🎶 Eternal Force
🌎Athens, Greece
📀Race of Evil
® Self-released
📅 02/10/2026
For quite some time now, heavy/thrash metallers ETERNAL FORCE have been steadily gaining attention, both through the singles they have released and their first live appearances. The time has finally come for their debut full-length, and “Race of Evil” serves as the band’s first substantial statement, clearly showcasing both their identity and their potential.
Across the album’s eleven tracks, ETERNAL FORCE make no attempt to hide their influences. Instead, they embrace and incorporate them into a sound that strongly evokes the golden era of heavy and thrash metal, with METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH and other representatives of the ’80s serving as obvious reference points, followed to a lesser extent by the ’90s. What makes it work is that the band never attempts to disguise these influences. “Race of Evil” embraces nostalgia and a retro aesthetic, while presenting them through a modern and carefully crafted production.
The three-minute instrumental introduction, “Into the Light”, sets the tone before “Rise From the Flames” quickly takes us into the heart of the album. The track immediately stands out for the highly expressive and theatrical vocal performance of singer Antonis Obsessick. The album’s eleven tracks offer the necessary musical variety, moving from the fast-paced “Rise From the Flames” and “Take the Power” to the more mid-tempo “Dead and Gone” and “No Regrets”, as well as the rather unnecessarily long, ten-minute ballad-like “A Heart Given (Never Return)”. Throughout the record, ETERNAL FORCE tell a musical story with a cinematic quality, while the shifts in tempo and mood help maintain the album’s momentum throughout its duration.
On the musical side, one of the album’s strongest elements is the guitar-and-drums partnership between Mike Dervos and Andronikos Maltezos. Antonis also plays a crucial role with his vocals, approaching the role in a frequently theatrical and deliberately stylized — in a positive sense — manner. At several points, echoes of iconic voices such as Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford can be detected. If, with time, he develops even greater control and consistency in his delivery, he has the potential to develop a highly recognizable personal style. Meanwhile, Giorgos Gkritsis’ bass provides the necessary depth, while the rhythm guitar of the young but talented Stefanos Chatz stands out at several points throughout the album.
Among the album’s highlights are undoubtedly “Dead and Gone”, which was also the band’s first single, and “Take the Power”, which, according to Mike, was also among the tracks that stood out for those who had heard the album prior to its release.
Ultimately, what becomes clear through “Race of Evil” is that ETERNAL FORCE are making music that first and foremost reflects and represents who they are. That sincerity may well be their greatest strength. Their influences are obvious, their aesthetic is deliberate, and their nostalgic approach does not feel like an attempt to imitate or recreate another era, but rather a tribute to it.
If there is one thing that continues to set metal apart from many other musical genres, it is soul. And “Race of Evil” has plenty of it.
★ 8.5/10
✍🏻 Kostas Boudoukos
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!