Thrash metal band Warbringer has unleashed “The Sword and the Chaos,” the second single from its upcoming album “Wrath and Ruin” (March 14, 2025, Napalm Records; pre-order here). Watch the official lyric video below.
“‘The Sword and the Cross’ was the first song we wrote for Wrath and Ruin and sets the tone for the album,” frontman John Kevill said. “We have a dark, epic thrashing number where a callous lord tells the audience how and why he owns them. First, establishing himself with brute violence (the Sword). Second, legitimating himself with ideology (the Cross). The end of the song was written first, where this lord says that he is still present, and reigns in skyscrapers rather than castles, that his sons will own your sons, and he will own you long after he dies. I love this section and it feels absolutely maniacal and evil to sing.
“One of the chief themes on the record is ‘techno-feudalism.’ Though our rulers may have given up their crowns and titles, they never relinquished their power. The modern lords are no less our masters than the medieval ones were.
“Bend the knee, peasants, for we bring to you Wrath and Ruin. We bring the sword!”
“Wrath and Ruin” track listing:
CD1
“The Sword and the Cross”
“A Better World”
“Neuromancer”
“The Jackhammer”
“Through a Glass, Darkly”
“Strike from the Sky”
“Cage of Air”
“The Last of My Kind”
CD 2
“Firepower Kills (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“The Black Hand Reaches Out (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Crushed Beneath the Tracks (Live in Nantes, France – April 20, 2023)”
“Living Weapon (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Woe to the Vanquished (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Living in a Whirlwind (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Guitar Solo/Outer Reaches (Live in Nantes, France – April 20, 2023)”
“Shellfire (Live in Munich, Germany – April 5, 2023”
“Descending Blade (Live in Krakow, Poland – April 4, 2023)”
“Hunter-Seeker (Live in Krakow, Poland – April 4, 2023)”
“Defiance of Fate (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Silhouettes (Live in Nantes, France – April 20, 2023)”
“Remain Violent (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Combat Shock (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Total War (Live in Budapest, Hungary – April 7, 2023)”
“Wrath and Ruin” will be available in the following formats.
- 2CD Digisleeve
- 1-LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 1-LP Gatefold Marbled Vinyl w/ 12inch Booklet + Slipmat (Napalm Records mail order only – limited to 300)
- CD + Shirt Bundle (Napalm Records mail order only)
- Digital Album
Warbringer tour dates:
Co-headline tour with Allegaeon
3/18 — San Diego, CA — Brick by Brick
3/19 — Phoenix, AZ — Last Exit Live
3/20 — Albuquerque, NM — Launchpad
3/21 — Oklahoma City, OK — 89th Street Collective
3/22 — Haltom City, TX — Haltom Theater
3/23 — Austin, TX — Come and Take it Live
3/24 — Corpus Christi, TX — House of Rock
3/26 — Orlando, FL — Conduit
3/27 — Jacksonville, NC — Hooligan’s
3/28 — Bensalem, PA — Broken Goblet
3/29 — Brooklyn, NY — Woodshop
3/30 — Montreal, QC — Foufounes Electriques
3/31 — Toronto, ON — The Garrison
4/1 — Detroit, MI — The Sanctuary
4/2 — Chicago, IL — Reggies
4/3 — Lawrence, KS — The Bottleneck
4/4 — Lincoln, NE — Bourbon Theater
4/5 — Denver, CO — HQ
4/6 — Salt Lake City, UT — Metro Music Hall
4/8 — Seattle, WA — El Corazon
4/9 — Vancouver, BC — Rickshaw Theatre
4/10 — Portland, OR — Hawthorne Theater
4/11 — San Francisco, CA — DNA Lounge
4/12 — Los Angeles, CA — Teragram Ballroom
Supporting Decapitated with Cryptopsy and Carnation
5/3 — London — Incineration Fest
5/4— Exeter — Phoenix
5/5 — Cardiff — The Globe
5/6 — Newcastle — Anarchy Brewery
5/7 — Glasgow — Slay
5/8 — Manchester — Academy 2
5/9 — Birmingham — XOYO
5/10 — Nottingham — Rescue Rooms
5/11 — Norwich — The Waterfront
5/13 — Lille — The Black Lab
5/14 — Enschede — Metropool
5/15 — Munich — Backstage
5/16 — Aarau — KiFF
5/17 — Lindau — Vaudeville
5/18 — Vienna — Szene
5/19 — Budapest — Dürer Kert
5/20 — Prague — Fuchs2
5/21 — Schweinfurt — Stattbahnhof
5/22 — Dresden — Blauer Salon
5/23 — Kraków — Hype Park
5/24 — Warsaw — Proxima
5/26 — Berlin — Hole44
5/27 — Aarhus — Voxhall
5/28 — Hamburg — Logo
5/29 — Vechta — Gulfhaus
5/30 — Dortmund — Junkyard
5/31 — Sint-Niklaas — Casino
6/1 — Paris — La Machine
6/3 — Frankfurt — Das Bett
6/4 — Karlsruhe — Substage
6/5 — Milan — Legend Club
6/6 — Bologna — Locomotiv
6/7 — Lyon — Lions Metal Fest
E.U. dates and festivals
7/20 — Heidelberg — Halle02 w/ Kreator & Rotting Christ
7/21 — Obdertraublin — Airport-Eventhall w/ Kreator & Rotting Christ
7/22 — Memmingen — Kaminwerk w/ Kreator & Rotting Christ
7/23 — Tolmin — Tolminator Festival
7/31 — Rasnov — Rockstadt Festival
8/2 — Vagos — Vagos Metal Fest
8/6 — Jaromer — Brutal Assault Festival
8/7 — Kortijk — Alcatraz Fest
8/9 — Derbyshire — Bloodstock Festival
8/15 — Dinkelsbuhl — Summer Breeze Festival
8/16 — Kudrefin — Rock The Lakes Festival
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