Warbringer review – Sabaton Open Air 2018

5/10

In my opinion Thrash Metal is a genre where you can split the bands in different divisions. In the major league you have bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer and maybe a few more. In the next division I would like to put bands like Annihilator and Death Angel. If we go down just a little bit more, we get to the 3rd division and there will Warbringer fit in just perfectly. Warbringer is a thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California and they’ve travelled a long way to get to Falun which is a very windy place this saturday. Just before they hit the stage we got Motörhead in the speakers with their classic “(We Are) The Roadcrew” and with that they are building some expectations in my mind.

When they hit the stage I’m a bit disappointed because when I want to see a thrash metal band I don’t want the singer growl his lungs out of his stomach, I want the lyrics to be clean. Now I sound like an old grumpy man who’s complaining about everything and that’s not the case. Warbringer shows us that they can play thrash metal in a decent way. I like the energy in “Living Weapon” and the crowd goes absolutely nuts when John Kevill tells them that they have the right to “Remain Violent”. This I really can appreciate because if you have a good contact with your audience you have come halfway I think. In the end Warbringer have the problem that they are playing the 3rd division in the genre, and to be honest the songs are not good enough. But if we remove that grumpy old man, their is some potential in this band because the new single “Power Unsurpased” sounds really good this afternoon.

Who: Warbringer
Where: Sabaton Open Air, Falun
When: 18/8-18
Stand out track: Remain Violent
Rate: 5/10