Assassin - The Upcoming Terror review
| Band: | Assassin |
| Album: | The Upcoming Terror |
| Style: | Thrash metal |
| Release date: | June 03, 1987 |
| Guest review by: | Cynic Metalhead |
01. Forbidden Reality
02. Nemesis
03. Fight
04. The Last Man
05. Assassin
06. Holy Terror
07. Bullets
08. Speed Of Light
Another underrated 80s thrash metal album lost in oblivion. Let me bring it upfront...
We are all aware of most iconic German thrash metal bands—Kreator, Sodom, Destruction, and Tankard. However, the Teutonic big four aren’t the only purveyors of high-energy thrash, fellas. Did you ever hear of Protector, Pentagram, Holy Moses, and notably, Assassin?! No? Well, now you will.
Here I wanted to cover Assassin, one of the emerging forces from the vibrant German thrash scene that has unfortunately gone unidentified. They burst onto the scene with their debut album, The Upcoming Terror, in 1987. It is both brutal and inventive, if somewhat primitive. They've compiled tracks from their earlier demos—Holy Terror(1985) and The Saga Of Nemesis (1986)—enhancing their ferocity, giving off a Slayer-ish flavor and the raw energy of Venom.
"Forbidden Reality" is an outstanding opener; an eerie intro building into a full-throttle assault, riffs that evoke an avalanche, drums that pummel relentlessly, and boss-y bass lines that punche through the mix. The vocals imbue a frenzied blend of Destruction’s Schmier and Tankard’s Gerre, adding a manic edge to the onslaught. Assassin excel when they're on speed assault, especially in "Nemesis" and "Speed of Light", where relentless energy fuses with intensive momentum. However, they also slow down on "The Last Man" and "Assassin," bringing variation that doesn't hamper the overall momentum. "Abstract War" features robust, palm-muted riffs and bursts of frenetic energy, while "Resolution 588", "A Message to Survive", and "AGD" are thrash anthems brimming with calculated chaos. I do find the cover of The Chantays' "Pipeline" slightly detracted from the album’s intensity. The decent mixing enables songs to be heard constructively while avoiding overlapping and creates a fuzzy, thrash-y sound.
While The Upcoming Terror may not blow you away or make you regret missing it, it certainly doesn't deserve to be overlooked. I can comfortably classify The Upcoming Terror, alongside Interstellar Experience as second-tier German thrash. Nevertheless, it remains a formidable Teutonic thrash album.
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
Comments: 11
Visited by: 21 users
| Blackcrowe Posts: 549  |
Good job, maybe one of the most interesting records on the German thrash scene…
---- Invisible To telescopic eye, Infinity. The star that would not die. Slayer vs. Slayer: 1,000 MPH or Death
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| Guib Thrash Talker Posts: 3220  |
Yeah! Good read Cynic! I love this album.
---- - Headbanging with mostly clogged arteries to that stuff - Guib's List Of Essential Albums - Also Thrash Paradise Thrash Here
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| AndyMetalFreak A Nice Guy Contributor Posts: 5334  |
Great review and thanks for bringing this band to my attention. This is a great album, I like the raw energy they bring, and it has some incredible riffs, it's a shame they remained in the shadows of the big four, judging by this album, I believe they were just as good.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7574  |
Written by AndyMetalFreak on 30.07.2024 at 07:57 I found this album back in last.fm logs, and I used to listen to it in 2013-2015, and when I connected again, it carried the same fucking energy that I pulsed back when I discovered the band. Like Blackcrowe, Guib, and you said, it's such a great album. I certainly didn't feel like it would be groundbreaking release, but yes, it is one of those albums that shaded by big sharks. Thanks for checking it out.
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| Redel Moderator Posts: 2264  |
Keep on reviewing these classic albums from the old school, Cynic, they still get frequent spins here on my end, and your reviews sure are some fun read.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7574 |
Written by Redel on 30.07.2024 at 09:53 Thank you, Redel. In my capacity, I'm trying to dole out as many recommendations as possible to see the vibrancy amongst the thrash metal fans. We all know how many thrash metal records yet to be retrieved from heavyweights that are incredible albums. It has gone out of our radars.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7574 |
Written by Blackcrowe on 29.07.2024 at 23:26 Definitely. With the rise of the German thrash scene, it's surprising how some bands were overshadowed by the heavyweights. With prior to writing this review, I tried to gauge the impact Assassin had within the thrash community, and unsurprisingly, they were often overlooked. While it may not be considered a standout album, it nonetheless played a crucial role in uplifting German thrash scene as it began to gain recognition.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62060  |
Why you put american doom band in list as German thrash bands?
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Redel Moderator Posts: 2264 |
Written by Bad English on 25.08.2024 at 18:13 Good question, possibly he meant to link to Pentagram Chile.
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| Cynic Metalhead Ambrish Saxena Posts: 7574 |
Written by Redel on 25.08.2024 at 18:21 Yes, I f'ukd up in linking.
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62060 |
Still not German
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die" I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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