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Warbeast: Krush the enemy
07/03/12 || revenant
Back in August 2006, Wayne Abney (bass guitarist for underground metal act Hammer Witch) suffered a near fatal motorcycle accident. A benefit gig was formed in his honour, and a group of local Texans from varying bands came together under the name Texas Metal Alliance for a one off performance. However, having enjoyed the experience and response, they kept playing together, wrote a couple of songs and recorded a couple of demos. One of these demos found their way into the hands of one Phil Anselmo, who made it his business to sign these guys to his own label, Housecore Records. The band had no hesitation in signing, and in 2009 changed their name to Warbeast. 2010 saw the release of their debut, “Krush the Enemy” and in 2012 came their ultimate crowning moment: a review published on Global Domination. Yee-haw.
So Warbeast then. How about that logo eh? You probably can’t see it well in the image so I’ll blow it up for you:
What the fuck is that? I mean, inverted cross for a T, the Nazi SS style S, pentagram for the A… what the fuck is going on with that E? It’s… it’s normal for fuck’s sake. C’mon guys, don’t tell me you ran out of metal clichés that quick, you could have made that letter steel plated, complete with rivets and shit in it. Man, missed opportunity there.
And while I am ranting aimlessly, why is crush spelt with a K? Couldn’t be a mistake, could it? Makes me think of a saying from a former Governor of Texas: “Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?” Is they indeed, if they think the K is correct. Dubbya was definitely onto something there.
Hey, how about I fucken talk about the album now? Warbeast, for those who didn’t already get bored and look it up themselves, play thrash. Yep, Warbeast are yet another bonafide neo-thrash band. But wait, before you find the need to stifle a yawn, let me just say this: these guys actually do have a unique sound. They are not just another copycat band for two reasons:
1) Big bad motherfucking southern groove. Their songs are filled with some great southern grooves, Pantera-esque in places. Some of the songs are so groove focused I’d struggle to rank them as thrash, but they mix the two styles across the album to give it a wide varied assault. The groove is of course backed up production wise, which gives a big bold sound to the guitars.
2) Bruce Corbitt’s vocals. These are pretty unique, and truly not standard thrash fare.
So new thrash band, wealth of experience from past bands, unique sound plus they are also quite good musicians… so far so good, right? Yeah, well like the title of the famous Megadeth album finishes: so what? You can have all that, but if you’re not writing compelling music then it isn’t worth shit. And that’s the problem with this album: not enough top notch material, most of it sits middling to average. “Blackened Heart” is the standout, a well structured song, memorable chorus and great lead break section make it a standout. “Krush the Enemy”, “Scorched Earth Policy” and “Self Will Run Riot” are all decent, but below that everything sits as an unmemorable average.
My reason for finding this album was that it was mentioned in many lists as one of the best thrash albums of 2010, and indeed the best debut thrash album of the year. That may indeed be the case, I would judge it more as a reflection of the standard in 2010 rather than the quality of the album. It has a bold modern production, big bad southern groove, unique vocals but sadly lacks in the songwriting department. Warbeast might prove to be a worthwhile band to follow in the future, but only when they can bring a little more consistent quality to the fore.
- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Housecore Records
- Website: www.warbeast.org
- Band
- Bruce Corbitt: vocals
- Scott Shelby: guitars
- Rick Perry: guitars
- Alan Bovee: bass
- Joe Gonzalez: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Krush The Enemy
- 02. Unleashed
- 03. Self Will Run Riot
- 04. The Plague At Hand
- 05. Blackened Heart
- 06. Scorched Earth Policy
- 07. Guardian Angel
- 08. The Controller
- 09. Stalker
- 10. We Are The Vultures
