Thrash metal is easily my favorite genre of music, and I hope to discuss it at length in a later post. In brief, it's music to stir up mosh pits, and it tends to favor modular guitar riffs underneath fast, melodic guitar solos. Good thrash hits a sweet spot between melody and chaos, and Warbringer scratch the itch like almost nobody else. Start with the chugging riffs of Exodus. Add the intricate, melodic soloing of testament. Bring to a boil, adding a screaming vocalist so powerful that you wonder how he still has a functioning throat. Start a circle pit, add moshing to taste.
Thrash bands tend to write about only a few general topics, and as you can guess Warbringer likes war an awful lot. On their debut record they stuck to that topic almost exclusively, and they're one hell of a good fit for it. The music is violent as hell (as titles like "Systematic Genocide" and "Wake Up... Destroy" would imply), but the riffs and solos are melodic enough to stick in your brain for long after hearing them. It's a good thing too, as the lead singer's unceasing screaming leaves little doubt as to the band's intents re: your eardrums.
I was afraid that Warbringer would be tapped out of ideas after that first record, but all three of their albums to date are excellent in slightly different ways. They even branch out lyrically, while remaining true to the violent, unflinching ethos of the band. While you won't find the confessionals of Megadeth or the philosophizing of vintage Metallica, songs like "Shattered Like Glass" prove that Warbringer has no end of tricks up their sleeves.
Here's Warbringer's official page http://warbringermusic.com/fr_home.cfm which opens a music player at the bottom of your browser. Skip ahead to the song "Total War" to get the best possible introduction to this excellent band. The moment the vocalist bellows out the title is a perfect one, and that's when I fell in love.
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