| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING The Sword & The Cross A Better World Neuromancer The Jackhammer Through A Glass, Darkly Strike From The Sky Cage Of Air The Last Of My Kind WARBRINGER IS: John Kevill - Vocals Adam Carroll - Guitars Carlos Cruz - Drums Chase Becker - Guitars Chase Bryant - Bass |  |
Release Date: March 14, 2025 / Label: Napalm Records / Website: www.warbringermusic.com
Are you ready for WAR?!!! You better be, because the lads in Warbringer have returned with their first new music in 5 years, their longest gap between studio albums. Weapons Of Tomorrow came out in 2020 at the start of the depressing time known as Covid, and they weren't able to tour for the album until 2022, so they made up for lost time and touring once touring came back in full swing, and as we sit here now in 2025, their seventh album Wrath & Ruin is about to be unleashed, all while continuing with the tradition of album titles beginning with "W". Since Woe To The Vanquished, they have been on a tear with the quality of new releases. The other noticable detail is that this is the first time they have recorded more than one album with the same lineup, as each album before this one had at least one member change.
To me, what makes a great thrash album is not only the strength in the performances and the production, but much like with any album in existence, it's the quality of the songwriting that matters the most. You have the formula of tremolo-picked, galloping and chugging riffs, the skank drum beat and shouting/barking vocals, but combine that with other tempos, as well as elements from different styles, and of course melody, and you've got a thrash album that's a joyful listen while also being hell bent for destruction. The first four Warbringer albums from War Without End to Empires Collapse were all strong in their own ways with greatness to be found on all of them, but they were in a period of still searching for themselves, and Empires Collapse was a bit more on the weaker side. It wasn't until they got to Woe To The Vanquished where they really hit their songwriting stride, and they continued that on Weapons Of Tomorrow, and now with Wrath & Ruin too.
Getting into the album, much like the last two albums, if there's one aspect that is written all over it, it's confidence. By working with Mark Lewis on Wrath & Ruin, Warbringer have concocted their finest and sharpest production quality ever that even surpasses the production quality of its two predecessors. Opening magnum opus "The Sword & The Cross" opens the record with a very progressive thrash vibe, with an unorthodox song structure, but chock-a-block full of razor sharp riffs that pierce your speakers, and John Kevill's maniacal and commanding thrash bark slices through the guitars like a highly-serated blade. Speaking of Kevill, his vocals take a bit of a dip into the deeper tones on "Neuromancer", where it almost feels like he's channels his inner George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, while combining the shrieks that harken back to the German sound of Destruction and Sodom.
The last album saw a first for Warbringer, which was a ballad-esque track with "Defiance Of Fate". While we don't get another ballad type track here, "Through A Glass, Darkly" is where the album opens up with a bit more of a slower pace, some spine-tingling harmonized and clean guitars, and a very emotive solo. It's the closest thing to a ballad that you'll hear on this album. This track would be right at home on some of Kreator's recent albums. The savagery returns when we get to the pit-starting rage machine known as "Strike From The Sky". This track is definitely a bit more meat-and-potatoes thrash with tremolo riffing, searing leads and terrific gang shouts. It really belongs on the soundtrack to a racing video game.
With "Cage Of Air", you would think that we're actually gonna get a ballad at this point with the soft and expansive intro, but you're lured into a false sense of security when the madness comes slamming down like a nuclear bomb. As the song slows down towards the middle, it creeps into what would be the most black metal section of the entire album with atmospheric riffing and blast beats, creating that ice cold arctic vibe that black metal does so well. Epic closer "The Last Of My Kind" seems to be the track that encompasses the entire record in its 6-minute running time. You got the first half, which starts off orchestrally with violins and a piano, giving the intro a cinematic vibe before going full throttle with a thrash assault, and the second half slows down to a more groove-oriented pace with epic soaring sensibilities. You can feel a sense of melacholy building towards the end, knowing that the listening experience is about to end, and the song ends by going right back to the cinematic vibe from the intro.
Looking at this album, it's very much structured like Woe To The Vanquished was where side A was relentlessly heavy, while the side B opens up and expands into the more epic side of things. To me, there's nothing really wrong with that, but I kind of like it when you don't group all the super aggressive songs on one side and the more epic songs on the other, and it feels segregated. If it was more spread out, but strategically placed for a nice flow, the listening experience would've been a smash. Other than that, Wrath & Ruin is another quality release by one of the front runners of the 2000s thrash era.
To me, what makes a great thrash album is not only the strength in the performances and the production, but much like with any album in existence, it's the quality of the songwriting that matters the most. You have the formula of tremolo-picked, galloping and chugging riffs, the skank drum beat and shouting/barking vocals, but combine that with other tempos, as well as elements from different styles, and of course melody, and you've got a thrash album that's a joyful listen while also being hell bent for destruction. The first four Warbringer albums from War Without End to Empires Collapse were all strong in their own ways with greatness to be found on all of them, but they were in a period of still searching for themselves, and Empires Collapse was a bit more on the weaker side. It wasn't until they got to Woe To The Vanquished where they really hit their songwriting stride, and they continued that on Weapons Of Tomorrow, and now with Wrath & Ruin too.
Getting into the album, much like the last two albums, if there's one aspect that is written all over it, it's confidence. By working with Mark Lewis on Wrath & Ruin, Warbringer have concocted their finest and sharpest production quality ever that even surpasses the production quality of its two predecessors. Opening magnum opus "The Sword & The Cross" opens the record with a very progressive thrash vibe, with an unorthodox song structure, but chock-a-block full of razor sharp riffs that pierce your speakers, and John Kevill's maniacal and commanding thrash bark slices through the guitars like a highly-serated blade. Speaking of Kevill, his vocals take a bit of a dip into the deeper tones on "Neuromancer", where it almost feels like he's channels his inner George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, while combining the shrieks that harken back to the German sound of Destruction and Sodom.
The last album saw a first for Warbringer, which was a ballad-esque track with "Defiance Of Fate". While we don't get another ballad type track here, "Through A Glass, Darkly" is where the album opens up with a bit more of a slower pace, some spine-tingling harmonized and clean guitars, and a very emotive solo. It's the closest thing to a ballad that you'll hear on this album. This track would be right at home on some of Kreator's recent albums. The savagery returns when we get to the pit-starting rage machine known as "Strike From The Sky". This track is definitely a bit more meat-and-potatoes thrash with tremolo riffing, searing leads and terrific gang shouts. It really belongs on the soundtrack to a racing video game.
With "Cage Of Air", you would think that we're actually gonna get a ballad at this point with the soft and expansive intro, but you're lured into a false sense of security when the madness comes slamming down like a nuclear bomb. As the song slows down towards the middle, it creeps into what would be the most black metal section of the entire album with atmospheric riffing and blast beats, creating that ice cold arctic vibe that black metal does so well. Epic closer "The Last Of My Kind" seems to be the track that encompasses the entire record in its 6-minute running time. You got the first half, which starts off orchestrally with violins and a piano, giving the intro a cinematic vibe before going full throttle with a thrash assault, and the second half slows down to a more groove-oriented pace with epic soaring sensibilities. You can feel a sense of melacholy building towards the end, knowing that the listening experience is about to end, and the song ends by going right back to the cinematic vibe from the intro.
Looking at this album, it's very much structured like Woe To The Vanquished was where side A was relentlessly heavy, while the side B opens up and expands into the more epic side of things. To me, there's nothing really wrong with that, but I kind of like it when you don't group all the super aggressive songs on one side and the more epic songs on the other, and it feels segregated. If it was more spread out, but strategically placed for a nice flow, the listening experience would've been a smash. Other than that, Wrath & Ruin is another quality release by one of the front runners of the 2000s thrash era.
FINAL RATING
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