Weapons of Tomorrow

Last updated

Weapons of Tomorrow
Weapons of Tomorrow.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 24, 2020 (2020-04-24)
Genre Thrash metal
Length50:56
Label Napalm
Producer Mike Plotnikoff
Warbringer chronology
Woe to the Vanquished
(2017)
Weapons of Tomorrow
(2020)
Wrath and Ruin
(2025)

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.

Contents

Background and lyrics

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

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Distorted SoundStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Sonic PerspectivesStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [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

All lyrics by John Kevill

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Firepower Kills"Carlos Cruz, John Kevill4:21
2."The Black Hand Reaches Out"Carlos Cruz3:57
3."Crushed Beneath the Tracks"Carlos Cruz4:21
4."Defiance of Fate"Carlos Cruz7:08
5."Unraveling"Carlos Cruz3:21
6."Heart of Darkness"Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz7:12
7."Power Unsurpassed"Carlos Cruz3:50
8."Outer Reaches"Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz4:49
9."Notre Dame (King of Fools)"Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz5:18
10."Glorious End"Adam Carroll, Carlos Cruz, John Kevill6:40
Total length:50:56
Bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Fight Back (Discharge Cover)"1:18
12."Remembrance (Instrumental)"3:24
Total length:55:46

Personnel

Warbringer
Additional personnel [8]

Charts

Chart (2020)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [9] 63

References

  1. "WARBRINGER's John Kevill on Weapons of Tomorrow, His Defining Album and Facing Unpleasant Truths". metalinjection.net. Metal Injection. April 25, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  2. "WARBRINGER To Release 'Weapons Of Tomorrow' Album In April". Blabbermouth.net. Blabbermouth. February 28, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  3. "WARBRINGER - Firepower Kills (Final album mix 2020)". Napalm Records. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  4. "WARBRINGER - The Science Of Thrash (Part 1)". Youtube. Napalm Death. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Dom Lawson. "WARBRINGER "Weapons of Tomorrow"". Blabbermouth. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Fraser Wilson (April 20, 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: Weapons of Tomorrow – Warbringer". distortedsoundmag.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Jonathan Smith (April 24, 2020). "Warbringer – Weapons Of Tomorrow (Album Review)". sonicperspectives.com. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  8. "Warbringer - Weapons of Tomorrow". Rate Your Music. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  9. "Ultratop.be – Warbringer – Weapons of Tomorrow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 10, 2020.