Warbringer have built up quite a reputation for themselves ever since their inception and show no signs of relenting with this, their third release in four years. Their debut War Without End was one of the better thrash albums released over the last five years or so but they seemed to hit a brick wall with 2009’s Waking Into Nightmares, which was just more of the same with a little more beef.

World’s Torn Asunder thankfully sees Warbringer get a little smarter and more songwriting savvy than they have done in the past. The guitars have been stripped down and the emphasis seems to be on writing memorable riffs and song structures. While they do succeed to an extent one can’t help but feel that not only have you heard it all before but you’ve definitely heard better.

Unfortunately Warbringer are still searching for that ‘X Factor’ to catapult them into the upper echelons of thrash. What bands like Slayer, Kreator and Exodus had back in the day was stellar songwriting, which combined absolutely vicious riffs with instantly recognizable hooks and a bucket load of attitude. To put it crudely, Warbringer needs more ‘satan’ in their music.

While they are certainly competent enough to churn out above average thrash they just don’t do it consistently enough throughout the length of the release. When things click they do so spectacularly as can be heard on the excellent ‘Shattered Like Glass’ and the blitzkrieg attack of ‘Treacherous Tongue’ and superb closer ‘Demonic Ecstasy’. Regrettably it is to the band’s detriment that they can’t stay consistent from track to track. Its one thing to be wear your influences on your sleeve but it’s an entirely different matter when you descend into obvious hero worship, which sadly just ends up sounding incredibly dated and lacking in imagination.

Warbringer are definitely a lot more diverse on Worlds Torn Asunder than on past releases, which shows that the band is maturing rapidly in a short time. Whether they can make that step up and release an album that can stand toe to toe with the best in the game remains to be seen.

With that being said, Worlds Torn Asunder is still a much better and much stronger effort than the albums before it and you could do a lot worse than to pick this disc up. Warbringer are on the cusp of making their definitive record and it could very well be the next one as long as they really knuckle down and realize that quantity is never as good as quality.

Review by Nolan Lewis