And we are back it again, the endless conflict, the inner war that one day would eventually destroy us, but maybe, similar to various movies, that war will raise a new world society out of its ashes. So the question is if to remain optimistic or not? It is probably that until the utopia period of mankind, a lot of people are going to lose their lives. Better for us to stick with what we have now and enjoy it as we possibly can. However, music speaks for itself. On the verge of apocalypse comes yet another prophet dressed in black, its SPEEDRUSH, a Speed / Thrash Metal hailing from Greece. A little while ago, through Eat Metal Records, the band releases its debut album "Endless War". I would recommend to buckle up, as it this is going to be fast and furious.

Greece has been one of the main stockpiles for old school Metal music in Europe, I might even say that they exceeded Germany. SPEEDRUSH could be rendered as a part of the new wave of Thrash Metal that has been showered over the world for the past decade or so. That same wave manifested one of their country's finest, SUICIDAL ANGELS. When it comes to SPEEDRUSH, it is all about the 80s Metal magic, especially its put the "Paddle to the Metal" kind of mayhem and more from Europe than the US. "Endless War", in a matter of speaking, represents a sort of an anti-symbol against the modernity of the Metal scene, as if preaching to turn back the gaze towards the roots and reestablish the old flair. The song arrangements, on their whole, are quite generic, straightforward as dropping a ton of bricks on one's face due to the endless energies, yet all the same tending to reprise themselves, which is a quality that one day could come against the band. The band's main aspect is their guitar soloing, purely devoted to the mania of the 80s, well integrated in the mix, and true show of force just as the gods commanded. In overall, if you listen deeply, you are bound to notice the influences of 1986's HELLOWEEN, early KREATOR, SODOM, TOXIK, DEATHROW and of course the British touch of the melodic riffery of IRON MAIDEN.

SPEEDRUSH devoured right on the first strike with the grim future of "Endless War" that slowly developed into the self-titled craze, a sheer burst of Punkish Speed Metal deliverance made of the truest steel. However, the band's thunder returned only on "Passive Aggression", which proved that if they really want to, they can write slightly more complex tracks that would represent them as an even stronger pack of old school bashers, clearly the album's best track. Finally, the Egyptian punishment of "Plague Storm" ended the listener's headbanging cycle with a full blown Thrash Metal assault with a clear epic conviction.

Though being around for a while, I felt that SPEEDRUSH are still on their way to become a much more challenging band than what is represented on "Endless War". They have strong energies, deep devotion for traditional Metal, lack of emotions for everything that might feel contemporary and being honest in what they create. They could use less of the same snare, kick, snare, kick, but who knows, these guys are active, alive and well.