Jeezus H. Christ, what the Hell can I say about WARBRINGER that hasn’t already been said, huh? One of the best newer Thrash Metal bands to come out in the past decade? Check. Consistently releasing great album after great album? Check. And new release Weapons of Tomorrow (out now, Napalm Records) is no exception. What we have here is a bunch of tracks of pure metal that will wreck necks, shred heads, and melt faces from New York to Thailand. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and press PLAY then…
As soon as opener “Firepower Kills” and vocalist John Kevill’s scream hits your ears you will be faced with an immediate decision: bang my head in my own area, or run straight through a plate glass window, and THEN headbang. Me, I’d go with the second option. Easily one of the best tunes this band has written and a perfect way to get us going. “The Black Hand Reaches Out” is absolutely lethal, guitarists Chase Becker and Adam Carroll pinning down their enemies from a high perch with some sonic tracer rounds. This is without a doubt one of the album’s best cuts.
“Crushed Beneath the Tracks” beats you down a hundred ways to Sunday, and how anyone is still standing after this, quite frankly it’s beyond me. The rhythm section of Chase Bryant (bass) and Carlos Cruz (drums) launches it into the stratosphere and at the 1:43 mark the whole band goes fucking insane! Gotta be honest, I didn’t love the first half of “Defiance of Fate”, but the second bit really picks up steam. Still, for a seven minute song there’s some real draggy stuff going on. This was my least favorite song on the whole thing, honestly.
Now, “Unraveling,” that’s what the fuck I’m talkin’ about, yeah? Holy shit this song just goes for the jugular!! When I listen to Thrash Metal I want my ass kicked in and my face fucked off; this tune accomplishes both with ease and I am here for it. “Heart of Darkness” takes its lyrics from Joseph Conrad’s novel of the same name as well as the Apocalypse Now film also influenced by that book. It’s a good song, but goes on way too long. Meanwhile “Power Unsurpassed” brings the energy in spades, making it another album standout.
“Outer Reaches” sounds like it could have gone so many different ways at the start, but I am very glad it decided to go into full-on kick your ass mode. If you love WARBRINGER, you’ll love this one, believe me. One of the more ambitious tracks is “Notre Dame (King of Fools)”, a story we all know well, but Kevill’s vocal delivery elevates the song to another level. He’s got a knack for doing that and here we see it once again. He also tells the tale in such a way that you almost feel like he IS the Hunchback, sucking you in.
Closer “Glorious End” attacks your position at first light and never lets up. Selector switches are on ‘AUTO’ and they’re comin’ for you with a quickness. The band comes in ready to kill and drink the blood of their enemies. Overall this is yet another great record from WARBRINGER. They never disappoint, and even though one or two tracks didn’t get my heart racing, Weapons of Tomorrow is a worthy addition to their already impressive catalog. It’s out now, so go pick it up and rock out. And hey, tell us what you think!!
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Power Unsurpassed”, “Crushed Beneath the Tracks”, “Firepower Kills”, “The Black Hand Reaches Out”, “Unraveling”
RATING: 9/10
