Warbringer

Photo: Gripweed / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

CountryUnited States
Formed2004
StatusActive
GenreThrash metal
LabelNapalm Records

Warbringer are the Southern California band who came up with the late 2000s thrash metal revival alongside Havok, Evile and Bonded by Blood. Formed in Newbury Park in 2004, they have released seven studio albums, most recently Wrath and Ruin in 2025.

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Warbringer formed in 2004 in Newbury Park, California, after guitarists John Laux and Victor Mikhaltsevich met in high school and singer John Kevill joined. The band was first called Onslaught but changed its name on discovering an existing band of that name. A four-song demo from 2004 was never released, and Mikhaltsevich left soon after. The demos Born of the Ruins (2005) and One by One, the Wicked Fall (2006) drew the attention of record labels.

Century Media signed Warbringer in 2007 after seeing them at a local show in Los Angeles. The debut War Without End (2008), produced by Bill Metoyer, led to tours with Exodus and Nile. Waking Into Nightmares (May 2009) reached number 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Drummer Ryan Bates left in June 2009 and was replaced by Nic Ritter.

Worlds Torn Asunder (2011) was produced by Steve Evetts, and drummer Carlos Cruz joined the same year. IV: Empires Collapse came out in October 2013, followed by dates with Kreator and Overkill. In May 2014 Kevill announced that Laux and Cruz had left the band, and Cruz rejoined in 2015. Woe to the Vanquished (March 2017) and Weapons of Tomorrow (April 2020) followed.

The seventh album, Wrath and Ruin, was produced by Mark Lewis and released through Napalm Records on 14 March 2025, their first album in five years.

Current line-up: John Kevill (vocals), Adam Carroll (guitar), Chase Becker (guitar), Chase Bryant (bass), Carlos Cruz (drums)