Heavy Tune of the Week is a characteristic on Heavy Consequence breaking down the highest steel, punk, and arduous rock tracks that you must hear each Friday. This week, No. 1 goes to Warbringer’s “A Higher World.”
It’s been practically 5 years since Warbringer unleashed Weapons of Tomorrow — arguably their most interesting file so far — persevering with a pattern of gradual enchancment from album to album.
Fairly than recycle concepts or retread previous floor, the long-running thrash establishment appears hellbent on outdoing itself with every subsequent LP. Subsequently, the band’s follow-up Wrath and Damage, out March 14th, comes with the built-in expectation that it is going to be someway leaner, fiercer, and stronger than its predecessor.
That is likely to be considerably unfair contemplating how good Weapons of Tomorrow was, however the lead single from the brand new album, “A Higher World,” tends to strengthen our preliminary inclinations: These guys simply preserve getting higher.
The observe is a compact riffer and a correct alternative for a single with its four-minute, hit-and-run length. There’s no room for gangly compositional prospers or half-baked concepts; simply pure thrash of the old-school vein, with a savvy use of variation and melody to maintain issues from sounding too same-y (the achilles heel of a lot thrash/pace steel).
Frontman John Kevill’s efficiency is especially noteworthy, as are his well-chosen phrases, projecting a world-weariness and honesty that’s disarming and poignant in opposition to a backdrop of sheer musical aggression.
“Once I was youthful, I used to assume the world would solely get higher throughout my life,” stated Kevill of the music’s premise. “I do know now that isn’t the case.”
Honorable Mentions:
Alien Weaponry – “Mau Moko”
It was week for thrash. New Zealanders Alien Weaponry simply kicked off their tour supporting Kerry King, marking the event with the announcement of their new album, Te Rā. The band continues to proliferate top-notch technical thrash steel that’s knowledgeable by its native tradition, and the album’s lead single “Mau Moko” — sung within the te reo Māori language — honors conventional Māori face tattooing whereas “delving into the prices of sustaining customs which can be at-odds with dominant cultural norms,” within the band’s personal phrases.
Architects – “Blackhole”
UK act Architects hit all of the checkpoints on “Blackhole.” There’s the hovering melodies and tectonic breakdowns inherent to their type of metalcore, plus some pleasant bouts of sped-up hardcore that harken again to traditional Refused. And as you’ll be able to see within the music video, the music makes a really perfect soundtrack for the collapse of an oil platform (the outrageous Michael Bay-style particular results are a complete win right here).
Whitechapel – “Hymns in Dissonance”
“We tried to put in writing our heaviest album so far,” stated Whitechapel guitarist Alex Wade of the band’s upcoming Hymns in Dissonance. “We wished to place out one thing that was shockingly menacing and brutal.” An apt description, if the album’s title observe is any indication. Starting with a terrifying 30-second intro that sounds, fairly actually, like a dissonant vocal hymn, the music turns into a manic circulation of slam riffs and breakdowns that’s solely barely much less unhinged than the vocal efficiency of Phil Bozeman. The man sounds completely possessed.