Assassin: Combat Cathedral

The cover art on this album was created by Marcelo Vasco, a graphic artist who has worked with tons of strong metal bands including Slayer, Soulfly, Hatebreed, Neurosis, 1349, and Job For A Cowboy. His art who has worked on art for Slayer, Machinehead, Soulfly, Borknagar, and many others. For this new release by Assassin, Vasco depicts several skeletons in various stages of burial. The image is striking and brutal, capturing nicely the spirit and power of this album.

On this album, the band delivers 12 new tracks, all fronted by new vocalist Ingo "Crowzak" Bajonczak. I know there was concern about Robert Gonnella's departure in 2014, but Ingo brings enough range and intensity to the music that fans should enjoy his work. To me, his voice handled the material nicely and brought some moments of diversity and flavor to a band known for its unrelenting intensity. Some of the tracks on this album—most notably "Back From The Dead"—are extremely fast and push things to the limit. Things slow down slightly on "Frozen Before Impact," a song that is heavy enough that the slight reduction of speed shouldn't raise any eyebrows. Bands this intense occasionally need to let their muscles relax. I really enjoyed "What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger," possibly because it pushed a Kelly Clarkson's take on that expression out of my head.

Other highlights include "Undying Mortality," another speed-heavy track that shows off "Burn" Sondermann's drumming to great effect. This guy can play! The guitar solo on that track, flashy and old school, was also breathtaking and delightful. I also recommend the album's closer "Red Alert," a cool track that mixes things up with a 9/8 time signature. This is an impressive new release from a classic speed metal band.

Track Listing:
1. Back From The Dead
2. Frozen Before Impact
3. Undying Mortality
4. Servant Of Time
5. Slave Of Time
6. Whoremonger
7. Cross The Line
8. What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger
9. Ambush
10. Word
11. Sanity From the Insane
12. Red Alert

Added: April 30th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 1657
Language: english

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