Band:	Warbringer
Album:	Weapons Of Tomorrow
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	April 24, 2020
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Firepower Kills
02. The Black Hand Reaches Out
03. Crushed Beneath The Tracks
04. Defiance Of Fate
05. Unraveling
06. Heart Of Darkness
07. Power Unsurpassed
08. Outer Reaches
09. Notre Dame (King Of Fools)
10. Glorious End

On the warpath once again, Warbringer are back to lay claim and conquer the metal scene; pledge allegiance or resist in vain. Weapons Of Tomorrow sees the band upping the sonic firepower they have at their disposal. Their 6th effort sees the band take another leap forward on their path out of the middle tier of thrash into the upper echelons that they have long threatened to join.

Warbringer continue to take no prisoners with their sonic assault called thrash; like the sound of a tank crashing over defensive lines, the band knows how to hit hard and heavy. The band has married this stalwart quality of their sound to elements of sonic expansion, carrying on from what the preceding Woe To The Vanquished had; taking this unholy union to ever greater depths works much to the benefit of Weapons Of Tomorrow.

From the slow and brooding intro of "Heart Of Darkness" that places you squarely in the ebbing and flowing dark waters, throwing you upon the rocks before dragging you back out amongst the violent waves that slowly calm by the song's end, to the epic ruminations of "Glorious End" that live up to its name and end the album as such, Weapons Of Tomorrow shows that the band have a few surprise weapons in their arsenal and they are not afraid to use them. If you are a fan of old and want more reasons to get bruised and bloodied in the inevitable mosh pits, then worry not; tracks like "Firepower Kills", "Unraveling", and "Power Unsurpassed" will incite mosh merriment in quick fashion when played loud. Weapons Of Tomorrow may see the band expanding the borders of their sound, but they do not cut ties with their past at all.

The band is in fine form; Kevill in particular pushes himself harder and further than before and leads the charge with conviction. His vocals are a true highlight of the record, from the rasping rough edges of "Outer Reaches" to his trademark screeching on "Crushed Beneath The Tracks", showing that he is far from resting on his laurels. The guitar duo of Carroll and Becker provides a solid partnership with Kevill, throwing out riffs and solos that imbue each track with a sense of purpose and power. Bryant takes a backseat on the bass for much of the album but his low end does serve to add depth to Cruz's battering drum sound and the aforementioned guitars.

While the band were busy pushing their sound to new places, they took their eyes off the basics; that is, the production of the album. Kevill is rightly pushed to the front and is produced perfectly to accentuate his performance while the rest of the band sounds flat. As you listen to the album, you will notice that Kevill is allowed to breathe and sounds three-dimensional while the guitars and drums sound very thin and weak. Take "Unraveling", for example: while the instruments are high up in the mix, they don't have the same depth or character as the vocals do, leaving them to sound the weaker of the two. It is far from an album-killer, but it is a noticeable flaw that does detract from the music.

Weapons Of Tomorrow is a solid and powerful statement of continued intent from Warbringer that results in one of the strongest releases of their career thus far. A must for fans of the band and highly recommended for those who like their metal heavy, loud, and in-your-face. If these are Warbringer's weapons of tomorrow, then the future is looking very bright for them indeed.