The World Will Burn: Burn Baby Burn | Let Everything Burn
(2025 – Girder Records)
Being incendiary today is still profitable, at least from a musical point of view. It’s impossible to resist giving an album a chance when it presents fire and flames as its main theme right from the start. And if we add to that the participation of someone as incendiary as the beloved Dale Thompson (Bride) on vocals, I can assure you that, at least as far as I’m concerned, I can’t help but see and hear what it’s all about.
Well, the project “The World Will Burn” is just that, a project by a certain Alan Zaring in collaboration with Dale Thompson. This time, Troy Thompson is also participating as a guest, so you could say that the equation is the same as Bride, although we’ll see that not everything is what it seems. This isn’t the first time that Zaring and Thompson have teamed up to release something. In fact, “Burn Baby Burn” is the fourth time that this interesting trio has gotten together to make some noise and more.
In any case, Alan Zaring is the one at the helm, and he does a little bit of everything. Guitars, bass, backing vocals, drums, and programming, in addition to musical composition and overall production. That detail makes The Will Will Burn feel different from what Bride might offer musically, unless you go back to Bride’s more 90s albums to find some slight similarity with their sound. In that vein, The World Will Burn is a tough nut to crack. It’s not easy to figure out where it’s going. You have to listen to “Burn Baby Burn” several times to find the album’s north and all the virtues hidden behind that “heavy” feeling that every song on the album has.
There’s a little bit of everything here. A lot of influence from hard rock, from the alternative of the ’90s, some grunge, groove, and why not, some stoner rock. All of this feeds into the cocktail that is The World Will Burn, with heavy, dense guitars, a mid-tempo and rather calm tempo, combined with the different nuances that Dale Thompson manages to bring to each of the tracks on this album.
“Draw The Line” opens the album and is a bit of a free sample of what we were talking about. It is followed by ‘Drowning’ with an easily noticeable 90s feel. Versatility is evident in “Dying Man,” a collection of Sabbath-style riffs with interesting bass lines.
Almost immediately after, “Fight” does its part with a cascade of riffs, while “Light Up,” without straying from the same line, has guitar riffs and solos that make it extremely striking.
Let’s see, “On Bloody Knees” appears to be one of the most interesting tracks on the album. With a rather warlike and dark atmosphere, it could well be used as the soundtrack to any war film. Its sound seems to be more influenced by metal, and even its riffs resemble something that Pantera might have tried at the time. Dry and cutting. But The Word Will Burn is tremendous. With “Pull You Through,” they completely change the vibe and now it’s more of a ballad, with a pop-tinged melody, which is pleasant to say the least.
“Searcher” is a dense track, with a strange mix of catchy melodies and a feeling of sunsets in the countryside with the sun going down, something that those who know life on the road and endless fields will know what I mean. Next, with a rather rocking and groovy riff, “Ten Thousand Saints” does its part and turns out to be one of the most “moving” and entertaining songs on the album.
The end of “Burn Baby Burn” brings us “The Saddest Song,” another mid-tempo track, as in most of the album, with a dense riff that sets the pace of the song from beginning to end. “Who I Am” is different. Here Dale Thompson tries his hand at a low vocal range, almost unheard of and therefore somewhat different for his voice, in a rather relaxed song.
There are highlights on this album. One that stands out is the tuning and tempo used, which makes this material special. Another is the almost complete absence of guitar solos, which is striking and draws a lot of attention. In any case, the sound delivers and is one of the highlights. The mix allows Dale Thompson’s powerful voice to shine throughout the album alongside dense, overdubbed guitars that are low enough to sound “heavy.” The old technique of separating sounds into different channels, creating a stereo effect, is present.
The album was recorded in different sessions between Goatman Studio and Records in Shelbyville and Dale Thompson’s own home, at that time in New Zealand. The mixing and mastering was done by Alan Zaring himself, as could not be otherwise.
Is The World Will Burn different from what Bride as a band can deliver? Well, yes and no. Let’s agree that this album wouldn’t sound out of place in the Thompson band’s discography, but at the same time, I think the type of compositions and songs included might not be the style that Bride, even in their most adventurous moments, would attempt. Beyond that, the mastermind and one-man band behind this project, Alan Zaring, has a lot to say, musically speaking. In “Burn Baby Burn,” he achieves a complex framework that, judging by the result, is much more interesting than it seems at first listen. Perhaps at first, the album is not the most entertaining, but with each listen, the material on “The World Will Burn” becomes a little more intriguing. Personally, I recommend taking a trip through this world on fire that Alan Zaring and his The World Will Burn propose.
The graphic art here has a lot to say. The cover is clearly biker-themed, and I was struck by the detail that in the flames seen in the eyes of the skull friend, you can see the world on fire, particularly where Argentina is theoretically located (our country). Maybe it’s pure coincidence, but… It’s a nice design overall. The inner sleeve, the back cover, etc. Simple but effective at the same time.
At the moment, “Burn Baby Burn” is only available on CD, although a vinyl copy wouldn’t be a bad idea. The other option is digital, which we NEVER recommend. So, to get the CD in physical format, I recommend diving into https://girdermusic.com.
“Burn Baby Burn” is an album that is different from what you are used to hearing. We highlight the originality of the concept and the sound, although, as we said, you need to listen to this album several times to understand what it is about and discover that there is something interesting here.
As usual, we’re leaving a sample of this album here so you can hear what it’s about since, at least as far as we know, no official video clip has been released for any song on this album. We’re also leaving you with a way to stay in touch with The World Will Burn…
https://www.facebook.com/twwbband
https://www.theworldwillburn.com
