REVIEW: Warbringer

Artist: Warbringer

Album: Waking Into Nightmares

Release Date: May 19, 2009

Genre(s): Thrash, neo-thrash

THRASH!!! The year is 2009, and it's a very, very good year to be a thrasher. All your favorite thrash bands from the past are back to kick ass (this year, we're seeing new albums from Kreator, Slayer, and Megadeth), but that's not the reason you should be glad to be a thrasher right now. It's because, for once, there's a new wave of talented young rippers who are taking pride in playing music the way Satan wanted them to. There are countless neo-thrash bands on the scene today, and let's face it, not all of them are worth your time, but there are a bunch who have serious chops. Hands down, the most notable American neo-thrash band is Warbringer.

What makes Warbringer so special? A lot of things. Warbringer plays thrash, straight-up the way we remember it, the way we love it, with amazing proficiency and sincerity. Warbringer loves thrash, and if you love thrash, you'll love Warbringer, because thrash is their calling. Or maybe you love Warbringer because of their live dominance. If you frequent metal shows, I'm sure you've caught at least one of their performances (these guys tour CONSTANTLY), and I bet you had a killer time, too. These guys energize their songs and pump their crowd, adding up to some awesome freakin' pits. I know the reason I love Warbringer is because they're the most fan-friendly band I've ever met. If you go to one of their concerts, they'll be out in the lobby, hanging with fans; not merely polite greetings either, these dudes will have full conversations with fans. They're cool, funny, friendly, and all-around awesome people. It should be a crime to not love Warbinger; there's not a bad thing I can say about them.

As for their new album, Waking Into Nightmares owns, like holy crap, it's thrash to the core. I'm sure I don't have to bother explaining what thrash sounds like, so let me assure you guys, this is something you'll want to own if you're down with the thrash sound. The riffs sound amazing, the speed is wondrous to behold; it all sounds heavy and beautiful (by beautiful, I mean thrashy and violent!). New drummer Nic Ritter reaches a much greater height than his predecessor, busting out some fast and technical stuff that sounds just awesome. The bass adds a thick layer of infrasonic punishment (I've tried playing some of these songs on bass---they sound good!). And of course, the vocals are the greatest thing I can mention. John Kevill has an impetuous scream that sounds vehement beyond comparison. He shrieks out every song with as much force as he can muster, and really gives each song an extra push that makes them exceptional.

Warbringer knows all the right ingredients to make music sound good, and at no point does any of the music seem contrived. War Without End (2008) was a sick album, but Waking Into Nightmares takes things to a whole new level. Warbringer is a god among current metal bands, and this is a modern thrash-terpiece. Any thrashers out there who don't own this album yet are gonna take some punches in the pit!!!

Track to Check: "Senseless Life"

Rating: 9.0/10

-Psychotic Pulse

REVIEW: Suffocation + Obituary

(left)

Artist: Suffocation

Album: Blood Oath

Release Date: July 14, 2009

(below)

Artist: Obituary

Album: Darkest Day

Release Date: June 30, 2009

Genre(s): Death metal, brutal death

Two kickass old-school death metal bands, back with all-new albums. Two questions: do these bands still rip? And which album is more brutal?

Suffocation:

If you want to talk brutal, that's the very best word you could use to describe Blood Oath. Holy crap, the vocals on this album own. Frank Mullen has a killer growl, and it's all natural. The drums are fast and lay the groundwork for some hard-hitting guitarwork. The force behind the riffs can be wondrous to behold at times. The solos, however, leave something to be desired. Thankfully, the band doesn't make that the focus of their music, so it can't be counted as too much of a flaw. It's straight-up, no-frills death metal. Easy to listen to, memorable, and very enjoyable.

There's not much to say about Blood Oath; it's well-done all-around. Production, instruments, songwriting: all are impressive. If you have any taste for death metal, buy this album, you'll love it. Anyone who went to Summer Slaughter this year heard Suffocation make an insufferably long speech about being a band for 20 years. For longtime Suffocation fans, this is the band's gift to you for sticking with them for so long. Congratulations to Suffocation, they have put out another death metal must-have, likely to go down as one of 2009's best.

Track to Check: "Provoking the Disturbed"

Rating: 8.5/10

Obituary:

Oh yeah, Obituary is kicking ass, as usual. Here, you'll find the same monstrous John Tardy vocals you fell in love with the first time you blasted "Don't Care" at home on your old stereo. The speed fluctuates between Obituary's trademark slow groove and speedy riffs. Either way it's punishing. The guitarwork isn't all rehashed, though. Ralph Santolla, the recent replacement for longtime member Allen West throws down some sick solos on top of the driving licks. It shakes things up without deviating too much from the Obituary formula. The band knows what works for them, and sticks with it throughout.

It's good to see that Obituary's not concerned with melody or technicality, for that is not what Obituary's about. Obituary's all about walking own the street, turning the headphones up to max volume, and smile snidely as the badass feeling comes over you. I'm a huge Obituary fan, and I can't resist the appeal of thirteen brutal new tracks from them. Obituary's been steadily on track since they reunited in 2003, but Darkest Day is their most focused post-reunion effort yet, and delivers all the goods that Obituary fans should expect.

Track to Check: "List of Dead"

Rating: an unbiased score would be 7.8, but based on my personal preference for Obituary, I'd give it an 8.8/10.

In conclusion:

Both albums offer little in the way of originality, but both serve to show us something more important: how each band has established themselves as masters of the death metal genre. Still going strong after 20 years, Obituary and Suffocation have provided us with more reasons to love them; both albums are essentials for death fans. Blood Oath is a more balanced and more accessible album for death metal fans of all sorts, while Darkest Day is geared more towards Obituary diehards, but guaranteed to give that group of metaheads an extreme thrill. Take your pick. The best choice for any true metalhead, of course, is to get both.

Choosing death again!

-Psychotic Pulse

Welcome to the Psychotic Pulse!

This is a short intro post briefly detailing my blog's mission. It's a constantly updated post dedicated to bringing you the latest metal news and reviews from a diehard expert on the genre. We'll be bringing you album reviews weekly, the tour dates for sick shows, and the biggest news about what's going on in the metal industry today. Opinion columns or metal-related subjects may occasionally feature, as well.

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To metal!!!

-Psychotic Pulse