Warbringer is an American
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band formed in 2004.
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million.
Background
Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...
signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign Warbringer instead. Warbringer's second album ''
Waking into Nightmares
''Waking into Nightmares'' is the second album by the American thrash metal band Warbringer, released on May 19, 2009, in the U.S. and May 25, 2009, in Europe. It was produced by Gary Holt, guitarist of thrash metal band Exodus. The cover art ...
'' was released on May 19, 2009. The album reached No. 14 on the
Billboard Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart. Despite numerous line-up changes, Warbringer has released six full-length studio albums, and along with
Bonded by Blood
''Bonded by Blood'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Exodus. Although the album was completed in the summer of 1984, it was not released until 1985 due to issues with Exodus and the record label. It is considered one of th ...
,
Evile
Evile are an English thrash metal band from Huddersfield, formed in 2004. They have experienced numerous line-up changes over the years, with drummer Ben Carter being the only member of the original line-up to have stayed consistently. The curr ...
,
Hatchet
A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...
and
Havok, they are notable for being part of the late 2000s and early 2010s "thrash metal revival" scene.
History
Formation and early releases (2004–2007)
The band formed in 2004 when John Laux and Victor Mikhaltsevich met during high school. They shared a strong common interest in heavy metal and began writing instrumental songs together. Eventually Victor introduced John Kevill to Laux as the new vocalist and immediately a strong creative partnership was forged. Originally they had named the band Onslaught but changed their name after realizing that there is a band using the
same name. Nothing had been recorded and released while they had used the name. They soon recruited Andy Laux as the bassist and Evan Reiter as drummer. A few weeks later Reiter left and was replaced by Adam Carroll whom Kevill had met opening as a guitarist in a local band at a Metal Church show.
![John Kevill, Warbringer 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/John_Kevill%2C_Warbringer_1.jpg)
The band finally had a solid line up in place and had adopted the name Warbringer after attempting to combine "War" as a prefix to a variety of words. They recorded a four-song demo in 2004 that was never released. It is the only recording with Victor Mikhaltsevich in the band. Due to creative differences the band decided to seek out another guitar player. Emilio Hoschet soon joined the band, and in 2005 they self-financed the ''
Born of the Ruins
Warbringer is an American thrash metal band formed in 2004. Century Media Records signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign W ...
'' demo. Copies were handmade and passed out for free at local shows.
A local thrash revival scene started expanding and growing around the L.A. area. Thanks to word of mouth, organic promotion, and social networking sites, a lot of young promoters began booking shows with exclusively traditional metal bands. Eventually bands in the scene were playing sold-out shows on the Sunset Strip. Smaller labels became interested in the scene and Heavy Artillery Records had asked a number of upcoming thrash bands to contribute to a various artist compilation ''Speed Kills...Again''.
The release was delayed until 2007.
Ryan Bates joined Warbringer early in 2006 as the band's new drummer after Adam Carroll had left on a hiatus from Warbringer and Zombie.
In 2006 the band also finished the ''
One By One, the Wicked Fall
Warbringer is an American thrash metal band formed in 2004. Century Media Records signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign W ...
'' demo which was self-financed and recorded at Love Juice Labs. The original pressings were handmade, but the band eventually opted to have them printed more professionally. The EP was sent out to a number of different labels and magazines. The EP was very successful and was met with many positive reviews. Warbringer began to move up in the local roster and open for larger bands. Emilio Hoschet parted ways with the band early in 2007, and brought in former member Adam Carroll as a temporary guitarist. The band opened shows for bands like Obituary, Atheist and Repulsion.
In 2007 Warbringer signed with
Century Media
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
Adam Carroll decided to rejoin Warbringer full-time and made contributions to the music on War Without End as a drummer and guitarist.
''War Without End'' and ''Waking into Nightmares'' (2007–2009)
Warbringer entered the studio with
Bill Metoyer
Bill Metoyer is an American record producer who has recorded with Slayer, Deliverance, Hirax, Morbid Angel, Trouble and Tourniquet. He has worked at Metal Blade Records for several years as house producer and currently works as A&R. He also wor ...
(Slayer, D.R.I., W.A.S.P) as their producer and engineer. In 2008 ''
War Without End''
was released and Warbringer was lined up for their first national tour opening for
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
in January followed by another stateside tour opening for
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
. Andy Laux decided to finish his senior year of high school before touring with the band and asked Ben Bennett to fill in on bass duties until he graduated.
The following June after a tour in Europe with
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since ''Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch ...
and Suffocation, Ryan Bates informed the band that he was not satisfied touring and would be leaving them to pursue other ambitions. The band issue a press release seeking a new drummer through YouTube auditions.
Nic Ritter joined the band shortly after Ryan's departure while still an active member of the progressive metal outfit Prototype. That summer Warbringer traveled to Europe performing at a number festival dates including
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...
and resumed a heavy touring schedule starting with Sworn Enemy. The band returned to the States and toured there in the fall with
Finntroll
Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on ''Visor om slutet''. Finntroll's original singer, ...
followed by
Overkill.
During the winter of 2008 Warbringer began writing new music, with less than 3 months to write the record, the band was unfazed by the pressure and with experience from the road, writing partnerships between the band were stronger and more focused than anytime before in the career.
Early in 2009 the band went to Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California to record with Gary Holt (Exodus) as producer and Zack Ohren for mixing and mastering. The record was completed in 12 days and the band went on two more North American tours with
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name ''Inferior Breed'', the band changed their name in late 1996 to S ...
back to back with
Kreator
Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédér ...
and
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
. The tour lasted over 3½ months. During the last half of the tour, Nic Ritter broke his arm and John Gensmer of Epicurean filled in for the band.
In July Warbringer embarked on a headlining tour of Europe and as support for Onslaught and Testament in the UK. This was Ben Bennett's last tour and in August he was replaced by the band's original bass player, Andy Laux.
The band continued touring heavily in the US, opening for Obituary, Vader, and a show with Slipknot before the end of the year.
''Worlds Torn Asunder'' and ''IV: Empires Collapse'' (2010–2016)
![Warbringer in Rostock 6](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Warbringer_in_Rostock_6.jpg)
In 2010 Warbringer returned to Europe co-heading with the U.K.'s
Evile
Evile are an English thrash metal band from Huddersfield, formed in 2004. They have experienced numerous line-up changes over the years, with drummer Ben Carter being the only member of the original line-up to have stayed consistently. The curr ...
and both bands returned to the States to support Overkill's Killfest 2010 tour. In the spring Warbringer opened for Municipal Waste in Japan and headlined in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and The Philippines. Warbringer was direct support for
Pestilence in North America, then returned to Europe to co-headline with Skeletonwitch, and then as direct support again in the fall supporting
Nevermore
Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...
.
The band made plans to begin work for the third record. Due to overwhelming personal tensions from touring the band went on a short hiatus. They reach a mutual decision with drummer Nic Ritter and parted ways after a handful of shows early in 2011. Carlos Cruz of Hexen was announced as the band's next drummer shortly afterwards. Cruz would need to leave Warbringer in 2014 for personal reasons, but returned in late 2015.
During the spring of 2011 Warbringer entered The Omen Room studios with producer
Steve Evetts
Steve Evetts is an American record producer who has produced music for Alesana, Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura, Symphony X, Saves the Day, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Hightower, Story of the Year, Every T ...
(
Sepultura
Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
,
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
,
M.O.D.
M.O.D. (abbreviation for Method of Destruction) is an American crossover thrash band from New York City, fronted by Stormtroopers of Death vocalist Billy Milano. The band has been around for years (minus one hiatus from 1997 to 2001), and rele ...
) to complete ''
Worlds Torn Asunder''
In 2011 Warbringer began a tour with Diamond Plate,
Lazarus A.D.
Lazarus A.D. is an American thrash metal, thrash/groove metal band from Kenosha, Wisconsin, originally formed as "Lazarus" in 2005. The "A.D." was added to avoid potential legal issues. They released two studio albums in their career, ''The Ons ...
, and
Landmine Marathon
Landmine Marathon is an American death metal band from Phoenix, Arizona. Formed in 2004, the band was signed to Prosthetic Records, with Deep Six Records exclusively releasing the vinyl versions of their albums.
History Formation, "Demos” a ...
In early 2012 the band went on the road as the supporting act for
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey. Founded in 1994, the band consists of guitarist Michael Romeo, keyboardist Michael Pinnella, drummer Jason Rullo, lead vocalist Russell Allen and bassist Michael Lep ...
and
Iced Earth
Iced Earth is an American heavy metal band formed in Tampa, Florida and currently based in Columbus, Indiana. They were formed in 1984 under the name the Rose, then Purgatory, by guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer and original drummer ...
.
The band released their fourth album ''IV: Empires Collapse'' on October 15, 2013. This was followed by tour dates with Kreator and Overkill.
On May 12, 2014, vocalist John Kevill announced that drummer Carlos Cruz and founding guitarist John Laux had left the band, leaving the future of the band uncertain.
Four days later, it was announced that the band would continue, and announced they are searching for a new drummer.
On March 5, 2014, vocalist John Kevill announced the following:
"I remember on the last show we played on that U.S. tour (guitarist) Adam Carroll came to me and told me how we had to keep the torch held high and to realize the full potential of the band no matter what. We carried on the following European tour with fill-in members, as we really hate to cancel a gig and let down our fans, but it really seemed like the end for us. Fortunately, though it took a long time, we have been able to find musicians in our area to help carry on the torch of the destructive, intense music this band stands for."
Sometime after the summer of 2015 Carlos Cruz rejoined the band after the band's former touring line-up who just joined the band in 2014 quit. John Kevill said in an interview in February 2016 that Cruz had rediscovered the hunger to play music.
''Woe to the Vanquished'', ''Weapons of Tomorrow'' and upcoming seventh studio album (2016–present)
In late August 2016, John Kevill confirmed the band was in the second week of recording their fifth studio album. He also stated there would be 8 songs on the album, and an 11-minute epic. He described the first half of the album as "probably the most fast and brutal side A of any Warbringer record yet" and the second half as "more progressive/darkly melodic."
On December 13, 2016, it was announced that Warbringer's fifth studio album ''
Woe to the Vanquished'' would be released on March 31, 2017. The band toured worldwide in support of the album, opening for
Death Angel
Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone ...
on their ''
Evil Divide'' tour in Europe, and playing the 2018 edition of Thrash Domination in Japan with
Testament and
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
.
Warbringer released the single "Power Unsurpassed" digitally on August 17, 2018, and on vinyl a week later, August 24. By that point, the band had begun writing new material for their sixth studio album. On September 25, 2019, Warbringer digitally released "Firepower Kills" as the lead single from their then-upcoming sixth album, which was due for release in February 2020. In a December 2019 interview on ''
Full Metal Jackie
Full Metal Jackie is a nationally accredited and syndicated radio metal show created and hosted by Jackie Kajzer. Kajzer is known for her unique playlists and detailed interviews with rock artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Zakk Wylde a ...
'', Kevill confirmed that the album was "done and recorded." On February 28, 2020, it was announced that the album was titled ''
Weapons of Tomorrow'' and would be released on April 24. The band was supposed to embark on a co-headlining European tour with
Nervosa in early 2022, but it was announced in November 2021 that they were forced to withdraw from the tour, due to medical issues, and also confirmed that they have begun writing new material for their seventh studio album.
Members
;Current members
*John Kevill – lead vocals
*Adam Carroll – rhythm guitar, backing vocals , drums
*Carlos Cruz – drums
*Chase Becker – lead guitar, backing vocals
*Chase Bryant – bass
;Live members
*John Gensmer – drums
*Elad Manor – bass
*Blake Anderson – drums
*Balmore Lemus – lead guitar
*Jadran "Conan" Gonzalez – lead guitar
;Former members
*John Laux – lead guitar
*Andy Laux – bass
*Ryan Bates – drums
*Nic Ritter – drums
*Ben Bennett – bass
*Ben Mottsman – bass
*Andrew Bennett – rhythm guitar
*Jeff Potts – rhythm guitar
*Noah Young – lead guitar
*Alex Malmquist – bass
*Vicken Hovsepian – drums
*Jessie Sanchez – bass
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
*''
War Without End'' (2008)
*''
Waking into Nightmares
''Waking into Nightmares'' is the second album by the American thrash metal band Warbringer, released on May 19, 2009, in the U.S. and May 25, 2009, in Europe. It was produced by Gary Holt, guitarist of thrash metal band Exodus. The cover art ...
'' (2009)
*''
Worlds Torn Asunder'' (2011)
*''
IV: Empires Collapse'' (2013)
*''
Woe to the Vanquished'' (2017)
*''
Weapons of Tomorrow'' (2020)
EPs
*''One By One, the Wicked Fall'' (2006)
Singles
*''Limited Edition Rough Mix Tracks'' (2009)
*''Living Weapon'' (2011)
*''Silhouettes'' (2017)
*''Remain Violent'' (2017)
*''Power Unsurpassed'' (2018)
*''Firepower Kills'' (2019)
*''The Black Hand Reaches Out'' (2020)
*''Glorious End'' (2020)
Demos
*''Born of the Ruins'' (2005)
Splits
*''Imperial Anthems No.2'' (2010)
Compilation contributions
*''Thrashing Like a Maniac'' (2007)
Videography
* ''Combat Shock'' (2008)
* ''At the Crack of Doom'' (2008)
* ''Severed Reality'' (2009)
* ''Shattered Like Glass'' (2011)
* ''Black Sun, Black Moon'' (2013)
* ''Silhouettes'' (2017)
* ''Remain Violent'' (2017)
* ''The Black Hand Reaches Out'' (2020)
References
External links
*
*
Pluginmusic.com
{{Authority control
Century Media Records artists
Musical groups established in 2004
Musical quintets
Thrash metal musical groups from California