Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Warbringer > IV: Empires Collapse > Reviews
Warbringer - IV: Empires Collapse

Keep it simple - 67%

Felix 1666, June 20th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2013, CD, Century Media Records

Warbringer, the band with the ineradicable affinity for mediocre thrash songs, surprises with a cover that shows the old Tom Araya. Lopsided and weary, he sits on his throne while suffering from his back pain and waiting for a new "Angel of Death" to come. Hanneman (R.I.P.) is watching him from above and wants to help him, but his envoys, the three vultures, are pretty miserable death angels and not able to communicate with Tom. If these creatures are the modern Slaytanic Wehrmacht, this army has definitely seen better days. Thus, Tom is still waiting for a new thrash metal classic (but presumably in vain). Warbringer share his destiny.

But firstly, let's cast an eye on the production. "IV: Empires Collapse" does not need to hide its light under a bushel in terms of the technical execution. Transparency, pressure and vehemence are not missing. Nevertheless, the disc does not shine with an absolutely flawless sound, because it is a tad too clean. This leads to the situation that Warbringer's songs lack - to a greater or lesser extent - of emotionality. The album cannot be blamed for sterility, but a little bit more spiritedness would have been helpful. Anyhow, the production shows no serious deficiencies. Too bad that Warbringer's problem has always been rather the song-writing than its technical implementation.

"IV: Empires Collapse" is an ambitious work and insiders know that this statement is throwing up questions. On the hand, one cannot deny that Warbringer have tried to pen a diversified full-length. Without disguising itself as progressive thrash, the music offers many breaks in order to keep the listener in suspense. On the other hand, this concept does not always work. Too much of a good thing - guess you all know this story very well. "One Dimension", for instance, has some powerful parts after its stupid beginning, but the short Bad Religion "wohoo" obeisance during the chorus does not fit the context. "Horizon", the opener, does not exceed the four minutes mark. Yet it rather stands for inconsistency than for compactness. Pretty inefficient riffs and tempo changes lead to a misplaced soft outro. The album also holds better songs, but it is no coincidence in view of their previous works that Warbringer's first tune of a new album fails to convince.

This fourth full-length of the dudes does not disappoint, but it fails to deliver a proper amount of hooklines. This album is at risk of gathering dust on my shelf, although this fate does not do the music justice. There can be no doubt that Warbringer have good song-writing ideas, but they still fail to put them together in a really effective manner. The sharpness of "Hunter - Seeker" does not reveal its full potential, the rather casual "The Turning of the Gears" has fine riffs without being able to compete with the classics of the genre, "Black Sun, Black Moon" starts in a strong manner before it is going nowhere. Thankfully, the powerful, fast and pretty intensive "Scars Remain" shows the full force of the band, not least because of the very well embedded solos. Generally speaking, the second half holds the better, straighter songs ("Iron City" or the compressed "Off With Their Heads!"). It sounds as if Warbringer wanted to create something special during the first half, but now they just thrash. And this is the reason, why the album finally reaches a small 70% rating. It's no milestone, but honest and upright. By the way, in order to mitigate his back pain, Araya should sit upright as well.

Play It Loud and Drink Some Shitty Beer - 75%

Twisted_Psychology, November 14th, 2013

As indicated by the more intriguing cover art and the absence of a “W” title, Warbringer’s fourth album is a stylistic game changer. Guitarist Jeff Pots and bassist Ben Mottsman have been recruited from Mantic Ritual and the band is finally acting on the experimental side that has been bubbling since Waking Into Nightmares. Fortunately, this album’s mix of the familiar and unfamiliar keeps it from being a stylistic train wreck.

While Empires Collapse is a thrash metal album to the core, it seems to combine the genre with several others throughout. “Horizon” and “Towers Of The Serpent” show off extreme metal riffing, “The Turning Of The Gears” has a pounding rhythm reminiscent of classic Ministry, “One Dimension” and “Iron City” have some punk influence, and things go to a doomy pace on “Leviathan.” The variety does run the risk of inconsistency but the album stays cohesive and is their most song-oriented release to date.

It also helps that the band dynamic hasn’t changed a bit. Even with the member swaps, the guitars have a solid crunch and the bass heavy approach from Worlds Torn Asunder has been retained. There’s also vocalist John Kevill’s performance to consider; say what you will but it just wouldn’t be a Warbringer album without his Mille Petrozza style shrieking.

But with the changes on here comes the hunch that they could’ve gone into an even more grandiose direction with this effort. The songs on here are all well written but there’s nothing that quite matches the epic scope that was predicted on tracks like “Demonic Ecstasy” and “Shadow From The Tomb.” It also would’ve been cool to see another one of their instrumentals at work but the closing acoustics on “Horizon” do capture a similar feeling.

Overall, Warbringer’s fourth album is a small step from their first three but the variety results in what may be their most accessible release. Some may dispute the changes but they do keep the album from sounding stagnant and don’t affect the band’s presentation all that much at the end of the day. Other bands like Megadeth and Testament made better albums under similar circumstances but Warbringer may have had one of the smoothest transitions.

Highlights:
“Horizon”
“The Turning Of The Gears”
“One Dimension”
“Leviathan”
“Towers Of The Serpent”

Orignally published at http://psychicshorts.blogspot.com

Warbringer - IV: Empires Collapse - 75%

Orbitball, November 14th, 2013

A definite step up from their last 2 annoying releases, but still average due to production quality, unoriginality, alongside vocals that are quite annoying yet again. The rhythmic structures are more creative than the previous 2 albums, however, the production is such to where it seems like they recorded this in a garage, a tad bit up from that. The aggression factor still remains which is good, though I would've liked to get a lyric sheet enclosed. That was absent so it is hard for me to be able to see if I would be able to at least have a modicum amount on what their concepts are lyrically, not just guessing what the vocals are spewed out, but it's lacking.

About the actual thrash based music, Warbringer sounds like Metallica's "Kill 'Em All" riff-wise and production-wise. The leads were above average, so that's good, though I'm not hearing a whole lot of superior creativity on this release. I think that if the production was tighter, it would've given the album much more justice than what was recorded yet again on this album. The guitars contained an incredible amount of distortion spewed forth in that respect, tempo changes, nothing hostile in terms of drastic changes, but there are points to where you'll hear some clean tone on the songs, not much though.

I think that they were a step up from their previous, though the sound quality just needed to be better. It might've been their aim to have another raw produced output, but I don't care for that. The music wasn't strikingly impressionable, better and more thought out from previous albums, still needs stronger more memorable riffs. Since there were no lyrics coming with the album, it was hard to combine it with the music so it all makes sense in an intelligible aspect. The fact that this was void annoyed me so it wasn't as enjoyable to listen to and be able to identify with. I did appreciate the fact that they're average musicians trying to better themselves.

What was irritating the most were the vocals. They were screaming based, but just got under my skin. I think that they need a replacement if they want listeners to be able to appreciate the music alongside the voice. If they ditch their vocalist and find someone that enhances the quality of what comes out of your speakers, it'd have more people able to enjoy what they've put out with their efforts. I'm not saying change their style of music, just get someone who's a better representation of their thrash metal riffs. All of the songs had their ups and downs in terms of keeping me listening to the album, but I think that they still need to be more creative.

This whole album I think was just generic, musicians pressing to move forward, but still lacking in a sense that they need modification to the songwriting. If a band is looking to stay in this thrash metal genre, be original, don't go after sounds that reflect a lot of influences and sound like them. Yes all bands have their influences, I'm just saying that the music is just like that of old Metallica with that raw sound. It just is a repeat and continuation with that. If other people don't notice that, it's okay because I do! This was average thrash metal with music that didn't stick to me at all. I thought a lot about them experimenting, though they still need more originality.

The future of thrash metal - 95%

captaincrunchy, November 7th, 2013

Modern thrash metal is marked by two dominant groups of artists; the old-school bands that continue to produce music and a great multitude of younger bands that, craving for a return of their favorite genre, took up the job themselves to revive thrash metal. This latter group has seen very few bands gain any significant momentum and the simple reason is far too many of them were content living off of the '80s thrash they had always known, regurgitating what had been done before. Thankfully, a handful of bands, Warbringer among them, have begun pushing the genre's boundaries once again.

What Warbringer has accomplished on this record is something altogether unexpected. They were disregarded by many as a boring Slayer knockoff with their debut, War Without End. However, they immediately began expanding their sound, developing an old school death metal-infused style on Waking Into Nightmares and Worlds Torn Asunder, and by this album, they have created something quite unique in the thrash metal scene. Here they no longer rely solely on '80s influences, taking in elements of classic NWOBHM, crossover thrash, death metal, black metal, and even prog metal. The nicely-varied, light speed numbers punch you in the gut, grab you, and don't let go. Some songs like Turning of the Gears almost sound divorced from the thrash metal genre while others like Towers of the Serpent toy with screaming tremolo-picking.

The songs themselves are quite strong overall and show many flavors of what the band is capable of. Album opener Horizon finishes with a flamenco outro. Hunter-Seeker is marked by melodic lead lines bursting out from everywhere, accompanied by lurching tempo shifts and technical drum passages. Black Sun, Black Moon breathes classic metal not dissimilar to Judas Priest, complete with harmonized lead guitars, and Iron City's lyrics are uniquely humorous, joking about drinking "shitty beer" and poking fun at their overwhelmingly male audience. Personal favorite Towers of the Serpent is slightly more epic and atmospheric, rising above the grimy riffing that otherwise dominates the album.

The band's performance on the record is nothing short of impressive. Kevill's vocals have a fantastic mix of rasp and power, venomously belting out lyrics that range from anti-government ranting to dark fantasy. The guitar work is melodic, heavy, and technical, providing a lot of interesting twists and turns without losing the listener's interest. Extended harmonized guitar parts and solos between lead guitar John Laux and his fellow axe-slinger Jeff Potts are pulled off flawlessly and played with marvelous tastefulness and creativity. Carlos Cruz' drumming is inventive and dazzling, hitting you with a wall of beats and cymbal crashes that gift speed to the thrash machine. Bassist Ben Mottsman acquits himself well, providing some pleasant Steve Harris-like gallops as well as bouncing rhythms exactly where they need to be, aided by clear, well-mixed mastering.

Overall, IV: Empires Collapse completely changes the game for the other young bands competing with Warbringer to lead the thrash metal genre into the future. They have simultaneously refreshed their sound and diversified without creating a moment of filler or unrealized potential. Don't be surprised if a number of groups start copying the style Warbringer has brought to play here. This album succeeds on virtually every front, and while Warbringer's nascent new formula doesn't feel completely nailed down yet, it works marvelously here and it makes me very enthusiastic for an inevitable fifth full-length and the possibility for even greater stylistic evolution.

The collapse of restraining walls - 85%

Xyrth, October 29th, 2013

Retro-thrash… love it or hate it but after a decade of existence in the worldwide metal music panorama it’s still quite visible and relevant. Even though it is now vastly overshadowed in popularity by the old school death metal craze and the stoner/Sabbath-throwback trend that’s all the rage this days, you still get to see a lot of “the new” thrash metal bands in metal festivals all around the globe, supporting bigger or older acts or even touring solo, and most of them are still producing albums. One of the most visible of such outfits is Warbringer, who started their career with the unimpressive One by One, the Wicked Fall 2006 EP followed by the equally uneventful Total War LP in 2008. From that point onwards however, the band started advancing on a path of steady improvement, never unleashing a release that wasn’t superior to the one preceding it. Luckily for the Californian quintet, that hasn’t changed with 2013’s IV: Empires Collapse, as it stands their strongest offering so far.

I know what you might be thinking. “Their strongest offering so far”? What a formulaic, predictable line to describe some band’s newest record. And you’d probably be correct dear metal brother or sister, if we were discussing another release. But if Warbringer’s fourth long play lacks something, that’s being formulaic and predictable. The very reason why I consider this an improvement over their past works is that IV: Empires Collapse represents a shift in sound and approach gone right. Now, don’t panic, that doesn’t mean the guys are no longer thrashing ‘til death. It means they’re finally breaking from their confining old school bonds and becoming a richer, fuller entity. Waking into Nightmares and Worlds Torn Asunder both had their share of quality moments, but still sounded generic, by-the-book retro-thrash. Here we’re dealing with something else. There’re more influences at play, and the band has taken several risks (not the Megadeth type of Risks) resulting in a more varied and effective sonic attack.

First of all, one notices that the cover artwork is kind of odd, somewhat out of place both in Warbringer’s discography and in the thrash metal realm alike. They’ve discarded Dan Seagrave, who in my opinion belongs more to the death metal world anyway, but provided them with kick-ass art for their past couple of albums. This image’s credited to Adrienne Rozzi (never heard of her) and it seems more suited for a folk/Viking metal album. The classic Warbringer logo has been replaced by a simple, Sharpie-produced typo. Take that as you wish, but it’s the first clear sign of the changes before us. Then we face the production, a bit rawer this time around, which combined with an increased use of tremolo picked riffs sometimes gives this record mild black metal aesthetics. There’s also a heightened used of melody, and not only in the solos, which remain excellent, one of the better assets of this outfit. The riffing is diverse in style and also in quality, and though solid most of the time it’s definitely not outstanding, as it has never been with these guys. John Kevill vo-kills remain aggressive and raspy, you may like him or not buy I honestly can’t imagine the band with a different frontman.

This record’s ultimate strength resides in its pacing and variety, never becoming dull or uninteresting. Actually, most songs display changes in pace and style throughout their short duration, never reaching the five-minute mark. Not to brand this “progressive”, since most of the ideas incorporated into each composition aren’t extremely complex or forward thinking. It’s more of a tasty metallic cocktail with thrash as its main ingredient, spiced up with some punkish energy and simplicity here and there, occasional blastbeats and other traits from more extreme origins and hard rock accessibility surfacing from time to time. Even gang shouts and acoustic guitars appear. Yet no track sounds like a mindless pastiche of ideas, each and every one of ‘em has cohesion and memorable elements that grab your attention and linger inside your ever-rattling skull.

My least favorite composition is “Leviathan”, its first minutes sounding like one of Overkill’s doomy tunes, only with Kevill singing instead of Blitz. But it also boasts a more compelling speedy section. And speaking about speed metal, “Iron City” sounds like an Enforcer track covered by Deceased. That’s right, it means pretty awesome in case you doubted it. Other two favorites of mine are the rager “Hunter-Seeker” and the Conan the Barbarian-inspired (which grants them extra points) closer “Towers of the Serpent”. The short “Off with Their Heads!” is the only traditional thrasher among this bunch of Warbringer tunes, fast and to the point but not that exciting. Fast and mid-paced moments are intertwined in most songs, so thrash purists might be disappointed, but the average metalhead will undoubtedly find something here to bang their head to. I hope Warbringer carries on exploring these sounds, and hopefully their fifth album will blow our minds. Evile and Municipal Waste should listen to this and take a few cues in how to avoid stagnation.


Originally written for Metal Recusants [metalrecusants.com]