It’s been 12 years since Warbringer crushed metal fans with their debut album and here in 2020 we are presented with their sixth studio album titled “Weapons Of Tomorrow”. After their massive return with their previous effort in “Woe to the Vanquished ” which saw the band come back with an all new insatiable hunger, it was time to continue forward with what they do best in modern thrash metal.
“Weapons Of Tomorrow” opens in fashionable thrash style with “Firepower Kills” with speed and precision and a mid-section that steals the show with tremendous guitar work from Chase Becker and Adam Carroll. We are off to a good start as “The Black Hand Reaches Out” follows right after where the tempo switches down to a more groove oriented beat and a bit of an old school heavy metal vibe sitting inside the meat of the track.
We see the band switch gears even further with “Crushed Beneath The Tracks” where the band bring a bit of extra heaviness to the fold, complete with chunky riffs and some fancy footwork from drummer Carlos Cruz. The thrashers unleash the fury for a burst of speed briefly before bringing things back to the more heavier grooves again for another winning combination.
Warbringer definitely sound on point on this album, production is stellar and there’s a seemingly extra bit of viciousness here that adds to the intensity of the whole package, a result possibly from the near destruction of the band only a few years back. While this is obviously not the comeback album that “Woe to the Vanquished” was, this however is the band finding their foot again in the modern metal world in much the same way “Death Magnetic” was for Metallica.
Two tracks that will stand out here are the slightly more elongated songs “Defiance of Fate” and “Heart Of Darkness“. The former features some nice harmonies and a great hook reminiscent of Megadeth’s “In My Darkest Hour”, overall being a more melodic affair to bring a bit of dynamics to the album. “Heart Of Darkness” on the other hand steps up the intensity with a more blackened sound, combining blast beats and intricate parts brilliantly in what could be the magnum opus of the album.
Moving to the back end of the album, “ Notre Dame (King Of Fools)” grabs your attention with it’s fun-filled craziness in numerous tempo switches before the finale comes with “Glorious End“, a fitting track to close out “Weapons Of Tomorrow”. I think it’s safe to say that if you are already a fan of Warbringer, this album will satisfy all your needs safely but for those who haven’t caught on to the power of Warbringer and are looking for more thrash metal to fill your collection, you won’t go wrong with this one.
9/10
TRACKLIST
Firepower Kills
The Black Hand Reaches Out
Crushed Beneath The Tracks
Defiance of Fate
Unraveling
Heart of Darkness
Power Unsurpassed
Outer Reaches
Notre Dame (King Of Fools)
Glorious End
