Review of Warbringer - One By One The Wicked Fall

There’s a really great documentary about the early thrash metal scene currently jumping from city to city aptly titled Get Thrashed. I was lucky enough to catch the film last month in San Francisco, along with a huge pile of old-school Bay Area thrashers and more than enough $2 PBR’s; you can probably imagine just how much fun the experience was. Anyway, by the time we walked out of the theater, I was left with a serious itch to spin all my classic thrash from the mid/late 80’s and early 90’s. Not just the obvious heavyweights, mind you, but the bands that managed to skate a bit under the mainstream radar as well: your Whiplash, Blood Feast, Acrophet, Devastation, etc., etc., etc. With my brain freshly polluted from rebirthed experimentations in classic thrash toxins of yore, I eventually decided to further my research by exposing my medulla oblongata to the latest EP from one of LA’s keepers of the thrash flame, Warbringer. The results? Promising. Quite promising indeed.

Considering the fact that it’s self-financed, One By One The Wicked Fall is a remarkably professional sounding EP. Beyond that, it’s also solid evidence of five young dudes who’ve spent a great deal of time worshipping at the altar of classic thrash, and they pay their homage with an acute technical proficiency to boot. At its core, this platter is infused with the cruelty, speed, and youth of Bonded By Blood, but there are moments aplenty that bring to mind scads of other classic thrash bands as well: old-school band-shouted chorus’ ala Eternal Nightmare are scattered throughout; the occasional Kreator-esque melodic licks and dashes of heavier Overkill riffing during “Shoot To Kill”; and the distinct Whiplash attack of “Hell on Earth” are all fine examples of the ancestry grittily splayed on the sleeves of these young fellers. Hell, there’s even a nod towards the “Tormentooooor!!!” days of Tom Araya towards the end of “Road Warrior” to further help stamp the ‘Grade-A Thrash’ mark on Warbringer’s forehead. Wrap it all beneath some expressly precise (yet decidedly ancient sounding) musicianship and loads of decorously fiendish vocals, and you’ve got an EP that’s literally screaming for the thrash world's undivided attention.

(queue dramatic pause)......

And undivided attention they've apparently received! Hard work and high quality music does get noticed, folks. As of today, Warbringer has officially been added to the Century Media roster. Not all that surprising, really, as One By One The Wicked Fall certainly proves this band worthy of shelf space directly alongside your Funerot, Dekapitator, and Municipal Waste records. Congrats on the recent signing, fellahs. Looks like the world's ready for TOTAL WARRRRRRRR!!!!

Release Details

Warbringer

One By One The Wicked Fall

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