Warfield - With the Old Breed ★★★★☆

BLACKENED THRASH METAL | APRIL 2025 BANDCAMP | METAL-ARCHIVES       FOR FANS OF: WRAITH, BÜTCHER, KREATOR

   THRASH-O-METER

★★★★★★★☆☆☆ SONGWRITING

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ THEMES

★★★★★★★★☆☆ LONGEVITY

★★★★★★★☆☆☆ PRODUCTION

★★★★★★★★☆☆ THRASHABILITY

                     SCORE:                     

★★★★☆ BADASS SH!T

Warfield draws from the teutonic wellspring and blitzes fiercely into the trenches of those who came before!

With the Old Breed marks a clear evolution from their debut Wrecking Command as every tool is now sharper and the tricks more deadly. Above all, the compositional growth is unmistakable and the album truly rewards patience - the songs don't merely withstand closer scrutiny: they flourish under it, revealing purpose and subtlety that may pass unnoticed due to the ruckus.

Given time, they begin to breathe

The lineage is obvious (and fitting) with unfortunately topical imagery of war, terror and violence. Speed, too, is of course ever present as the driving force - but just when you think you've gotten to know the beast it cuts you in an entirely new (and glorious) way. You can largely blame the trio.

From Germany with lov--DEATH!

Trios are a rare breed in modern metal and there’s something indisputably compelling about 'em. It’s a matter of form and function - musicians navigating between necessity and restraint while realising their vision. Less, when indeed being more, is a crapton of more.

Vocalist and bassist Johannes Clemens barks and spits in a fashion that commands attention. There's an urgency of rawness in his delivery that's matched by his brother's fierceness on the fret. Matthias channels both mood and aggression into the fray where needed. Its when Dominik Marx starts to hammer the cans that sh!t takes flight. He doesn't just hold the tempo but constructs a brazen spine of iron to jubilate upon.

Old School fire, New School fury

By the time their first single 'Lament of the White Realm' kicks in, it’s clear that the band has been simmering with intent. You also realise that nearly half of the album has already flown by - a testament to how engaging and palatable the songs are. They're all splintered from the same backbone and the careful details do give 'em shape to claim their own. When 'GASP' hits with its very different vibe you begin to think what the album could've been with more bolder strokes outside of the colouring areas.

There is constraint at play here, a certain kind of sonic palette that establishes the perimeter of operations, to stick to the wartime parlance. This uniformity gives the album cohesion but at the cost of contrast. Songs blur and become slightly less than the chapters they are in the greater narrative - which is the record album experience.

The album ticks most of the boxes for Thrash Metal fans. The teutonic heritage is unmistakable, but crucially, Warfield stops short of becoming a mere pastiche. They forge the legacy into something venomous, gleefully baptising it in Black Metal's unholy waters - yet deftly steering clear of the shoals of the Extreme front.

With the Old Breed launches the band straight into its newfound roar and sticks to it, feverishly. There is indeed a healthy pulse here as Warfield orbits the heart of the matter with commitment - the shared framework of the songs however can have a numbing effect.

Badass sh!t