Review by Felix on August 29, 2026.

Take it easy and thrash – I would not be surprised if the four youngsters of Eternal live by this motto. Their debut "Conspiracy Of Warheads" features all typical characteristics of a new thrash formation. On the one hand, we get a big portion of juvenile energy and sharp riffs, on the other hand few sections leave room for more mature solutions on the next album. The song-writing also shows ups and downs, but I guess this is pretty normal for a band that takes it first steps. More important is that Eternal from Greece have a feeling for old school thrash although the guys are much younger than this style. This is great – it gives me the good feeling that some cool things will remain when I am dead and gone.

But let's stay in the here and now. Eternal celebrate their best moments whenever they press the pedal to the metal and sometimes they also integrate catchy parts successfully. Here it is time to have a look at the well integrated gang shouts that show up every now and then. This element makes clear that Eternal sound more like Exodus than like Slayer – I remember many gang shouts on "Bonded By Blood", but none on "Show No Mercy"… Speaking of the debut of Exodus, the brilliance of the riffs of Holt and Hunolt remains untouched, but only unscrupulous local patriots from Athens had hoped for something different. Anyhow, Eternal have courage and a lot of pinpoint riffs in their portfolio, only "Adrenaline Rush" falls by the wayside. Furthermore, we have the guitar intermezzo "Beware…" and "Madman's Playroom", a bastard between a song and an outro. Unfortunately, here is nothing mad at all, the calm sequence brings the album to an unspectacular ending. But many good moments make up for this.

"Theatre Of Thrash" turns out to be a real thrash grenade and the title track does not stand in the shadow of its neighbour – only the solo part at the end takes the shine off it a bit with his shrill, bright guitar. So what, in general the band connects proper riffs with comprehensible yet not predictable song structures. This is no progressive thrash, by far not, but the songs hold an appropriate quantum of twists and turns, breaks and tempo shifts. Endlessly rasping guitars and some double bass interventions are a matter of course and the result are songs like "My Way Or No Way" or "Fake Reality". They convince with their dominant guitars as well as with their general vehemence. A little melodic touch adds a bit of extra oomph to the songs. And I don't want to forget to lose some words about the vocals, but well, what can you say when a lead vocalist dishes up absolutely generic sounds? His voice is raw, quite aggressive and he is no lead singer, but a lead shouter. I don't know what you are thinking about such a performance, I like it. Don't re-invent the wheel, especially when it is rolling very well; and this is what the global thrash scene does. Maybe it does not play the most prominent part in nowadays metal, but insiders still find a lot of new, exciting releases. Some of them even shine with a good artwork, for example "Conspiracy Of Warheads". The LP format will surely be a good choice, but I need to check my finances first, haha. However, regardless of the exact way you get in contact with this album, I promise that you get a very well produced album with a rock-solid musical performance. So take it easy and thrash.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10