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

TOUR: Vader + Decrepit Birth, more

Polish death metal legends Vader are fully prepared to unleash their torment on the North American continent in a tour billed as Monsters of Death. Starting early November, they'll be embarking on an intense 38-date trek across the United States and Canada, along with five other bands you can't miss. Offering their support are Decrepit Birth, a straightforward and exceedingly sharp Californian death metal band; Warbringer, one of neo-thrash's most well-known acts, due to their relentless touring; The Amenta, an industrial/experimental band from Australia; Augury, a progressive/death metal group that invokes elements of Cynic, Atheist, and The Faceless; and Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky, a newly formed death metal band that manages to kick a severe amount of ass, despite their mouthful of a name.

Tickets are a bargain at just $19 (or $14 each in a 4-pack). If you're not a Vader fan yet, you can get up to speed by checking out their superb compilation album XXV. Vader's new album Necropolis drops September 22. Everything these guys put out is pure gold, so it's not a risky purchase. Shows this essential don't come along very often; this one should have some sort of mandatory attendance policy for metalheads. The dates are here:

11/04/09 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
11/05/09 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
11/06/09 Webster Underground – Hartford, CT
11/07/09 The Blender Theater @ Gramercy – New York, NY
11/08/09 Fou Founes Electriques – Montreal, QC – Canada
11/09/09 Imperial de Quebec – Quebec City, QC – Canada
11/10/09 Mod Club – Toronto, ON – Canada
11/11/09 Penny Arcade – Rochester, NY
11/12/09 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH
11/13/09 The Pearl Room – Mokena, IL
11/14/09 Rave – Milwaukee, WI
11/15/09 Station 4 – St. Paul, MN
11/16/09 Royal Albert Arms – Winnipeg, MB – Canada
11/17/09 The Exchange – Regina, SK – Canada
11/18/09 The Underground – Calgary, AB – Canada
11/19/09 Starlite Room – Edmonton, AB – Canada
11/20/09 Roll-A-Dome – Prince George, BC – Canada
11/21/09 Bourbon – Vancouver, BC – Canada
11/22/09 Sugar – Victoria, BC – Canada
11/23/09 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
11/24/09 Satyricon – Portland, OR
11/25/09 Regency Grand Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
11/27/09 Jumping Turtle – San Marcos, CA
11/28/09 Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA
11/29/09 The Key Club – Hollywood, CA
11/30/09 U.B’s – Mesa, AZ
12/01/09 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
12/02/09 Gator’s – Farmington, NM
12/03/09 Club Vegas – Salt Lake City, UT
12/04/09 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
12/05/09 Marquee – Tulsa, OK
12/06/09 Scout Bar – San Antonio, TX
12/07/09 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
12/09/09 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
12/10/09 Peppermint Beach Club – Virginia Beach, VA
12/11/09 Volume 11 – Raleigh, NC
12/12/09 Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA
12/13/09 The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA

-Psychotic Pulse

Mayhem Fest Diary: Introduction

Mayhem Festival II is tomorrow. I'll be making the trip up to Comcast Theatre with seven of my bros, and it's sure to be a killer time. I still remember every moment of last year's festival; naturally, I'm expecting a lot from tomorrow's concert. I was lucky enough to catch the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival on its inaugural run last year, at Nassau Coliseum. When that night ended, I vowed with my friends that we would come back next year. Looking forward, we're pumped, and ready for more mayhem!

At Mayhem Fest, fans get the chance to see over a dozen excellent musical groups, walk around and check out merch booths, meet and greet all of their favorite bands, grab some second-rate food at premium prices, and sweat out a few pounds and get a neck tan in the over-90 degree heat. Think Warped Tour, but a lot more metal. It's not a bad comparison, considering both tours were masterminded by the same dude: Kevin Lyman. Out of all the touring festivals this year, though, Mayhem is the one you've gotta go to, trust me on that.

Who's playing? Glad you asked! This year features a vastly superior lineup, spread across more genres. The three-stage setup from last year is retained. The Jagermeister and Hot Topic stages are outside, next to each other, but neither has two bands playing simultaneously. This works in the favor of efficiency, as one band exits one stage, and another band is expected to start their set on the other stage within seconds. No wait time between bands? It's a concertgoer's dream come true! The Main stage still has breaks between sets, though, and is located in the stadium, to accommodate the masses of metalheads who will be gathering for the headliners.

The names attached to this tour command some serious attention: Marilyn Manson and Slayer. Crazy that they would unite for a co-headlining gig so soon, but definitely a package that appeals to a broad audience. For those who don't know, get familiar with the acts: Marilyn Manson is a shock-rock performer who plays industrial metal. Slayer is a famed thrash metal band who've been shredding since the 80s. Joining them on the Main stage are Killswitch Engage, an emo band full of metal posers, and Bullet for My Valentine, a metal band that blends old-school instruments with new-school vocals.

On the Jagermeister stage are: Trivium, All That Remains, and God Forbid, a trio of metalcore bands turned thrash, as well as a Jager opening band. Each stop on the tour features a different band, so fans of Mayhem nationwide will all have different Festival experiences. The Hot Topic stage features: Cannibal Corpse, 90s progenitors of brutal death metal; Behemoth, Polish blackened death metal titans, also the only foreign band on the tour; Job for a Cowboy, a popular deathcore act; The Black Dahlia Murder, a dynamic and talented band that incorporates a diverse range of death metal styles; and Whitechapel, a new deathcore band that is quickly making waves within their scene.

That's the gist of it. Come back in a few days, and you can read all about how it was, the bands' sets, any random weird stuff that happened, the whole deal. I have a damn good feeling about tomorrow!

Long live the mayhem!

-Psychotic Pulse

Anthrax's Fall from Grace

THRASH IS BACK!!! These days, it seems like thrash is getting bigger than it ever was in the 80s. This begs the question: what the hell is Anthrax doing? The last totally new album was 2003's highly-acclaimed We've Come for You All. Six years later, all you can see from these guys is the sad image of a band caught up in their midlife crisis amidst lineup hell and accepting a tour slot opening for metal posers Slipknot, a group commonly regarded by metalheads as one of the worst bands in history. How did it happen, Anthrax?!

A year after their last original album, Anthrax released an exceptional compilation called The Greater of Two Evils, featuring their 80s classics, re-recorded by their 00s lineup. Usually when a band does that, it's as if to say "we are proud of our current lineup, so here's what we can do now to make our older material sound fresh". That doesn't necessarily apply to Anthrax, however, judging by their next move. In an indecisive twist of fate, Anthrax immediately followed up said album by ejecting longtime vocalist John Bush and lea guitarist Rob Caggiano, in order to accommodate the return of Joey Belladonna and Dan Spitz, respectively. Anthrax embarked upon a successful reunion tour with their 1984-92 lineup, featuring setlists comprised exclusively or material recorded during that era, but neglected to plan for the long-term. Once the tour ended, Anthrax found themselves unable to press on, with Belladonna and Spitz were unwilling to commit to the band full-time. Without a lead guitarist and vocalist, Anthrax faded into semi-obscurity overnight. Classic metal was in demand during the mid-00s, but only those bands who proved that they had the tenactity to continue performing; in such a time, even a small lapse was enough to prove detrimental to the Anthrax's popularity.

You can't have a band without a singer, unless of course, you're a kickass instrumental-prog band (and let's face it: Anthrax would suck at that). John Bush, still reeling from his abrupt dismissal, basically gave Anthrax the finger when they asked him back. While Rob Caggiano was more than happy to return, a piece of the puzzle was still missing. After a long and arduous search, Anthrax discovered a vocalist who had been gaining fame in the local Long Island scene, and quickly enlisted him to record a new studio album. His name: Dan Nelson. His role in the band: vocalist/roadblock. Now, Anthrax claims to have been serious about making a comeback, but with an unknown singer, who's going to take them seriously? John Bush and Joey Belladonna are both loved by fans; they're not that easy to replace, and the unease was apparent in Anthrax's fanbase. Sure enough, Nelson didn't last, and exited the band this week; whether it was by choice is not yet confirmed. Due to the lineup shift, the new album Worship Music has been delayed (far from the first time). Sadly to say, it may be too late for Anthrax, as they fall behind in a thriving genre.

Metallica just released Death Magnetic, which regains all of their credibility, not to mention they are (and always have been) the best of the thrash bands when it comes to live performances. Megadeth has an album this year, which could possibly be a return to form, judging by the superb single "Headcrusher". Slayer's Christ Illusion was incredible, and they have another album out this summer. Other long-running thrash bands such as Testament, Overkill, Flotsam & Jetsam, Death Angel, and Exodus have released excellent albums within the past two years. Furthermore, there's competition from the new wave of thrash; young rockers worldwide have been embracing the beloved genre, leading to the formation of popular new bands such as Evile and Warbringer. Anthrax's past achievements in the field of thrash are laudable; they should be one of the bands ushering in the new era. It's a shame that they are not, and because of that, Anthrax is basically no longer relevant.

Now, I'm not badmouthing Anthrax. I respect them, and I'd love to see them come back to prominence. They need to do something spectacular, however, since they've been out of the spotlight for so long, and other bands are making progress while Anthrax has been promising a comeback for years, but to no avail. Worship Music has been delayed several times already, the most recent of which took place this very week, presumably because the band wants to erase Dan Nelson's vocals from the album and redo all of the songs. What can save the band at this point? Fans are amassing and clamoring for a John Bush reunion. He's scheduled to perform a one-off with his old buddies on August 1st, and if things go well, it could lead to the reunion of Anthrax's most functional lineup, giving the band the boost they need to climb back to the top. A reunion with Joey seems far less feasible, since Anthrax already tried that, and it didn't pan out. Whatever happens, the band needs to do something big, and as unlikely as it seems, Anthrax has been known for pulling through the hard time.

Hardcore Anthrax fans aren't going to stop supporting the band. We're talking about a group that has sold well over 10 million albums and caters to thrashers, some of the most unfailingly loyal music fans out there. If Anthrax proves themselves worthy of attention in the future, it will surely come back to them. It's going to take a lot of work on their part, but as a thrasher myself, I'm inclined to believe in them. They just cancelled that godforsaken tour where they were set to open for Slipknot, so already we have one big step in the right direction right there.

-Psychotic Pulse