ASSASSIN – Breaking The Silence

Taking their time since the release of their official comeback album, The Club, Assassin are back again. It took them five years, but Speed / Thrash Metal, the Old School way, is still flowing through their veins.

Production-wise, their sound is still crunchy, clear and accurate; everything is slamming the right way. But, even with their style and production meshing well as a combo, the expectations for this material weren’t fulfilled. The notion that regardless of what you do, you can’t recreate the past depends on the effort made. It is probable that Assassin put forth a lot of effort to create this new album, especially after five years, but the final outcome can be only considered as “average plus”. Delving deep into the music, there is a repetitive sense between the tunes, and part of the solos sound as if they won’t ever be played accurately live … and they come across as somewhat generic.

The aura of Breaking The Silence is cool and very diverse. Sometimes these guys pass through nonsense, politics, and real life experiences … very similar to their local Metal peers, Tankard. However, with their unending speed and hard-to-the-core old school Thrash Metal, Assassin won’t be denied, but they could have been a little more constructive. Although partial simplicity can be a component of the game in Speed / Thrash Metal, Assassin run on a steady line without many changes. That is why in various areas of the album the tunes sound somewhat soulless and lack excitement. Without a doubt, Assassin know how to Thrash, and show they have something to prove with their definitive and straightforward lines such as in “Turf War”, “Kill Or Be Killed”, “No Fear”, “Judas”, and “Strike Back”. Yet, it is more than possible that these guys can do even better… considering their extensive background.

Overall, Breaking The Silence didn’t make that strong of a statement in the Old School Thrash arena. It’s not a bad album as it has a powerful setting, but it could have been better. However, Assassin did supply some fists in the face and a few bloody riffs for the moshpit circle.

Tracklist

1. Breaking The Silence
2. Raise In The Dark
3. Judas
4. Turf War
5. Destroy The State
6. No Fear
7. Kill Or Be Killed
8. Real Friends
9. Strike Back
10. I Like Cola

Band

Robert Gonnella – Vocals
Scholli (Jürgen Scholz) – Guitar
Micha (Michael Hoffman) – Guitar
Björn Sondermann – Drums
Joachim Kremer – Bass