half-time groove, I still found myself singing "You take a mortal man / and put him in control". "Glorious End" is perfectly placed at the end. A heavy epic with several different vibes that range from hard-hitting and fast, to melancholic and grandiose, accompanied by an emotional war story in the lyrics.
A lot of the thrash revival bands started out with albums that was just pure attack throughout, and that led to an abundance of similarity between the songs. Warbringer was no different with War Without End. However, over the years, many of these bands that are still around have matured and have incorporated other elements into their sound to create more dynamics, while still keeping the ferocity that us fans have come to love. Warbringer have kept their thrash identity, but started incorporating more melodic elements, and black metal elements over the years. They have also succeeded in developing their own unique style, while still paying homage to their influences. With that being said, Weapons Of Tomorrow is another outstanding effort by one of the leaders of the modern thrash scene, and one that thrash fans will be salivating over. Get this record when it comes out.
Highs: "Firepower Kills", "The Black Hand Reaches Out", "Crushed Beneath The Tracks", "Defiance Of Fate" and "Glorious End".
Lows: Hardly anything to complain about. Those who aren't into thrash won't like this album.
Two tracks from the album were already heard in their demo form way before the full album was announced. Those being "Firepower Kills" and "Power Unsurpassed". Both tracks were re-recorded for the final album. Another difference between this album and Woe is that aside from side A being a brutal attack, and the side B going into more epic territory, the songs are more spread out this time. The two longest tracks "Defiance Of Fate" and "Heart Of Darkness" see bassist Chase Bryant paying tribute to Steve Harris with very Iron Maiden-esque bass lines. On top of that, the guitar work between Adam Carroll and Chase Becker takes centre stage with in-your-face riffs, raging solos, and glorious harmonies.
"Firepower Kills", "The Black Hand Reaches Out" and "Crushed Beneath The Tracks" is an amazing triple shot of aggressive thrash, groovy thrash 'n roll, and stomping heaviness. Of course, how can you not love those awesome gang vocals? When we arrive at "Defiance Of Fate", things slow down, and John Kevill's vocals are pushed to the back in the verses as he uses his black metal voice. It's the closest thing to a ballad that we will ever get from Warbringer. The harmonized guitar section that closes out the song is one of my favourite moments on the album. Carlos Cruz is simply on fire once again. He is one of the most technically proficient drummers in the modern thrash scene, and his work on the last four Warbringer albums proves that.
After a couple of more groove-oriented numbers, the thrash kicks back into high gear on "Unraveling", which is the fastest track here. You have to hand it to Kevill for having the ability to spit out lyrics at a rapid-fire pace. The breakdown section of "Outer Reaches" sounds like a tribute to Megadeth with a stomping riff akin to "Symphony Of Destruction". Even though the riff is a few beats slower, and the drums are playing a half-time groove, I still found myself singing "You take a mortal man / and put him in control". "Glorious End" is perfectly placed at the end. A heavy epic with several different vibes that range from hard-hitting and fast, to melancholic and grandiose, accompanied by an emotional war story in the lyrics.
A lot of the thrash revival bands started out with albums that was just pure attack throughout, and that led to an abundance of similarity between the songs. Warbringer was no different with War Without End. However, over the years, many of these bands that are still around have matured and have incorporated other elements into their sound to create more dynamics, while still keeping the ferocity that us fans have come to love. Warbringer have kept their thrash identity, but started incorporating more melodic elements, and black metal elements over the years. They have also succeeded in developing their own unique style, while still paying homage to their influences. With that being said, Weapons Of Tomorrow is another outstanding effort by one of the leaders of the modern thrash scene, and one that thrash fans will be salivating over. Get this record when it comes out.
Highs: "Firepower Kills", "The Black Hand Reaches Out", "Crushed Beneath The Tracks", "Defiance Of Fate" and "Glorious End".
Lows: Hardly anything to complain about. Those who aren't into thrash won't like this album.
FINAL RATING
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