WARBRINGER (Eng.)
– Hi, thanks for taking the time. «Worlds Torn Asunder» will come out next Septembers; what are your expectations?
We think its our best work to date. We are really excited to see what our fans will have to say. It’s always nerve-racking when you release a record, we’re planning more tours and more exciting offers after the record’s release.
– And how could you describe this record?
It’s very dynamic. Every track has a different theme and story behind it. The music is aggressive, mean, and full of catchy hooks.
– What’s the main concept behind this brand new «Worlds Torn Asunder»?
Well, we didn’t plan on keeping the «W» theme for this record. Carlos came up with the name while we were brainstorming for an album title and after a few days we just decided it clicked. It ties up the concept for the cover art and the music very nicely.
– In the record you are keeping your usual aggressiveness and intensity and mix them with details that makes the band evolve into new directions and different paths. Do you think this is your best or most mature effort to date? And not just in musical terms, but also in a lyrical way.
Yeah, as a thrash band, it’s always been our goal to try different angles to keep our heads above the water. There have always been death and black metal touches, this time around there is even some hardcore/punk type riffs. Beyond the riffs we always look at the whole picture. For this record we really had a lot of time to focus on every single detail of our new songs. I think the time and focus really translated well in our creative process and into the record. We also had time to go back and forth with lyrical concepts and every song tackles a different subject. It think it creates an interesting atmosphere for the record.
– In this CD we can find quite diverse songs, each one different to the previous one and some tunes share certain similarities with your previous albums while others seem to explore new boundaries. Was this something you were aiming to get?
Well, I think the band has our own sound. It’s important for us to make sure the sound is our own and to make sure that we don’t repeat ourselves. We were exploring new boundaries, If were not interested or excited by playing a riff, why release it? While all the songs are different. They share the same goals, Getting people in a crowd to start moving and to inspire other musicians.
– We can also find details from different extreme styles. Do you think this fits these harsh lyrics?
I really like how Kevill can scream and deliver the lyrics clearly. It’s important to understand him and that is why we try avoid any lyrics that are too silly or «cheeky» The vibe from any of our lyrics could probably suit just about any kind of metal band. We try to keep them as mean as possible.
– You now have a new drummer, Carlos Cruz; how’s everything going with them? What has he brought to WARBRINGER?
Great, it’s been a little over half a year, and he is a very important part of the family now. He brought his influence on the record while we were writing and crafting song structures. Now while we are setting up the record, he has become one of the most involved members on our social networking sites. We have known him for years, The chemistry in the band is the strongest it has ever been right now.
– «Worlds Torn Asunder» has been produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SUICIDE SILENCE, SYMPHONY X, etc.) Did he get the sound you were looking for?
Yes, after 2 records, we learned exactly what we wanted from the studio. His experience really made the difference. The drums are huge, and the guitars are thick. It’s everything I could hope for.
– Production sounds quite modern but we could say you are an old school band. Is easy to create this balance between the «raw» and an organic production?
We want our record to be able to stand out and feel as heavy as the next band. It’s reckless to shun modern techniques, but it’s a poor choice to embrace all of them as we are a more our less, a «traditional» sort of metal band. All of the bands in the 80’s and 90’s weren’t trying to sound, they always wanted better and bigger sounds, just like they tried to write better and bigger records. The goal is to keep things organic, and that’s why we chose Steve. We didn’t trigger the drums, We didn’t cut and copy guitar riffs, we used real analog pedals for all the effects instead of plug ins. It was a blast.
– Artwork has been crafted by great Dan Seagrave, as your previous «Walking into Nightmares». Could you please shed some light on this? If you will change the artist for upcoming albums, how did you work on it (as ir reflects quite good the concept in the CD), etc.
We are all huge fans of his work. It wasn’t the original intention to work with him again, We want every record to look and feel unique. When we started conceptualizing the kind of iconic image we were looking for, He was just the most obvious choice. He is a pleasure to work with, had worked with us on quite on a lot of different sketches for a number of weeks. He has a great style and a great use of color. Ultimately we always are going to go for hand drawn artists, although in the future we will make sure to shake things up a bit.
– All your full-length albums have been released via one of the biggest Metal labels, Century Media. What are the pros and cons of working with such a huge company?
No cons really, CM is a great label. We don’t ask them for any tour support, and they treat us well because we do our jobs. We tour 9 months out of the year and always pay our debts. On this latest release they have been really excited by the album, and have been coming up with a lot of cool and interesting ideas for the promotions.
– As I said previously, I think we can notice your influences are old school Thrash but, what bands have influenced your sound?
I picked a guitar up immediately after I heard Rust In Peace by Megadeth. Eventually I got into bands like Death, Kreator, and Demolition Hammer who were some of the earliest influences.
We are very inspired by observing how our favorite bands evolved record after record. It’s the attitude and the progression of ideas that inspires us more than any particular scene our style. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Napalm Death to get my metal fix.
– Let’s say you were a precocious band as you got an overwhelming success being really young. Did such response both from the fans and press surprise you or exceed your expectations?
Yeah, everything has exceeded our expectations, but the success isn’t overwhelming. It took a lot of hard work to get this far. We are really proud of everything that has happened so far and plan on continuing to push the band as far as it can go.
– You have played with well-known acts as NAPALM DEATH, SUFFOCATION, etc. What’s the best memory so far? And the worst?
The Napalm Death and Suffocation package was our first European tour, and easily one of my favorite memories. Anytime you go out on the road with total strangers, but by the end of the trip it always feels like your leaving family behind. Finntroll is another band that who we shared a bus with and had a great time. Evile, Angelus Apatrida and Skeletonwitch are other bands as young as us and we have a great time working with. The worst? It only happens every so often, names aren’t worth mentioning but it’s usually only 1 or 2 people on a tour that like to make things difficult for everyone and never a specific band.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans? I saw you will later this year tour the US and Europe…
Yep, we are going to hit the road again. We are headlining in the US and taking Lazarus A.D., Landmine Marathon and Diamond Plate with us, and then we head over to Europe supporting Arch Enemy this winter. We’ll come over a couple weeks early and play Eastern Europe and then come to Spain. We are always looking forward to playing in new countries and playing more festivals next summer.
– That’s all, thanks again for taking the time. If you want to add some final words before we wrap this interview, feel free to do it.
Thanks to our fans for all of there support! Spain has always been one of our favorite countries to play and we hope to catch you guys soon!
