Warbringer
War Without End

4.0
excellent

Review

by damagedmike USER (4 Reviews)
February 5th, 2008 | 34 replies

Release Date: 2008 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Headline reads: Today in southern California archeologist uncovered a previously unreleased album from 1985. The music is in the (newly revived) thrash metal genre by a band named Warbringer.

or

5 youths from Ventura, California finally develop a working time machine. It's not a Delorean, but a rusted out '80 Ford Econoline Cargo Van.

I started listening to thrash metal in its original heyday...even then I was a little late. It was around 1987 that I first started with Metallica and from there it quickly led to Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament and Slayer. I was totally into the big 5.

So imagine my surprise and delight when 5 kids from the L.A. area come along and closed the circle on what has been the thrash metal revival. Warbringer's War Without End is the closet anyone has come to replicating the music of the time without sounding like cheap rip-off artists. Everything thrash was and was meant to be has been captured here. The true spirit of the music has finally been fully revived and is alive and well. Producer Bill Metoyer, who, in the '80's, produced many of the early albums by several now legendary thrash bands (including: Slayer, D.R.I., Sacred Reich, Hirax, Fates Warning, Trouble and Flotsam and Jetsam) has dusted off the control board, cleared the cob webs in the old studio, found some analog tape (you can't tell me they used digital recording equipment, Pro Tools, on this) and got back to the business of recording metal old school style. The sound of the album is much like the raw and straight-for-the-throat production heard on pre-Rick Rubin era Slayer albums. Holy crap this is good stuff. Hopefully it will show some younger metalheads to how it's really done. Just the sound of the album alone cries '80's all the way. This point cannot be overstated or underscored enough. I haven't heard drums like this on a new album in a long time. Drummer Ryan Bates doesn't use any triggers here folks (or if they did use them, Metoyer unlocked the secret of how to do so without sounding like it). The rhythm section, anchored by bassist Andy Laux, is reminiscent of the Kill 'em All days. There are riffs aplenty from the guitar duo of Adam Carroll and John Laux that will remind you of early King/Hanneman, Hetfield/Hammett, and Holt/Hunolt. Want solos? No fear John Laux has just what you've been craving. Vocalist John Kevill rounds things out perfectly with his own version of the thrash metal snarl in a classic Tom Araya sort of way.

I'm sure there will be plenty who say this album lacks in originality and there is nothing new or exciting here. To them I say, you've missed the point completely. This is some pure, honest to goodness thrashing fun. I predict that Warbringer is going to be big. Being such a young band (most of them aren't even of legal drinking age) I expect they will have a long career. I don't think this one album is a fluke nor will they suffer from the sophomore effort curse that has plagued so many (since they have gotten so much stronger than their powerful self-released EP, One By One the Wicked Fall). As long as they stay true to the heart of what is their music (like Slayer) and don't change (like Metallica) they should enjoy much success.

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