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WARBRINGER Live At Bloodstock Open Air 2025; Pro-Shot Video Of Full Set Streaming

https://bravewords.com/news/warbringer-live-at-bloodstock-open-air-2025-pro-shot-video-of-full-set-streaming/

#WARBRINGER #LiveAtBloodstockOpenAir #Pro #thrashmetal #concert #video #streaming #BraveWords #metal #music

I just had to wait 2 hours in a doctors office.
The outside temperature is -7°C.

I need some thrash metal to warm my heart. It is the year of #ThrashMetal after all.

Here's one I missed from last year 👇

🎵 The Sword And The Cross by Warbringer
💿 Wrath and Ruin, 2025
▶️ https://song.link/y/jTYcTECFiNY

#TomsMusic #NowPlaying #Warbringer

Dimanche parfait : préparer le fish & chips en écoutant Warbringer - Wrath And Ruin, un bon petit Thrash Metal des familles 🥰

#ThrashMetal #Warbringer #Music #Metal

Ravager – From Us with Hate Review

By Lavender Larcenist

What can one reasonably say that hasn’t already been proclaimed in the halls of AMG over and over again about throwback thrash bands? In a genre that continues to pump out music for over forty years, breaking the mold is like chiseling out of your prison cell with a spoon. Doable? Maybe. But true escape is improbable. Germany’s Ravager peddles in the same stylistic trappings that you have seen a million times before from bands like Havok, Lich King, Warbringer, Gamma Bomb, and so, so many others before them. While many of these throwback acts ended up evolving their sounds and peeling themselves free of the mozzarella mosh of pizza thrash, will Ravager do the same on their fourth LP, From Us with Hate? Or, is it doomed to rest alongside the proverbial pineapple topping, as loathed as it is loved?

How does one even begin to talk about a band like Ravager without reaching for the same old cliches? You have heard all this music before; nothing here will surprise you, especially if you enjoy fast-paced, no-frills thrash with mostly generic lyrics about fighting the system, living hard, and loving metal. During my review, I decided to spin From Us with Hate while playing some rounds of Helldivers 2 (the title of a popular co-op video game for you olde folks). Ravager’s style of no-holds-barred violence, combined with its oddly uplifting lyrical themes, made it a perfect match for the on-screen chaos. But really, this would work for almost any high-octane experience; driving fast, working out, sitting on your ass shooting aliens in a video game, you name it. I couldn’t help but crack a smile as the cheesy yet earnest lyrics of “Alone We Won’t Survive” matched up perfectly with the actions in the game, as I rescued a hapless rookie player from the jaws of death. The best thing I can say is From Us with Hate makes for a decent soundtrack when mowing down alien bugs in a sci-fi fascist hellscape.

Ravager plays to all the thrash tropes. The opening track, “Freaks Out of Control,” starts like many genre staples before it: a slow kick drum lead with a little high hat that rolls into a rollicking riff. In fairness, each band member fills their respective role well, and Marcel Lehr and Dario Rosenberg’s dual guitar assault is a highlight. From Us With Hate is full of tight riffs and ripping speed. “Aggressive Music for Aggressive People,” the title track, and “Legends of the Lightning” are all fun, easy-to-digest thrash staples that get the blood going even if they don’t break the mold. Vocalist Phillip Herbst sounds dangerously close to Lich King’s Tom Martin, and it seems like he might crack at any given time. The vocals sound strained throughout, and rarely change things up outside of a few inspired moments and catchy choruses, such as on “Curse the Living, Hail the Dead” and “Defender.” While Ravager plays with that “barely keeping this thing on the tracks” energy that epitomizes great thrash, it misses elsewhere. It is clear they have more than enough heart, but the songwriting doesn’t quite match it.

Thankfully, the band’s latest is competently played and features tight production (although the bass is occasionally lost in frustrating ways). Album closer “Defender” is stuffed with tight riffing from Lehr and Rosenberg as well as some standout lead work and multiple blistering tag-team solos from the guitar duo. Herbst never breaks the mold, but competently trucks alongside the bouncing groove of the tracks. Vocals remain the weakest element overall, and the album’s closing cover of Exodus’s “Bonded by Blood” highlights this with Herbst’s voice sounding as if it is going to crack at any point in the song, especially in the chorus.

I appreciate a band that knows their whole schtick is a little silly without making themselves the butt of the joke. Every Ravager album cover is adorned with its goofy snake man, as buff as post-crisis Batman, and clad in ripped jeans and sneakers, but the music itself never becomes too silly. From Us With Hate is the record you’ve heard many times before, and tolerance may vary as a result. If you love throwback thrash bands and eat up anything in the genre, Ravager will keep you sated like a familiar piece of pepperoni pizza at your local shop. If, like me, you are over this style of played-out retro worship, From Us with Hate is just empty calories.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Iron Shield Records
Websites: ravager.bandcamp.com | ravager-thrash.de | facebook.com/ravagerthrash
Releases Worldwide: September 19th, 2025

#25 #2025 #GammaBomb #GermanMetal #Havok #IronShieldRecords #LichKing #Ravager #Review #Reviews #romUsWithHateReview #Sep25 #ThrashMetal #Warbringer

Testament – Para Bellum Review

By Steel Druhm

The greats of the original American thrash scene have fallen on hard times of late. Metallica dropped a predictably disappointing platter that critics still hailed as genius, Megadeth is Megadeth, Anthrax is MIA, and Slayer is in assisted living. These days, it seems like only Overkill still stands strong and defiant, defending the old guard. But let us not forget about Testament. I’ll always have a soft spot in my jaded metal heart for them. I fondly remember seeing them open for Slayer back in 87 when no one knew who they were and their debut was weeks from dropping. Despite a stereotypically unfriendly Slayer crowd, they won us over fast with macho thrash and Chuck Billy’s larger-than-life presence. Those early albums were stone-cold classics, and they’ve weathered the storms of time and trend without too many disasters. Still, thrash is a fickle mistress, and diminishing return stalks us all. That brings us to album 13, Para Bellum. Can these olden dawgs deliver something fresh and vital? They certainly bring some surprises to the party this time at the very least.

Things kick off intensely with “For the Love of Pain,” which is fast and furious thrash with a heaping helping of black metal influence. Some sections feel like epic second-wave blasting, and though Testament dabbled in this sound before, this is closer to Eric Petterson’s Dragonlord project than the band have drifted before. I don’t dislike it, and the blackened elements give their sound a kick in the arse for sure. They even cram in some djenty bits to further shake the stew. “Infanticide A.I.” keeps the blackened elements for a raging thrasher that borders on grind at times. Riffs fly every which way, Chuck sounds genuinely insane, and the drums blast you a new asshole for free. It’s not what I consider a Testament classic, but it shows these guys can still bring it hard when they want. From there, things wander around a bunch. You get a big, epic dose of emotional power balladry in “Meant to Be,” where Testament flexes their emo sadboi muscles and throw major pathos and beautiful playing your way. Then they digress into hard rock/metal light on “Nature of the Beast.” This sounds like Testament covering a Saxon song, and that idea sounds better on paper than on wax.

Oddly, most of my favorite tracks arrive late in the game. Starting with “Room 117,” Testament lock into a late-album groove with slick, memorable writing that sticks like a greased-up prison shank. It’s a slick blend of vintage Testament and classic metal, and they pull it off perfectly with scads of great vocal hooks and memorable guitar moments. The chorus is a winner, and it reminds me of the stuff off Practice What You Preach. “Havana Syndrome” is even better, finding that sweet spot between the classic Testament sound and 80s metal, with a distinct NWoBHM influence in the leads. The closing title track is overstuffed with ideas, but most of them are good, and the blend of thrash, classic metal, and blackened bits works well. Are there downers? Well, I don’t love the aforementioned “Nature of the Beast,” and “High Noon” with its Wild West gunslinger theme is cheesy as fook. That leaves Para Bellum a mixed bag of nuts and bolts, and the band’s genre-hopping makes the album feel incohesive at times, but there are more wins than losses on the scoreboard.

Given the musical talent that adorns a Testament album, you know you’ll get a cosmic fuckton of highly polished playing, and Para Bellum is full of impressive performances. Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick are as good a guitar tandem as there is, and no matter what genre they dip into, they do it rich, creamy justice. The level of ferocity they lock into on tracks like “Infanticide A.I.” is shocking for greybeards like them, and the sheer emotional payout on “Meant to Be” is something else. Steve DiGiorgio is a bass legend, and he’s fairly audible on most tracks, his bubbling, rumbling basslines adding depth and weight to the material. New drummer Chris Dovas (ex-Seven Spires) is a top-level kitman, providing a large collection of beats, fills, rolls, and raw thunder. Do I wish Gene Hoglan were back there still? Of course. Can Dovas get the job done? Absolutely. And then there’s Big Chuck. He sounds youthful, large, and in charge, showing a lot more versatility than you might expect as he moves from thrash barks to blackened screams and clean singing. Talent is everywhere, and only a few songwriting kerfuffles dent the soup can.

So Testament lands on the right side of the thrash grave for another release. Para Bellum won’t replace the debut or The New Order in your hearts, but it’s a worthy addition to their oeuvre and shows them embracing diverse elements rather than just rehashing old ideas. Kudos to them for that! Keep on aging gracefully, gents.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Nuclear Blast
Websites: testamentlegions.com/site | facebook.com/testamentlegions | instagram.com/testamentofficial
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #NuclearBlastRecords #Oct25 #ParaBellum #Review #Reviews #Testament #ThrashMetal #Warbringer

This was #Warbringer at sold out #DynamoEindhoven

🗓️ 3/8/2025

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Premiere: Combustion 96 “Rise” to the Occasion with New Single
It's all about pushing through the bad times. Premiere: Combustion 96 “Rise” to the Occasion with New Single .

https://www.metalsucks.net/2025/07/11/premiere-combustion-96-rise-to-the-occasion-with-new-single/

#Combustion96 #Rise #JonHoward #ThreatSignal #Warbringer #Soulfly #MetalSucks #NewSingle #Premiere #Metal