Review by Felix on February 7, 2022.

Hopefully it’s a common understanding that thrash metal sounds much better than its artworks indicate. The one of Eternal Evil’s debut looks like “Endless Pain 2.0” and it seems that many so-called artists have a lot of violent – and childish – fantasies. But, as said, the content is better than the cover. Much better, to say the truth, and much more mature than Mille and Ventor back in 1985. But apart from the remarkably mature performance, the newcomers from Sweden have released a typical debut.

No doubt, these gentlemen have not previously found an outlet for their youthful aggression – and now they are on a mission. Therefore, variety is written in small letters and an ironic distance to their own actions is completely missing. But that doesn't matter. With a thousand bumblebees in their asses, these heralds of the old school know only one direction: straight ahead with high velocity. They have adopted the charm of Demolition Hammer’s “Epidemic Of Violence” and early Kreator are more than just a visual influence. It's so fierce that during a longer mid-tempo part like in 'Terror Of The Sphinx' you almost fear that the record has switched itself from 33 to 16 rpm. But thanks to the dubious god of progress, this option can be ruled out in our digital times.

Of course, thrash metal without energy is no thrash metal at all. Nevertheless, the here presented level of destruction is remarkable. Eternal Evil make their way regardless of all barriers and the fact that there is actually no path at all where they seek their way through the thicket. But the riffs (100% old school audited), the rabidly barking vocalist and the human drum machine create a result that makes us forget their one-dimensional approach. It’s not only the rolling riff of 'The Nocturnal Omen' that draws the listener into the song immediately. And it’s more than the almost melodic (don’t take this word too seriously in the context of The Warriors Awakening…) chorus of 'Terror Of The Sphinx' that gives me the warm feeling I have bought this disc for good reasons.

But perhaps I should not mention single titles, because Eternal Evil manage to keep a high quality level from the beginning to the end. The bone-breaking shredding of the quartet is simply impressive and much more effective than it was on their demo. And so The Warrior’s Awakening… belongs to these works where your favourite song changes from day to day. So if you don't fear clichés, high speed and self-limitation, “Reign In Blood” inspired solos and more or less monotonous barking of the lead vocalist, you can get a lot out of this debut for yourself, even if 'Rise Of Death' lets the title track of "Pleasure To Kill" shine through very clearly in parts.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Tomek on April 9, 2013.

Empatic came to life in 2005 after two other bands ceased to exist. It took two years to complete the songs for their first demo and three more to compose enough for the debut. Songs from demo ended up on the aforementioned and they mesh with the rest quite well. Add countless shows, lots of determination, do it yourself attitude and a little bit of luck with finding the right label, and Empatic was out against the world. Five years from the start to get to the first album is a bit of time, but all hard work paid off. Enter “Gods Of Thousand Souls”.

Musically it is a very gripping and quite varied slab of Death/Thrash with awesome groove, good riffs and tons of melodies that simply don’t want to leave your mind. Guitars, bass, drums, vocals create melodic lines deviously arranged to intertwine with each other’s barbaric extremity. Vocals brutal and not overly exposed, even though sometimes monotonous, attack with interesting lyrics and I have a feeling that Maciek has a lot more to offer and it’s just a matter of time and practice for him to fully use his throat. What drummer is doing on here is worth of couple of listens with attention on drums only, and I have to say that finding out about him leaving makes me a little nervous. Hope the guy that just came back to the band is as good. Guitars create lots of interesting instrumental work here but somehow having two guitar players doesn’t fill my speakers completely and all the time. Sometimes it feels that there is only one guitar and it feels like something is missing, but those moments are very scarce and bass and drums take care of that quickly and way before there is a chance on deliberating on that. Whole album is full of chugginess with lots of hooks, groove, tempo changes and ever present melody. Sound on the album is juicy, all instruments selective. It’s a thrill to go through the whole album finding all elements but there's another reason why I keep coming back to this one. It's the melodies and solos that those two guys put out. There is so much of it that it compensates for any weaker spots that I found, but I may as well say the same thing about the rest of the band.

To me all songs on the album are good in their own way and having just a few to point out would take too much away from the rest and could be very misleading I believe. My recommendation is to get the album and give it an extensive listen or few before buying because it may not be up everybody’s alley. Album came out in 2010 so it should be available pretty much everywhere. From what I read on the net, they are working on new material and that one I hope to get when is fresh and dripping paint. They got me yearning for more.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.8 out of 10