Although it took some time to sink in, Warbringer’s 2020 album ‘Weapons of Tomorrow’ eventually became my favorite thrash metal album of this century. Ever since what was essentially their re-launch just over a decade ago, Warbringer has steadily been improving their sound. To a certain extent, this evolution came from not caring whether their compositions fit the traditional thrash metal mold, ending up with something that is surprisingly varied for something as consistently aggressive as what Warbringer does. ‘Wrath and Ruin’ goes for a slightly darker, more compact approach than ‘Weapons of Tomorrow’, and it is almost as good.

One thing Warbringer excels at is bringing in influences from different metal subgenres to enhance their thrash metal. ‘Wrath and Ruin’ has examples of those in spades. The first single ‘A Better World’ has the distinct melodic death metal leanings that guitarist Adam Carroll’s riffs often have, while ‘The Neuromancer’ is a crushing stomper with a few distinct nods to early death metal. ‘Cage of Air’ even has some clear black metal influences in its riffing – and its finale – while the clean guitars on ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’ create a unique atmosphere without sacrificing the thrash metal feel at all.

Thrash metal is still the main ingredient in Warbringer’s sound, however. People who prefer to hear that out of the band are in for a treat with the aggressive ‘The Jackhammer’ and especially the high-speed ripper ‘Strike from the Sky’, which has some of the coolest, tightest riffs on the album. Opening track ‘The Sword and the Cross’ is probably the most traditional thrasher on ‘Wrath and Ruin’, with some of the riffs being on par with the classics of the genre. ‘The Last of My Kind’ evolves from a dark thrasher to an even darker atmospheric finale, closing the album in style.

Lyrics aren’t often brought up in my reviews, as they tend to have little impact on my enjoyment of an album, but John Kevill has slowly become my favorite lyricist in metal since Martin Walkyier. ‘Wrath and Ruin’ is the least traditionally war-focused Warbringer album lyrically. Many songs focus on how technology has been abused by those in power, right down to the modern day. This does bleed into weaponized conflict – see ‘Strike from the Sky’ – but Kevill takes a broader look at it. ‘Cage of Air’ and ‘A Better World’ are very current, and despair seeps out of them in a way that is uncommon for thrash metal.

‘Wrath and Ruin’ confirms what ‘Weapons of Tomorrow’ and 2017’s ‘Woe to the Vanquished’ already hinted at: Warbringer has long outgrown the retro thrash metal wave during which they came up, and they have found their own niche within the genre. Within their niche, Warbringer proves that even if you tend to stay on the more aggressive, extreme end of the genre, it is fully possible to deliver a dynamic, highly varied album with a lot of depth without sacrificing the rabid energy thrash metal needs. Another very impressive work. I cannot recommend ‘Wrath and Ruin’ highly enough.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Last of My Kind’, ‘Strike from the Sky’, ‘Cage of Air’