INTERVIEW WITH JOHN KEVILL BY PAUL CASTLES
PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEX SOLCA
Warbringer’s thrash tongue lashings are legendary, and on new album Wrath and Ruin, it’s crystal clear that there’s still plenty of ammo out there to fire up the SoCal crew’s engines. Vocalist John Kevill opens up on the band’s latest full-length offering.
How are you feeling about the new album, Wrath and Ruin, right now?
Feeling great about the record. The response to the first two singles has been fantastic. People seem to really like it. Journalists who have heard the full record also said they really like it. So, I’m feeling good! Looking forward to touring this thing.
Did things all come together smoothly with this record or did you face any problems?
It wasn’t arduous or anything, but there were issues. The wedge of time between Weapons and Tomorrow and this included Covid and all that. So, we weren’t able to tour that one until 2023. That definitely created a sense of separation and distance from the band members to each other and to the band itself. It’s definitely better for the whole dynamic if the thing is firing on all cylinders and progressing well. Getting communication inside the band to happen as it should was difficult on this one. We were able to pull it off, but I actually think on this one I enjoy the result more so than the process.
This is the band’s seventh album. Did the preparation for this one follow similar lines as before or were there any changes?
We followed an overall similar line. [Carlos] Cruz was the main arranger, I wrote the lyrics/concepts, and Adam [Carroll] and Chase Becker contributed a lot of guitar fireworks. The artistic goal was to follow up the sound and style of the previous two records, which are very strong and are definitive of the band. That being said, we wanted this one to be more compact, darker, and more extreme leaning than the previous record. To this end, we tuned the guitars down to D standard and worked with producer Mark Lewis. This was something we did to give the record an immediate sonic separation from its predecessors.
Previous albums have focused on specific subjects, such as war. Is there a concept or thread connecting the songs on Wrath and Ruin?
There’s been a running theme of a fear of technology in the last couple records, in those cases, often of weapons technology, and that continues here, with a different angle. The central theme here is “techno-feudalism,” which is this dystopian oligarchic future we seem to be heading to—class power, both physical and ideological, and its impacts on an individual person’s mental state.
One of the songs highlights the growing impact AI has on mankind. Is this something to embrace or fear?
Fear. Potentially this could serve mankind, but not under the current power structure we have. Some of that high tech, low life cyberpunk dystopian novel stuff is becoming scarily real.
Do you think AI could replace the creativity of a real band?
The grim and awful answer is probably, yes. Maybe not yet, but it will. When it comes to machine vs man, machine never loses, as much as man would like to believe otherwise.
Most of Wrath and Ruin is seriously fast, but then “Through a Glass, Darkly” is more evenly paced. Do you enjoy the contrast?
Yes, definitely. That one I was a bit skeptical of on our demos, but it became one of my favorites on the record. I really like Adam’s solo here. We have put out a video for this one as the third single.
Who were the first bands that really opened your eyes to serious thrash metal?
This was a while ago that I got into thrash, as we’ve been around 20 years now! Some bands—Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Sepultura, Exodus, Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, Razor, Demolition Hammer, Sacrifice, Vio-Lence, Dark Angel, Morbid Saint, Artillery, Testament, and many others.
You have a long tour coming up across the US and Canada. Is the prep going well for that?
There’s an overwhelming amount of stuff going on right now, and I’m just trying to keep up with it. It’s going well, but I will be happy when the thing is underway and it gets a bit simpler.
And then you have some Euro dates with Kreator and Rotting Christ in the summer, that’s a great looking bill!
Sure is! Going to be great shows.
Are you at your happiest on the road, in the studio, or at home?
There are aspects to each I really like. My home is really wonderful. I live with my wife in a forest, so it’s beautiful here. The studio is always exciting. The road is exhilarating to get on stage every night, but it’s also draining and can feel really repetitive if I’m out too long. Balance is important.
