Wrecking Command

Back in 2012, a German thrash outfit by the name of Warfield took form, and dropped an EP titled Call To War. It wouldn’t be until four years later that they would give us a full length effort titled Wrecking Command. A couple of the songs from said EP would make their way onto this disc, only roughened up a bit and made to sound more grim. They were very successful in that, as this is pretty reminiscent of the darker Teutonic thrashers that ruled Germany in the ’80s. One of the easiest comparisons to make is Kreator, as lead vocalist Johannes Clemens has a very similar approach to the beloved Mille Petrozza. Additionally, the rhythms kicked out by ax man Matthias Clemens are so ferocious that it’s almost chaotic. Don’t be fooled though, the complexion is still concise as ever, it just has such a rigid edge to it that it comes off as very mean for something based on super tight cadence.

Obviously a dirtier atmosphere is what gives the vocal and guitar duo such booming delivery, but there are a few other factors that bring this out as well. Wrecking Command is one of those records that you can almost feel whenever the volume is cranked and the sound system is correct. “Divine Winds” is such a moving track in the way that the bass breaks through the air with such precision that it does more than just help out the rhythm. It adds a layer of thickness, making it bounce right off of the walls and injects more vibration into the layout. This of course is also attained through stellar work behind the kit. At no point do the drums slow down, and they ride along the rails with the bass at such intense speed that it gives the vocals and guitar leads so much platform to lean back on. Essentially, what it boils down to is that all of the band members pull in an equal amount of weight to make this doable. If one person sold us short, the delivery wouldn’t be as special.

Meshing gritty vocal cries with the crushing lead guitars is a procedure that comes in handy many times on this album. This gives an unsettling vibe that takes the harsh environment fused with the speed driven angst and sticks some more murky tones into the ingredients. “Call To War” is one of the best tracks to showcase this. Moreover, the slower riffs don’t bring down the energy at all, as the drum fills take the co-pilot seat and come in with accelerated kicks that work oh so well with the sluggish yet still heavy riffs. The title track encompasses most of these aspects, helping this open on a strong note. Features like this also help break up the songs, which is needed. When you play this brand of thrash, tracks tend to get somewhat samey after a while, which admittedly this does have a little bit of. Due to not being overly long and using different techniques throughout, this isn’t a very hard flaw, and is rather typical anyway. The outstanding guitar solos certainly prevent this from happening too often as well.

As a whole, it’s safe to say that Warfield border along the line of blackened thrash due to the extremely harsh vocals and tinted instrumentation, but the robust rhythms never leave the scene. Lyrics about war, destruction, brutal battle attacks and artillery litter this entire beast, keeping it pretty themed and giving homage to classic German thrashers Sodom. That said, I recommend Wrecking Command to anyone who digs Sodom, Kreator, Witchery, or really anything that resides within the darker side of thrash, and the more rhythmic side of blackened thrash. There isn’t a second on this disc that comes across as dull.