California neo-thrash heavyweights Warbringer have ridden high the past few years on the rush of 2017's Woe to the Vanquished. At the time that record was released, the band were testing the waters with a changed lineup, and Weapons of Tomorrow sees most of that lineup back for another strong outing, this time not having to dispel any doubts that they might not live up to expectations.
The album comes out kicking and thrashing with the now-familiar "Firepower Kills," which was released as a single last September, before laying in with the violent one-two punch of "The Black Hand Reaches Out" and "Crushed Beneath the Tracks," the album's two strongest cuts. Warbringer have demonstrated in the past that they're proficient in face-melting thrash as well as slower, darker and more melodic compositions, and Weapons of Tomorrow has a healthy balance of the two, with songs like "Defiance of Fate" and "Heart of Darkness" providing a nice contrast while being strategically placed on the tracklist so as not to kill the momentum.
The one song that poses a threat to the album's overbearingly aggressive nature is lead single "Power Unsurpassed," which came out in summer 2018, before the rest of the record was even recorded. The song just doesn't have the same excitement and vigour to it as the other cuts on the record, but the speed is picked back up with "Outer Reaches" and "Notre Dame (King of Fools)," before the epic "Glorious End" closes the album on a high note.
There's no doubt that Warbringer are one of the best modern thrash outfits we have. Weapons of Tomorrow should see the band continue their stride, but at this point in the game, they don't need to prove anything.
(Napalm)The album comes out kicking and thrashing with the now-familiar "Firepower Kills," which was released as a single last September, before laying in with the violent one-two punch of "The Black Hand Reaches Out" and "Crushed Beneath the Tracks," the album's two strongest cuts. Warbringer have demonstrated in the past that they're proficient in face-melting thrash as well as slower, darker and more melodic compositions, and Weapons of Tomorrow has a healthy balance of the two, with songs like "Defiance of Fate" and "Heart of Darkness" providing a nice contrast while being strategically placed on the tracklist so as not to kill the momentum.
The one song that poses a threat to the album's overbearingly aggressive nature is lead single "Power Unsurpassed," which came out in summer 2018, before the rest of the record was even recorded. The song just doesn't have the same excitement and vigour to it as the other cuts on the record, but the speed is picked back up with "Outer Reaches" and "Notre Dame (King of Fools)," before the epic "Glorious End" closes the album on a high note.
There's no doubt that Warbringer are one of the best modern thrash outfits we have. Weapons of Tomorrow should see the band continue their stride, but at this point in the game, they don't need to prove anything.