Infinite Battles

A story almost as old as metal itself: band records demos, shows a lot of promise and promptly vanishes in a puff of self-destruction, whether it be from strains with the label, member infighting, or what have you. Sometimes fans are lucky enough to get some unearthed material down the road, which is precisely the case with Fontana, California thrashmasters Street Force. Their debut full-length Infinite Battles, recorded over 10 years ago, finally received the treatment it deserves for a proper release, the first under the Brave Ulysses label.

The album kicks off with “Atomic Warfare,” a complete in-your-face ripper that reveals the band’s obvious love of early German thrash a la early Kreator, yet with the aggression of more extreme thrash acts such as Sarcófago or Sadistik Exekution. Street Force are out to kick some ass. As the record progresses it never relents, pounding high speed riffs at 180 miles an hour like a semi through a residential development. The lust-driven growl of “You wanna fuck me bitch? I wanna fuck you too!” right before the breakdown of “Satanic Slut” could come off as cheesy or try-hard in the hands of lesser thrash groups, yet it fits so well for the raging testosterone monster of Street Force.

While the first half of the album alone is worth the price of admission, it gets even better on the B side. The songs breathe a bit more and give the band members a chance to show their prowess on their instruments a bit more. “Kamikaze Whiplash” is almost a straightforward black/speed track and includes some of the better drumming the band has to offer. “Total Fucking Wasteland” steals the show with it’s dual-lead section at the end that picks up tempo gradually, kicking it into high gear for an incredible peak point of the album.

The discovery of this record is bittersweet. There’s not a bad song on it and is a stellar effort for a debut from a relatively unknown band that will, in all likelihood, not release any more material. Street Force have conquered their own territory within the thrash world and Infinite Battles will forever stand as a testimony to their reign of heathen thrash tyranny.

Origiinally published at yourlastrites.com