Weapons of Tomorrow is the sixth studio album by the American thrash metal band Warbringer. Following the success of Woe to the Vanquished (2017), it is the first album to feature Chase Bryant on bass. During its first week of release, it reached #63 in the Belgian charts.
| Weapons of Tomorrow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 24, 2020 | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 50:56 | |||
| Label | Napalm | |||
| Producer | Mike Plotnikoff | |||
| Warbringer chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and lyrics edit
Speaking about the album, lead singer John Kevill said he sees this album as "a 2.0 stage of the band" and that "this is, as far as what we've achieved as a band, the definitive era." He drew inspiration from many sources for the album, including Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In reference to the song Heart of Darkness, "At the heart of all of this large scale human evil that you get is this question of if you could rule and dominate your fellow man, would you? I think that the ugly true answer is that for a lot of people, most people believe yes is the answer. [...] The song is about unpacking all that and dealing with the fact that that's the world we're standing on."[1]
Release edit
The album's title and artwork were revealed in February 2020,[2] along with the release of a rerecording of 2019's single Firepower Kills for the album.[3] In the months following the release of the album, Napalm Records released a documentary[4] about the album on YouTube in which the band discussed the history of each song.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blabbermouth.net |   [5] |
| Distorted Sound | [6] |
| Sonic Perspectives | [7] |
Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth praised the "imaginative spirit" and "flat-out, swivel-eyed thrash fucking metal", saying "[the album] feels like the kind of thrash metal album that bands used to make in the genre's glory days."[5] Fraser Wilson of Distorted Sound lauded the opening track Firepower Kills, saying "This is modern thrash at its very best." Calling the album "lyrically stunning and musically eviscerating", he highlighted Heart of Darkness as "a real standout", saying it "showcases the sonic range of the band."[6] Jonathan Smith of Sonic Perspectives called the album "genius" and "stylistically intricate", saying "Warbringer have definitely hit a sweet spot" with the album. He highlighted "Crushed Beneath The Tracks' and "Power Unsurpassed", calling them "punchy riff monsters."[7]
Track listing edit
All lyrics by John Kevill
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Firepower Kills" | Carlos Cruz, John Kevill | 4:21 |
| 2. | "The Black Hand Reaches Out" | Carlos Cruz | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Crushed Beneath the Tracks" | Carlos Cruz | 4:21 |
| 4. | "Defiance of Fate" | Carlos Cruz | 7:08 |
| 5. | "Unraveling" | Carlos Cruz | 3:21 |
| 6. | "Heart of Darkness" | Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz | 7:12 |
| 7. | "Power Unsurpassed" | Carlos Cruz | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Outer Reaches" | Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Notre Dame (King of Fools)" | Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Glorious End" | Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz, John Kevill | 6:40 |
| Total length: | 50:56 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Fight Back (Discharge Cover)" | 1:18 |
| 12. | "Remembrance (Instrumental)" | 3:24 |
| Total length: | 55:46 | |
Personnel edit
- Warbringer
- John Kevill – vocals
- Chase Becker – guitars
- Adam Carroll - guitars
- Chase Bryant – bass
- Carlos Cruz – drums
- Additional personnel[8]
- Mike Plotnikoff – production
- Zack Ohren – mixing
- Justin Schturtz – mastering
- Andreas Marschall – artwork
Charts edit
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] | 63 |
References edit
- ^ "WARBRINGER's John Kevill on Weapons of Tomorrow, His Defining Album and Facing Unpleasant Truths". metalinjection.net. Metal Injection. 25 April 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "WARBRINGER To Release 'Weapons Of Tomorrow' Album In April". Blabbermouth.net. Blabbermouth. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "WARBRINGER - Firepower Kills (Final album mix 2020)". Napalm Records. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "WARBRINGER - The Science Of Thrash (Part 1)". Youtube. Napalm Death. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b Dom Lawson. "WARBRINGER "Weapons of Tomorrow"". Blabbermouth. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b Fraser Wilson (20 April 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: Weapons of Tomorrow – Warbringer". distortedsoundmag.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ a b Jonathan Smith (24 April 2020). "Warbringer – Weapons Of Tomorrow (Album Review)". sonicperspectives.com. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Warbringer - Weapons of Tomorrow". Rate Your Music. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Warbringer – Weapons of Tomorrow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2020.