True Thrash resurgence is here to stay it seems...and here we have the mighty American band WARBRINGER to cement this newfound thrash glory! The intentions of the album are very clear and it will definitively catch your attention with its raw anger towards humanity's blight...and sometimes brilliance too.

"Silhouettes" is the first single the band released; it is a great opener with some razor sharp guitar riffs and equally impressive rash vocals. The title track "Woe to the Vanquished" is one of the finest examples of HOW to do modern thrash right: impressively varied guitar riffs and pure,  unrelenting fury at the world's injustice, as shown in the lyrics. "Remain Violent" is the song featured in their first video on the album. Its lyrics are about denouncing police brutality. "Shellfire" is the second single released and a more traditional thrash song with a real urgency in its tone. "Descending Blade" shifts from menacing mid-paced guitar riffs to fast paced pretty quickly, no pun intended! Some high-pitched screeches cover some of the vocal parts. The guitar work in the solo, however, can almost be considered Rock/Blues inspired I'd say, only with more punch, as expected. It however still sounds fresh and very original; it totally took me by surprise at first! The lyrics here are about a serial killer tracking his prey, pretty gloomy stuff! Overall, a very intense and raging song with a sick main guitar riff.

"Spectral Asylum" is a slower, almost entrancing experience, full of menacing and crunchy guitar riffs. There is a more hectic part in the middle, just before one of the best guitar solo. Madness here is the main lyrical subject and an interesting shift; this one is sure to be another pleaser among fans! "Divinity of Flesh" then abruptly accelerates the tempo with some more impressively melodic (but still dark and twisted) guitar riffs. The guitar solo also superbly complements the following guitars riffs. The only negative I can find is that it's too short, which can be considered a very good thing in a way! The lyrics here portrays man's exploits in a more positive light, comparing mind and knowledge with divinity and predicting our pursuit of the stars themselves! "When the Guns Fell Silent" is the slowest song (for the most part) and the darkest one, for sure. Very mystical and theatrical by moments, both in sound and lyrics. The priest whispering a funeral-like hymn dedicated to Valhalla at the beginning really sets the tone for this grand finale. The end is a haunting acoustic guitar part repeated infinitely and slowly fading away... A very powerful piece which will leave you in awe.

This is as close as you can get to perfection, in my humble opinion. Without wanting to sound all-knowing, I really think this band is indeed worthy of being a true successor to Thrash legends. Every track has something different to offer, really! John Kevill's aggressive (and almost Death Metal like) vocals, plus the engaged lyrical content both makes hearing the album for the first time and re-listening again a tremendously satisfying experience.