Interview by: DJ
As their devastating new album “Wrath and Ruin” are currently demolishing eardrums worldwide, WARBRINGER frontman John Kevill sat down with Myglobalmind to dissect the band’s darkest and most politically charged release to date. With European and North American tours on the horizon alongside death metal juggernauts Decapitated, the California thrashers are arming themselves for global domination.
Your new album “Wrath and Ruin” talks about something called “techno-feudalism.” What’s that all about, and how did it shape the songs you wrote?
“It’s a term I hear used to describe the modern world and where it is heading. Basically it is about a return to a world of lords and serfs, just in a modern context, with the tech-barons as the lords over the digital realms that they own. I think our world is generally becoming less egalitarian and more oligarchic and class-divided, and I think this word encapsulates that, and it gives this center theme for the album to focus on.”
John, you’ve mentioned that “The Sword and The Cross” kicked off the whole album. What’s the story behind that song, and why did you write the ending first?
“Well this is the first song that we wrote, and the idea came from a medieval history lecture from Prof. Clementine Oliver at CSUN, asking the question ‘how did the lords become the lords in the first place?’ and how that was most often done with brutal violence. I wrote the end around that lord/sword rhyme about how this lordly figure would own you forever, even after his own death, and it felt really evil.”
In “The Sword and The Cross,” you talk about powerful people who might not wear crowns anymore but still rule over us. What real-life stuff got you thinking about that?
“I mean, looked around recently? There was, a few years ago, 80 people that held more wealth between them than the lower 3 and a half billion. That statistic has only gotten worse. The lords of the middle ages were less skilled at robbing their people than today’s oligarchs are.”
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Your lyrics often deal with warfare, political corruption, and dystopian futures. What inspires these themes in your writing?
“Again, the world around me. I feel that the world isn’t heading anywhere good and it fills me with a sense of despair about the future.”
One of your new songs is called “Neuromancer.” Is that a nod to the famous sci-fi book, and if so, how does it fit with what you’re trying to say on this album?
“Yes, it is. Basically in Neuromancer, there is an incredibly dark, soul-sucking techno-dystopia, so that’s right in line with the album’s theme. The Al ‘Wintermute’ (the speaker in the song) manipulates the emotions of the lead characters to get them to free it from its confines. I think the way that all happens is really creepy and horrific.”
How do you balance staying true to your thrash roots while still pushing to evolve your sound?
“I think the generally fast, ripping and aggressive style of the band as well as the pissed off and raspy character of my voice keeps it pretty thrash. With that as a baseline we are free to lean into a bunch of different stuff and still feel like a thrash band. I wouldn’t call ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’ a thrash song (for one example), though I would call ‘Wrath and Ruin’ a thrash album.”
Songs like “A Better World” seem to push back against blind optimism. What do you hope people take away after listening to this album?
“For me I was just trying to voice despair and frustration at where the world is headed. I see a lot of ‘movie-think’ where somehow good triumphs for no apparent reason, and I think that optimistic self delusion can actually be a barrier to enacting meaningful actual change. I hope that it’s sort of a tough pill to swallow as a record, but an honest one.”
“The band is just an unstoppable tank of pure metal and the band’s mission will kind of override and incorporate whoever we have in at any particular moment.”
You’re hitting both North America and Europe on tour next year. Do fans react differently to your music depending on which side of the ocean you’re on?
“Nope, we wreck every crowd everywhere. People love riffs and energy everywhere. The differences are more room to room and show to show than they are regional or national.”
“Wrath and Ruin” is a pretty intense album title. What does it mean to you guys?
“The band is just an unstoppable tank of pure metal and the band’s mission will kind of override and incorporate whoever we have in at any particular moment.”
Some of your new songs have this gothic feel to them. How did that style find its way into your music?
“I think metal lends itself dark themes and sounds generally, and we lean into black metal sometimes anyway. It’s sort of a natural thing. I think that if you look at stuff like ‘defiance of fate’ or ‘when the guns fell silent’ that there’s a little of that already in our sound.”
You’re going on tour with Decapitated next year. How do you guys know each other, and how did you end up touring together?
“We actually know Vogg from when he was playing with Vader. But almost every tour is a creation of the agents. We wanted to tour with more extreme bands, where we think we will go over well, and this is the result!”
The band has gone through several lineup changes over the years. How has this affected your creative process and sound?
“Made it more difficult, basically. I have to adopt this mindset that the band is just an unstoppable tank of pure metal and that the band’s mission will kind of override and incorporate whoever we have in at any particular moment.”
We caught you guys live in NYC back in 2017 opening for Destruction, and it was tremendous show. What is it about the Metal fans and community that keeps the band going and this music and genre so alive for many fans?
“Plenty of excellent people with a passionate niche interest coming together for a good time! There’s really nothing else in music like it.”
Last words are yours!!!
“Thanks for the support for the band, if you play our records, play em loud!!”
Catch WARBRINGER on tour with Decapitated through Europe and North America in 2025. “Wrath and Ruin” is out now out on all platforms.
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