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SPEEDRUSH
Division Mortality

Jawbreaker (2024)
Rating: 6.5/10

Now here’s an album that makes me want to reach for those early Kreator and Sodom records. Division Mortality is the sophomore release from Athens, Greece-based Speedrush, and it’s certainly been a while coming; the band’s debut full-length, Endless War, was issued eight long years ago.

To get to the point, Speedrush boast a Teutonic speed that at times combines with an old school Brazilian zip too. This is an album that’s easy to like even with its nifty nature because the sound is so familiar. The vocals from Nir Beer have that dry snap, as does the axe work which enables the album to flash by at a rate of knots. The rawness isn’t quite as rough as I expected, but the Greek thrash scene, for all its vigour, remains minimally polished although still engaging in its authenticity.

‘Ride With Death’ sums up the album, a no nonsense riot built upon the wrecking crew foundation of Andreas Disco Destroyer’s (yes, that’s his name!) drums. What’s clear though is that the combo isn’t here to break boundaries, just heads as the cheese layered ‘Iron Wisdom’ and more serious snarling ‘Beyond The Vortex’ prove. Even so, there’s some seriously good axe work throughout the album, most notably on ‘Sons Of Thunder’.

This is effective speed metal with flashes of classic Iron Maiden and Judas Priest rooted at its core. The old school worship is evident on a lot of today’s releases and although the production here is a bit too clean for my liking, Division Mortality is clearly evidence of a band that knows its stuff.

Neil Arnold

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