Das Interview wurde mit John Laux (guitars) geführt:
Everyone might not be familiar with WARBRINGER. Give us a short history of your band.
We started out in a garage in southern California sometime in 2004. After a lot of work and good local shows we started scraping up cash to go and record in a real studios. With the One By One the Wicked Fall EP we landed a deal with Century Media Records. Since then we have released our debut record War Without End and have been touring almost every week out of the year for the last year and a half.
How did you get started in music?
Same story for most of us, we always had a strong interest in music since we were young and eventually that grew into heavy metal. My father always had his guitars sitting around and I would play every now and then when I was younger. Once I heard "Tornado of Souls" by Megadeth I knew right there that I was going to devote all of my time playing and practicing guitar.
What do you like to do when youre not playing music?
Hanging out and drinking with my friends. I also spend a lot of time listening to and looking for a wide variety of music, everything from metal to '80 s goth pop.
Describe the WARBRINGER sound?
The roots are defiantly Old School, but there is plenty of Death and Black metal influence. We want to play thrash and develop our own style and sound. For us being original is the most important element of the music besides the live performance.
What has the response been so far to your second album Waking Into Nightmares?
Well the pre-release stolen from the Internet buzz seems pretty positive. Anxious to hear what some critics have to say. Overall we are really pleased with the record, we had 2 months between tours to write and record it, and I think it shows that we worked very hard.
In my opinion the album is more furious and wilder then your debut. The vocals are very aggressive and the guitar kicks ass. What happens, that Waking Into Nightmares is turned out so well?
Having Gary Holt (Anmerkung: EXODUS Gitarrist) behind the board is one thing. We really felt our first record was under-produced. Glossy overproduction is bad, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use the technology to make a heavier and better sounding record. Gary really understood that balance and as a producer he worked us hard to get the best possible performances. The guitarsare one of the most important elements on a thrash record.
Why do you think now, in the last 2-3 years, there has been a newfound popularity of traditional thrash sound?
I think a lot of kids feel the old school style of metal is more original than all that bandwagon crap nowadays. Besides most of modern death and hardcore has plenty of roots in thrash. I think a more punk approach is welcome, thrash has the best of both worlds -- tech and aggression. I also think the style was always doing well on the underground, and that its' great. A lot of the old bands are coming back out so younger generations can get a chance to see some really great bands.
What makes WARBRINGER different compared to all those other young thrash metal bands that show up at the moment?
We would like to think that because we have always placed a strong emphasis on musical substance over style that we have had all of our success. I think a pitfall that a lot of the new thrash bands have is a stubborn urge to try and stick to a strictly old school style, and a fear of experimenting and trying to evolve their sound. We really don't like the retro thrash tag. We just want to play real heavy metal.
Would you agree that the sound of WARBRINGER mixes German thrash like KREATOR with bay area band like EXODUS? Waking Into Nightmares sounds like KREATORs Extreme Aggressions!
Ha,ha, I think Kreator is one the only influences that I can't hide in my riffs. We try to take our favorite aspects of the whole genre. There's more bands than just Kreator and Exodus, the underground is loaded with good20thrash bands that have influenced us. Just for example, I would say Sacrifice and Demolition Hammer have had a heavy hand in our writting process.
The cover artwork is originated by Dan Seagrave and in my opinion his work fits better to Death Metal than Thrash Metal Bands.
I would agree, but I've always been a fan of real art, and Dan Seagrave has done some of my favorite covers. For this record, we didn't want a cartoony looking cover. We wanted everything to look serious and real. So for the music on this record I think the surrealistic quality of his art suits us perfectly.
Is there a chance that we can see you in Germany in 2009?
Yes! Just like last year we are coming over to play even more festivals this Summer, such as Full Force, Headbangers Open Air, and Zabbaduschder in Germany,. We'll also have off-date gigs with Sacred Reich and others.
Your last words:
Thanks for a great interview and to all of our fans for there support!
