Thrash, Bash and Crash With A Smile.
The darling fledgling thrash and speed metal band Warsenal, hailing from Canada, have delivered their first full length album, Barn Burner. Created in 2011 after meeting at a party, the guys of Warsenal worked diligently doing shows and creating a three track demo entitled Demo based on their fans’ reviews of their songs. After touring and gigging for two whole years, they began to find the road stale and decided to record once again. Hence came Barn Burner.
Sometimes it is a little surprising when a really hardcore band or album has a tagline of “From Canada.” The album is a pure divined sense of what speed metal should be: fast, rough and loud, with a sliver of punk attitude thrown in the mix. However, if the listener is expecting a good rompy thrash and then to move on, they are sadly mistaken. Warsenal does not just smash a bunch of chords and drum noises out; they provide well-constructed and meaningful music. While singer and guitarist Mathieu Rondeau does have a distinct Dave Mustaine feel to his voice, it is not so blatant as to sound like he’s copying. He must also be commended for his ridiculously speedy and technical guitar playing. The bass player, Francis Labine, is also no slouch, keeping pace and playing some beautiful bass lines. The one slight drawback is that on some tracks, such as “Dying On Stage” and “Stab You One By One,” the listener may feel that the song could be fleshed out by just one more guitar added into the composition.
Fun, fast and a whole lot of mad technical skill, Barn Burner is an excellent debut album, full of good ol’ metal. In spite of the obvious Dave Mustaine overtones with the vocalist, the actual music and singing is fantastic! The four years it took to compose, write and record were well worth the wait. Adrenaline, thrashing and hype are the obvious things the album brings the listener; the real thing Warsenal brings is excellent, memorable music. Warsenal has produced a grade-A crowd pleaser.
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