Album Review: Warpstormer – Warpstormer (London Doom Collective)

Sci-fi infused, riff heavy, and head banging inducing, it’s Warpstormer and the heavy metal band will release their debut self-titled album on November 29th, 2024, via London Doom Collective.

Warpstormer have already made a significant name for themselves within the UK metal scene (heck, they played Desertfest and Bloodstock this year – 2024), but this debut album is going to turn even more heads. Not just because it’s brimming with so much life, but because it impressively melds stoner groove with heavy thrash and racing classic metal. The riff is king here, and they’re not afraid to experiment, but what stands out is the turbulent approach to song structure that Warpstormer has. The group clearly want to keep the listener guessing, unsure of what might come next, but excited none the less.

A goal they achieve well, first by delivering an eerie synth-heavy intro with Black Hearld, then by delivering a crashing combination of energised stoner groove and malevolent heaviness with Oracle. Early on, it’s notable that the record just so happens to have bulbous veins of doom running through it too, which just makes for an even more thrilling ride.

Hold on bloody tight though as Cursed, Cold changes the tone in a deliciously sinister way. The thickness of their stoner and doom combo making the body spasm in time to the riifs, but the real weight of this track coming from the bass and drums. With the entire experience capped off by vocals that have a gruff backbone but can growl and soar in equal measure.

It’s one of the album’s best tracks, but this is an ‘all killer, no filler’ kind of record, proven by even more bangers in the form of Beyonder, A Liar’s Crown, and Fester. Each has substantial and powerful heaviness, just delivered in a variety of ways. Even as they get a bit more imaginative, progressive, and weird, they still manage to showcase an anthemic underbelly that shines brightly in the muck. It might not sound like music that would have infectious qualities, but it bloody does.

Though, that might be even harder to believe when you’re facing down a finale that is nearly eleven-minutes long. Go big and go bloody home, that’s what Warpstormer are doing here, and bring forth the most elaborate effort yet. One that is not just gargantuan in length, but gargantuan in thinking. Warpstormer leaning hard into their doomier side, piling the weight on, and crushing the mind, body, and soul with more intensity than ever. Yet, this is just one aspect of the song, and with a burst of thrilling speed, it changes into a delightful slab of groove that energises up to the end, where Warpstormer slow things down in style until all is done.

It’s an imposing closer, but par for the course on this album. A hell of a debut.

Warpstormer – Warpstormer Track Listing:

1. Black Herald
2. Oracle
3. Cursed, Cold
4. Beyonder
5. A Liar’s Crown
6. Fester
7. The Edge of Time

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