Assassin Combat Cathedral

2016, Assassin are one of those bands who have had some pretty impressive successes in Europe but for some reason never been able to break the big time Stateside. Their latest offering COMBAT CATHEDRAL might very well be the thing that pushes them over the edge. Gloriously heavy and at times bordering on manic there is something endlessly exciting about this album, paying tribute to the gods of old and yet bringing the band forward, emphasizing their heavy grooves and showing us a new path to absolution. There is something endlessly addictive about the energetic and manic riffing on a song like ,,Servant Of Fear". Assassin have been cultivating this very specific sound for years now and COMBAT CATHEDRAL is perhaps their tightest release to date. Vicious, unrelenting and strangely beautiful - this is what thrash should be about. This is a classic, no frills, balls out thrash metal record, and at the end of the day anything that shifts it from that is kind of a limiting factor.