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WARBRINGER
IV: Empires Collapse

Century Media (2013)
Rating: 8/10

Few metal fans would argue that California’s Warbringer are one of the hardest working bands in the genre. Much like a young Hatebreed, they tour so much that I have probably seen them play more times than almost any other band… and I’ve never gone specifically to see them. The band have toured alongside bands like Overkill, Symphony X, Iced Earth, Arch Enemy, Nevermore, Destruction, and just about every other heavy band capable of headlining a tour.

With their fourth release for Century Media though, Warbringer really capture that thrashy live sound, resulting in their first release that feels like you are watching them live.

The album kicks off with the slightly more epic than usual ‘Horizon’, which features some classic sounding thrash guitars and vocal work that makes you wonder if vocalist John Kevill should be fronting Exodus. It’s the bluesier (I use the term loosely) moshpit goodness of ‘One Dimension’ that really grabs you full on though. At first, it feels like they are stumbling a bit but by the time that first chorus hits, you are totally surrounded by it. With gang vocals, chunky guitars, and growly vocals, this song, in particular, is what it feels like to see Warbringer live.

The blistering speed of ‘Off With Their Heads!’ is another moment that I love here. It’s brutal and fast and has a guitar solo that sounds like it came straight out of 1987, bringing back fond memories of Overkill and Exodus’ classic works.

‘Scars Remain’ is another breakneck run that proves itself much more thrash than most of what we call “the new generation of thrash”. There is just something about the guitar tones, the pacing, and the vocals that show an understanding and perspective of thrash that, age-wise, these guys really shouldn’t have.

While not everything here is wildly impressive, most of it is. A few times along the way the band offer competent songs that aren’t quite as memorable as others. For example, ‘Hunter-Seeker’ and the coupling of ‘Dying Light’ (in all its Mercyful Fate-ish glory) and the pit lovers’ ‘Iron City’, which is kinda cheesy when compared with the rest of the album, are largely forgettable for various reasons (although ‘Iron City’ does have a great solo break that takes it out).

IV: Empires Collapse is Warbringer’s best to date. Overall, this is a high energy, little nonsense, thrash lover’s dream. While it won’t win an album of the year award, it shows what live crowds have been noticing for years, that these guys have all the goods. This is an excellent step for the band and I look for album number five to be their classic.

Mark Fisher

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