Warbringer – ‘Weapons of Tomorrow’ [Album Review]

The cyclic evolution of music (regardless of era or genre) is always fascinating, the way that a certain sound or direction fades from view after the initial hype dies down and gets bloated and uninspired, only to find a new generation of artists willing to take up the torch years later and continue the legacy. Quite often, these revivals will have a few noteworthy acts that provide something impressive and exciting, but swallowed up by copycats eager to ride the wave with nothing but generic, rehashed music.

The return of thrash metal from the underground happened seemingly as a reaction to nu-metal and bloated commercial metal that had little grit or substance, especially in the guitar department. Bands such as Havok, Municipal Waste, Bonded By Blood, and Evile rose from the ashes with all the prerequisite thrash-isms and something to say (amongst the revelling in classic thrash culture), and opened the eyes of younger metalheads to an era of heavy music that still had so much to offer. Even this majestic uprising had it’s (more than) fair share of hangers-on that diluted the impact, but the die was cast and a new era of strong, popular metal was born.

California’s Warbringer emerged in the initial wave with a Slayer/Kreator/Exodus foundation and plenty of fresh ideas, and quickly drew a lot of attention. They have evolved from the brutality of their debut album to include elements of prog, death metal, even black metal in some places, and their previous album, 2017’s Woe To The Vanquished, was a highlight of their career. Weapons of Tomorrow takes all the positives from that opus and simply amplifies them, with enough riffs to choke a donkey.

Firstly, the production is stellar and cuts through all the bullshit to define the clear attack on display. It’s powerful with a mean heaviness and a razor-sharp kick in the guitar department, and the vocals bellow from the depths. The playing, as always with this band, is tight and brutal, with more than a touch of care and dynamics: guitarists Adam Carroll and Chase Becker weave tasty riffs and solos with the greatest of ease; the rhythm section keeps everything locked down and provide a mean bottom-end, and John Kevill kills it on vocals (his voice has always been a strong constant).

The songs are varied in style and composition, each with their own identity and personality (so not merely a barrage of bludgeoning and thuggery). There are some based around speed and attack (“Firepower Kills,” “Power Unsurpassed”), some that stretch to exploratory progressive areas (“Glorious End”), and some that even veer close to ballad territory (“Defiance Of Fate”), but it all sits comfortably together with meticulous attention paid to track listing and flow.

My first couple of listens weren’t focused (more of a ‘let’s get the vibe’ run-throughs) and I was convinced that the group were resting on their laurels and phoning this one in, but upon a closer listen with the lyrics in front of me, I saw that this might possibly be their finest work yet. The guys have taken every precaution to ensure that each song serves its desired purpose, so much so that it feels like you’ve heard it before – this is because the tracks are so well-defined that they come across as vibrant as, say, Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? or The New Order, perfectly executed and intricately interesting metal with a brain and heart. For a band to work so hard to make something that sounds so easy is no mean feat, and ultimately shows how professional Warbringer are.

Weapons of Tomorrow is a classic thrash metal record, with all them beautiful bells and whistles that have made the genre what it is today. It is the work of a band that has paid their dues over and over again and put in the extra effort to make it sound effortless and sublimely enjoyable. As an old-school thrasher, it gets two overly-eager thumbs up from me, and I can’t wait to listen to it again.

Weapons of Tomorrow Track Listing:

1. Firepower Kills
2. The Black Hand Reaches Out
3. Crushed Beneath The Tracks
4. Defiance Of Fate
5. Unravelling
6. Heart Of Darkness
7. Power Unsurpassed
8. Outer Reaches
9. Notre Dame (King Of Fools)
10. Glorious End

Run Time: 50:57
Release Date: April 24, 2020
Record Label: Napalm Records