Warpstormer - Warpstormer - Metal Epidemic

Warpstormer – Warpstormer
Release Date: 29th November 2024
Label: London Doom Collective
Bandcamp
Genre: Stoner, Doom, Sludge.
FFO: Mastodon, High on Fire, Baroness.
Review By: Mark Young

Stoner-Thrash anyone? Go on, why not.

And here we are, hunkered down in a potentially snowbound Premier Inn. The TV keeps freezing, leading to a very flustered receptionist coming to turn everything off and on again. I suggested a career in IT, and she growled, walking away, muttering something about funny bastards. Anyway, you haven’t come here to listen to my woes. You want to know about Warpstormer, and if their blend of two disparate genres will mesh effectively.

Black Herald is our introduction to how things may turn out. It’s a cosmically fuelled instrumental that offers a little harmonic guitar whimsy and I suppose it does signpost that there is a love, or at least an appreciation, of Dr Brian and how to build layered rock. Any doubts on how well it will go disappears as Oracle comes flying in, all mighty riffs and wah solo. I’m down with this and if it keeps this up-tempo pace going it’s going to be a treat to the ears. It’s more stoner than thrash at this point, but it’s an infectious brew and is a strong start despite my continuing love/hate affair with instrumentals, there is something in it that makes it crucial to how Oracle comes in and just sets the place on fire. Possibly the calm before the storm? There is a quality slow-down that is just going to set heads moving along, with a guitar tone that has the right amount of bite.

Cursed, Cold comes straight from the realms of Grand Magus, circa Monument era. There is a lumbering arrangement to it, unhurried and possessing that thick and chunky tone that fits so well, showing that they can do the quick and the slow with equal success.

Beyonder is next up, and now we see them dropping an extended jam that dips its toes into the realm of doom, if only in intent. It flies along nicely, bringing some spot-on guitar lines as well as a healthy dose of how to do epic metal, 2024 style. Check out the bends around the 5-minute mark, subtle but spot on. Add in a manic solo, and you have one of the standout tracks of the year. Or you could plump for A Liar’s Crown, with has a belting song build and one of the most insistent riffs that burrows straight into your brain. This breaks out all the moves – face melting solos and that descending movement that always works with metal.

So far, I’m not getting thrash, but with Fester they deploy something that is close to it, the use of the triplets before getting to the main riff-down which owes more to Mastodon in the way it put together (at least to these ears). Think back to their Remission/Leviathan era, and that should give you a nodding appreciation. Add this to some more Magus type movements and you have another belter.

The Edge Of Time is our closing track, and with it sees them bringing the doom which slows everything down dramatically. Following on from the one-two of A Liar’s Crown and Fester, it feels like a misstep to end on this until they pick up the pace and drop some more gorgeous lead breaks in atop a rumbling chugging attack. Alas, they put the brakes on again, which I suppose is the done thing, and then grind their way out to the end.

This is a healthy dose of heavy metal, done well, and contains all the necessary ingredients to make them one of the bands to watch. I’m still not sure where the thrash is, and on reflection I’m glad it sounds the way it does. Instrumental put to one side, this is great from them and is definitely worth your time.