Self Release

Website : Warpath

In 2008 the English thrashband Warpath released its debut album ‘Damnation’. The album was self-released and so it took a while for the record to get to us.. Warpath was founded in 2003 and consists of four young and motivated musicians. ‘Damnation’ was recorded in Kevin Tally’s (Daath) studio and it was produced by Orlando Villasenor. James Murphy (Testament, Death, Obituary) took care of the mixing process. At present, ‘Damnation’ has received positive reviews from all of the major magazines on the map.

‘Damnation’ kicks off with the solid title track “Damnation”. This song contains tight double solo’s, heavy riffs and on the dot drumparts. The build-up and sound of this song seriously remind me of Slayer and Testament’s older work. Singer Richard Goss’s vocals could be described as a mixture of Slayer’s Tom Araya and Sean Killian’s (Vio-Lence) sound. The following songs also have a heavy Bay Area thrash metal sound, note the guitar solo halfway through the track “Face To Face”. The next song “Spitting Blood” opens with a grooving bass line which is soon joined by the guitars. This mid-tempo song has a decent groove going on. “Life Unworthy of Life” is another up-tempo track resembling Slayer’s past efforts. Dave Davenport’s drumwork on this track is certainly worth mentioning. The song “Expendable Forces” closes the gates on this record with tight solo’s, double guitars and fine melodic parts. With “Damnation”, Warpath has managed to produced a varied album with carefully written tracks that grab the listener’s attention from start to finish.

After listening to ‘Damnation’ a couple of times, I can conclude that Warpath can have a bright future ahead of it if it is supported by the right label. The album is well-produced with a heavy, clear sound; 40 interesting and enjoyable minutes. Fans of bands such as Testament, Forbidden, Exodus, Vio-Lence and Slayer need not have any reservations about buying this album. The same goes for those who just like well-produced, old-school thrash metal in general. ‘Damnation’ is a finger-licking metal treat for every thrash heart out there!

Tracklist:
01. Damnation
02. Infernal
03. Hostile Takeover
04. Face To Face
05. Spitting Blood
06. Life Unworthy Of Life
07. W.M.D
08. Expendable Forces

Line-up:
Richard Goss – Vocals, Guitars
Pete Hawthorne - Lead Guitar
Gareth Allen - Bass Guitar
James Davenport – Drums