Great Awakening
Hit N Run (demo)

January 2010
Released: 2009, Self-released
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

These young speed/thrash metal merchants Great Awakening from Florida, USA, have returned among us - wild, relentless and thrashing as ever, as one could expect all that from them.



These Florida-based youngsters previous release, a 6-track EP titled THRASH TIL YOU DIE, really surprised me with its freshness, sharp and hotly burning riffs - and just overall with its good spirit and vibe to bring things closer to everything that that once made bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and the like, so interesting and exciting back in the day - bringing something new and worth admired for, to the ever-growing metal scene more than some 30 years ago.



Great Awakening´s new 3-song demo, HIT N RUN (love the title!), makes not much difference or exception compared to their previous EP, but basically continues to carry the band´s good ´n´ aggressive speed/thrash metal tag even further.



The title track is one hell of a rocking, up-tempo speed metal tune with Ryan´s amazingly good vocal patterns, very good solo work and all the other things involved that make the song stand out. The 2nd tune, "XIII", is again a more thrash-orientated song; fast and simply straightforward thrasher with a piano beginning - a real kick-ass song if you ask from me respectively.



The same basically goes to the last song, "All Systems Fail", starting out as heavy, mid-tempo riffs but then starting to speed up a little bit toward the end, loaded again with lots of unrelenting energy just like this demo´s 1st two songs. These young guys are truly on fire on this promotional demo release, and I can already predict some label will snap up this talented speed/thrash metal act under their caring wings. Just mark my words for that, folks. ;o)