“The Sword And The Cross” continues the band’s righteous crusade for justice and riffs, lambasting listeners with unrelenting blasts, and unsettling, gothic guitar duels. Frontman John Kevill remains steadfast in his convictions, lyrically exploring the dismay of modern conditions through the voice of a medieval lord cruelly mocking the listener.
About the single, frontman Kevill says: “‘The Sword and the Cross’ was the first song we wrote for Wrath and Ruin and sets the tone for the album. We have a dark, epic thrashing number where a callous lord tells the audience how and why he owns them. First, establishing himself with brute violence (the Sword). Second, legitimating himself with ideology (the Cross). The end of the song was written first, where this lord says that he is still present, and reigns in skyscrapers rather than castles, that his sons will own your sons, and he will own you long after he dies. I love this section and it feels absolutely maniacal and evil to sing.
“One of the chief themes on the record is ‘techno-feudalism.’ Though our rulers may have given up their crowns and titles, they never relinquished their power. The modern lords are no less our masters than the medieval ones were.
“Bend the knee, peasants, for we bring to you Wrath and Ruin. We bring the sword!”
Wrath And Ruin’s destructive opening duo of “The Sword And The Cross” and “A Better World” quickly kick the gates of cataclysm open with broodingly dark guitar work and virtuosic precision. Frontman John Kevill’s passionate proclamations are as potent as ever, mocking those who scoffed at clear harbingers of societal collapse with their misguided optimism. “Neuromancer” rides low and steady with blast master Carlos Cruz putting some serious stank on an irresistible battle vest fist pumper. “The Jackhammer” sees the band explode into a frenzy with chaotic riffage and ear splitting pinch dives. “Through A Glass, Darkly” indulges in deliciously gothic chord work and melodic leads embellishing Kevill’s already hellish vocal fry. “Strike From The Sky” is trademark thrash excellence quickly followed by the atmospheric, true cult epic “Cage Of Air,” with its tensely ornate dueling guitars on full display. Album closer “The Last Of My Kind” continues this dark gothic path with syncopated octave runs dancing around tightly dueling melodeath riffage. Wrath And Ruin sees WARBRINGER indulging in the darker elements of their sound, for an uncompromising and unflinching exploration of life’s most bitter pills.