Thrash Metal and originality in general are as compatible as Kiefer Sutherland and sobriety; the media would desperately love you to think that the two are one, but all too often the evidence proves otherwise. Yet hope is at hand in the form of Californian-based Thrashers Warbringer, a band that clearly love Thrash and are willing to prove this... not by repeating what has been done ad infinitum but by trying to make something of their own that is as fun to listen to for newcomers to the genre as it is for the veterans. Something like mid-period Megadeth plus late Exodus plus Slayer, the band at first seem to conform to the clichés of the nu-Thrash hordes, but once you really sit down and listen, their skill becomes apparent. The way that opening ripper Jackal burns a hole in your ears with its insistent aggression, paving the way for the head-down charge of Living In A Whirlwind to come and stomp all over you, the deliberately delayed solo hitting its full effect... some serious thought has gone into this album, the way that the songs seem to get better the later in the album you get, the little touches like the Strapping Young Lad-esque intro to the mildly Blackened Abandoned By Time, all adding up to a Thrash experience that is several levels above the average.

What may hold people back from complete Warbringer love is the fact that they are very much a modern band. Moments like instrumental Nightmare Anatomy verge on the Proggy, and whilst songs like Prey For Death are excellent, they’re not the pure, old-school mindless Thrash attack that people seem to want these days. Although vocalist John Kevill has a good deal of Tom Araya about him, he is still a fair bit harsher, and the guitarists play a good deal more melodically than many, with some great soloing. The main issue with Thrash bands nowadays is how original they are, and whilst Warbringer’s influences are pretty obvious, the fact that they can make something of their own from them makes them better than most. Waking Into Nightmares may not be the best Thrash album you’ve ever heard, but it’s certainly worth your time – perfect for those that like Rumpelstiltskin Grinder and other modern Thrash bands that stand above the crowd.