Poster boys for the New Wave Of Thrash Metal Warbringer are back with their new album 'Waking Into Nightmares' and are in the midst of one of the most eye catching tours of 2009 with Obituary, Goatwhore, Krisiun and The Berzerker but they found time to speak with Metal Chaos!

Always changing, but we’re very optimistic. We just had another line-up change, and have brought my brother back in on the bass. We’re also getting ready to start touring again with Obituary this week. We’re very excited to meet Krisiun and see our old friends in Goatwhore again. This is our 9th run of the States in the last 2 years. The States are always very good to us and I think we’re going to have a great time.

You guys are fresh back from a European tour which saw you support the likes of Sacred Reich and Testament along the way. How did you guys enjoy the tour, any stories to tell?

That tour was crazy. It was planned during the festival season when you had a million bands going around. We were really lucky to get some great club shows along with the festivals. The Testament UK tour was also with Onslaught. I told them about how people dog us because when we were 15 and we started the band, we called ourselves the same name. They told me not to worry because when the started I guess there was a punk band in the UK that didn't go anywhere with that name. UK Onslaught are great dudes, they even took us to a real old Cider house! Europe was also crazy, we saw plenty of old friends along the way at the festivals. We played with old touring mates like All Shall Perish, Napalm Death, Exodus and ran into members of Finntroll, ect. We did a little drinking and had a lot of fun watching everyone do their thing on stage.

Most of the time we enjoy it but it is a NECESSARY EVIL. It can and will suck the life right out of you. At the same time, it’s just what you do as a young metal band on a major indie label. It’s the only way to get out there and when you play your music for people you have to fucking go nuts! They expect a performance. All the time we spend on the road really keeps us tight and focused.

Your not home for long as you’re back out on the road with Obituary, Goatwhore, Krisiun, The Berzerker in US. With a line up like that you guys have got to be stoked to be on that bill?

Yes. Great bands, like I mentioned earlier, Goatwhore are old friends from our first tour ever. Along with Exodus they weren’t afraid to show us the ropes and we owe ‘em a lot for that. This time around I’m just a little bummed that we’re playing so early. I think it’s our last tour with an opening slot like this, so make sure you come out early, but with a line-up like this though, who can really complain? CHOPPED IN HALF!

Having seen you now a couple of times live, your live persona is very different from your off stage personality as at times on stage you look like you’re ready to kill! How do you prepare ahead of a show?

Warm-up routines vary. Nic’s always playing on a practice pad and recently I started going through and practicing all my metal chops for an hour everyday. Right before the show John Kevill makes some really loud demonic (need I mention annoying) warm-up noises and might do a ton of push-ups to get his blood boiling. Adam might have a White Russian and a beer or something. He’s got a lot of class. I’m always prepping my guitars and possibly doing jumping jacks or something. It’s really just about getting on stage and letting go of everything. If you can't convince your audience that you’re into your music, how the hell can you expect them to get into it.

Prior to all this continual touring you guys found time to write and record your new album, ‘Waking Into Nightmares’. Given you guys had your whole lives to write ‘War Without End’, how difficult was it to write the follow up?

Oh man. Pressure creates diamonds. We were so nervous about our sophomore record, and the tension between some members was really hot. We had 2 months to write brand new songs so we jammed practically everyday of the week because we didn't want any filler crap. All the time on the road really tightened us up, and I think we were surprise to see how well we could do with so little time. After the writing process I had surgery on my shoulder that I had been putting off and then 3 weeks later we spent 2 weeks with Gary Holt in Oakland tracking the monster. A week after that we were back out for possibly one of our longest tours EVER (100 days) between the Soilwork/Darkane/Swallow the Sun tour and straight into Kreator/Exodus/Belphegor.

How do you feel ‘Waking Into Nightmares’ compares to its predecessor ‘War Without End’? Did you approach the writing & recording of album any differently?

Totally. Besides the difference from writing music when your in high school and writing music because you have 2 months to put out a record. We knew we had to step up and deliver a heavier, faster and more complete and dynamic record than the first one. We all had tons of problems with WWE. But it was our first record, and it’s all a learning process. We knew the production had to be much heavier, yes almost modern, but that doesn't mean it has to sound over-produced. We also took a step away from the war theme because we wanted more variety and we didn't want to beat the topic in the ground.

We lost Ryan Bates over the summer between European tours and had 3 weeks home before we had to go back. Nic’s a lot older than us, and definitely has a different musical background. However, he’s a damn good drummer and he wanted to go out with us. We didn't have time to break in someone our age without any experience so Nic was an easy choice.

You guys got to work with Gary Holt on your new record. What was it like to work with someone so knowledgeable about Thrash Metal? How did the opportunity come about?

Gary was just an old friend from our first tour. We were honored. The man has been doing his own stuff for Exodus since they started. He knew exactly what we wanted, what we were going for, and what a modern record with balls-out thrash metal should sound like.

What did Gary bring that differed from working with Bill Metoyer on the previous album?

As a producer, they were about the same. That’s just about listening to the takes. Keep in mind though, Gary was a guitar player, and he definitely took his time making sure that all the drum, bass, and guitar sounds we had were killer. Bill Metoyer is an excellent dude, but we didn't agree with his focus on a raw production. We felt like our first record sounded under produced.

You guys have again gone for a totally awesome cover for the new record. Did the name inspire the cover or visa versa? Were you pleased with the out come?

I just wanted this record to sound serious and to look very mature. I felt like the first cover, while it was great, was a little too cartoony. It took a little effort to get Dan Seagrave but he is as killer artist and a great dude. I just threw ideas around and picked out a number of sketches with him to find that image. I think everyone is pleased with it.

We spoke about this topic last time we caught up but the Thrash revival seems to know no bounds and is building momentum daily. Do you see this second movement being sustainable or is it destined to burn out?

Either way, I only hope that other bands in our movement can continue to learn and grow so we can all have a few records out that will stand the test of time. That way we can say we accomplished something and that’s all I really care about.

I don’t suppose you guys have had time to stop and think and reflect on the whirlwind of the past couple of years but taking stock of everything could you have hoped for anything more?

You know, this is great. But Fun Fun Fun isn't the best way to describe it. It’s a hard job doing what you love. We’re getting to a point where it’s very, very hard to keep this up without any income from the band, and living with 5 people in a van all year can get very difficult. We still have it really good and I couldn't have asked for anything more as what we’ve already done, especially in such a short amount of time, is a dream come true!

After the US tour what’s next for the band, apart from a well earner break I suppose?

We do some of our own shows in mid to late Oct before doing the Vader tour in November. We plan on continuing to tour through summer 2010 and would like to get back to Europe once or twice, as well as finally hit places like Australia, Japan and S. America.

Any final words to the Warbringer fans out there?