Warbringer - War Without End
Century Media Records - CD 9977462 - 5 February 2008
By George Grant
I’m sure you’re all aware of the recent “thrash revival” that is getting quite popular. It seems all the major underground labels are looking to get a piece of the pie and are signing their own little project to market to the masses. The problem here is that much like what happened in the late 80s the market will get flooded with uninspired second-rate clones and slowly the genre will perish. Of course, one can argue that this recent thrash burst is nothing but rehashed ideas to begin with, and for the most part you’d be right.
Following the short war zone sound clip
Warbringer begins their newest release
War Without End with the track
‘Total War.’ This opening track sets up what will be a fast and relentless record. The band plays a fast and raw type of thrash metal that sounds like a cross between
Slayer and
Kreator, as well a few of the other lesser known German thrash hordes. The following tracks on the album really are just small variations to the blueprint drawn on the first track. There was, however, a slight black metal influence that crept into
‘At the Crack of Doom,’ and this helps keep the listener engaged (for the length of the track at least). Such an influence on
Warbringer’s sound helps them stand away from the pack and establish them as one of the more aggressive modern thrash bands.
However, like many of their peers,
Warbringer’s music suffers greatly from the repetitiveness and lack of originality in their music. A little more than half way through the album you’ll find yourself asking: “Haven’t I heard this already?” Especially on the closing track
‘Combat Shock’ that has pretty much the exact same drum opening of the first song, which made me believe that the album was starting all over again.
Overall, like most of the new “retro-thash” bands,
Warbringer fails to make much, if any, impact with their newest release. Yet, this isn’t so much their fault, but rather the fact that the genre has already been explored quite extensively a few decades before. Try as they might, the only real impact these new bands seem to have is making the listener reach for one of the classic albums.
Official Warbringer Myspace Page
Official Century Media Records Website
