WARBRINGER - USA

WARBRINGER - WAR WITHOUT END - CENTURY MEDIA  
Is it me or is this band’s name and album title logically the same? Is it me or has Century Media signed a band managed by its former president? Is it me or does this band sound exactly like thrash’s glory days i.e. 1986 - 1988? Well, none of these things is ”˜me’ as they all happen to be true. For lovers of violence, scratch that, for lovers of Vio-lence, Exodus, D.R.I. circa Crossover and Death Angel’s debut album here comes Los Angeles’ Warbringer, a totally sanguine and genuine thrash metal attack with a harsh singer who sounds like a light a version of John Tardy. Bands like Fueled By Fire and Hexen are apparently no fluke and songs like my favourite At The Crack Of Doom, Total War, Systematic Genocide and Shoot To Kill ready, aim and fire on target. The band has even plucked up Bill Metoyer (Dark Angel, Slayer and more) as its producer.
Who needs new ideas when the old ones sound so good? - Ali “The Metallian”

WARBRINGER - WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES - CENTURY MEDIA  
The retro-thrash movement started with a lot of promise. The first couple of Municipal Waste records proved to be excellent reminders of why thrash and, to an extent, cross-over ruled the land during the '80s and said Municipal Waste efforts have held up due to excellent song-writing, several years forward. It’s unfortunate that retro-thrash became a trend because, like most trends, the scene got over-saturated but quick: then again, several hidden gems did come to see recognition via the spate of signings (the awesome and hard-working Toxic Holocaust comes to mind) and so maybe retro-thrash had some positive effects after all. That said, Warbringer has, from its inception, been another solid entry into this scene: though its riffs and overall vibe aren’t as infectious as, say, Bonded By Blood (both the band and the album), this California group does indeed know how to pen a decent thrash tune and the result is a utilitarian record that will please the thrash faithful, both old and new, if not necessarily setting the world on fire. - James Tape

WARBRINGER - WAKING INTO NIGHTMARES - CENTURY MEDIA  
Jackal, the opener, has a bit of an Obituary feel, perhaps more due to the vocals of John Kevill than the music. Overriding the aforementioned is a traditional thrash sound that has made Warbringer one of the many bands participating in the return of the genre. A fast heavy metal-ish solo also adds a little something to the aforementioned sound. Living In A Whirlwind, with its strong bass sound, is sometimes mid-paced but rather effective. Severed Reality is enjoyable for thrash fans and the Obituary, Metallica, Violence and Exodus influences are scattered without sounding too unoriginal. Scorched Earth and its sometimes driving riffs continue on the same path. Abandoned By Time is catchier. Prey For Death has a slower solo and pace and then paves the way for the instrumental Nightmare Anatomy and its mostly acoustic and mood setting four minutes. Shadow From The Tomb is slightly different in that the riff and song structure take the song into death/thrash territory. Senseless Life doesn’t offer too much more than has been said, solid thrash metal it is. Forgotten Dead is also concrete thrash with some speedy riffs and a relatively extended instrumental section to start. Much like the album as a whole the song moves through its four minutes very much in the spirit of the late '80s. - Anna Tergel