I recently started to embrace the idea that the Thrash and Speed subgenres of Metal have become way to oversaturated: there’s so many bands that somehow revolve around the same song structures, same riffs, ideas and the list goes on. I’m not saying that I expect every band to bring something completely new to the table since that’s pretty difficult in this day and age, but I expect them to at least do what they do in such a manner that makes them stand out from all the other acts within the same sub-genre.
One example of this can be found in Division Speed’s self-titled 2015 full-length release. Right from the start, they refuse to spare any moment with pointless intros, clean parts or anything of that kind. Therefore, the album kicks off exactly with what they do best: fast riffs, faster drums, aggressive vocals and overall a very sharp delivery of this World War II – inspired chaos. The reason which made me believe these guys are unique compared to other Thrash/Speed bands is that the entirety of this material is very dynamic.
By that I mean that there’s always sudden tempo changes, melodic parts, riffs that feel moving instead of abusing the usual tremolo-picking-and-blast-beats cliche. Some of my highlights are ‘Black Wolves’ for the catchy and melodic intro, ‘Panzerkommando’ for the sheer force that it delivers right at the start of the record and last but not least ‘Snowstorm Over Narvik’ for the sudden rhythm change during the chorus.
The production of this album is on point, although it’s mostly clean, there’s still a little roughness around the edges which, quite frankly, does a great job in emphasizing the aggression and rawness intended. As mentioned before, thematically speaking, this releases has a very historical approach which again, is very unique: at some point you get tired of every band worshipping goats and having 3 inverted crosses in their logo (I don’t think this is a bad thing to do, but switching things up is nice sometimes). The intensity of each track pairs really well with the feeling of being on the battlefield, fighting, that they are trying to convey.
I rarely praise a release this much, but Division Speed’s 2015 Self-Titled record is definitely a must-listen if you’re into raw, fast, headbanging Speed/Thrash.
