I was expecting - judging from the title if the CD - something more 'into' the early German Thrash Metal sound, to be honest. What hit me was a mix of this blend enriched with some fiery 'current' darkness. De-Generation War is a Thrash Metal album but it is not for 'only Thrash' metalheads.
Italy's working hard on providing the Metal world with - really - countless bands the last years. Not focusing on a specific sub-genre, truth is this appealing country always included many bands but - to pre-Net eras - it was not that easy for them (or representative labels) to promote their works (usually - back then - treated for inner distributors, many times eventually falling only into collectors' hands). ENDLESS PAIN's carnage started in early 2001; loyal followers of the European (mostly) Thrash Metal scene, they did not neglect the supremacy of America's SLAYER. Some demo recordings and 2005's Born In violence full-length album gave them the chance to rip some necks onstage, bringing the Italian quintet to year 2008, ready to deliver their next assault.
De-Generation War is trying to match together the evil elements of monumental bands of the past (KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, EXUMER) with the vice of SLAYER and the gloom of bands like e.g. HYPOCRISY or THE CROWN or early NWOSDM. In the background there's some 'fuzzy' base of VENOM, BULLDOZER or early SODOM/SEPULTURA. There's speed, riffing, 'mosh along' parts and then again speed over here. Even blastbeats or Death Metal rollers will find their way out. The guitars' production is grimy and malevolent, but - somehow - you can understand it's an album happening now. This may have to do with new singer Antonello Lorandi's vocals, too, since he surely bears a Thrash/Death/Black blend but he sounds distorted too, when needed.
The songs themselves are not something relative fans should neglect. The band is good (could sound a little bit more 'bonded', on the other hand - except if they do this on purpose, for 'old-school' reasons). In addition, the solos have spirit and consciousness. The main thing that brings on questions is if their mix can attract opposite teams of fans; in this field, purity often is a serious matter. Still, ENDLESS PAIN offers something worth checking and I do not see why we shouldn't wait something 'bigger' from them in the future.