The Berzerker, Warbringer Concert Review

Goatwhore, The Berzerker, Warbringer, Sadistic Passage

Monday, September 21, 2009

Station 4, St. Paul, MN

I’ll be honest, it was The Berzerker that really brought me out to this show. Since their aborted 2004 U.S. tour saw the cancellation of their Minneapolis appearance, it has been a long since (if ever) The Berzerker has played here.

Ventura, California thrash mongers Warbringer had just started their set as I made my way into Station 4. While I enjoy their music and stage show, it’s hard for me to get excited about them. Warbringer is certainly near the top of the new wave of retro-thrash bands, but having grown up listening to Testament, Forbidden, Destruction, and the like back in the eighties I feel like I’ve heard this all before. In spirit and delivery, Warbringer reminds me of Overkill the most. The best thing going for Warbringer is vocalist John Kevill, who brings a strong presence and dramatic style to the stage. They played selection of songs from both full length albums, including “Living In A Whirlwind”, “Prey For Death”, and “Severed Reality” from their most recent, Waking Into Nightmares. Warbringer is quickly making a name for themselves, but a large dose of originality is needed to break through into wider metal circles.

Hailing from Australia, The Berzerker brought their massive wall of industrial/grind/death metal to the stage as the crowd came back in from outside. Witnessing this sonic destruction was certainly a sight to behold. The insane vocals, blinding guitar riffs, and frenetic, inhuman drumming fed through an electronic machine place The Berzerker in a league of their own. The audience seemed to divided between hardcore fans that get it, and stunned observers who had no idea how to react. A few songs from the self-released The Reawakening album were mixed in with selections from other albums, including the self-titled debut and Dissimulate. It’s hard to say that the band won the entire audience over by the end of the set, but love ‘em or hate ‘em, The Berzerker certainly made a lasting impression.

Not being a fan of Goatwhore, I picked up a copy of The Reawakening and called it a night. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring cameras with me so all I have are a couple crappy photos taken on my phone.