Assassin – Breaking The Silence (SPV)
The Germans know how to do two things: wage war and make thrash metal. But those naughty Krauts went too far with World War II, so we had to take away all their guns and ammunition. Now all they can do is make thrash metal. And beer. It’s up to us as American to wage the wars. So here is Assassin delivering that thrash that the Germans do so well. Nothing groundbreaking, just solid choppy speed, although a bit modernized. There may be a little too much of the party thrash stuff happening here, and even a couple cringeworthy moments of slappy-sounding bass. These guys are getting old, and past a certain age that stuff just doesn’t make sense. Still, they deserve credit for sticking to their guns. Assassin were always the junior cousin to titans like Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction. Allegedly they called it quits in the late ‘80s after all their gear was stolen, only to return about five years ago. So who knows? Maybe if things happened differently, they would’ve developed into a better band. Maybe they still can. Maybe sometimes that’s how it goes: all your weapons get taken away and you become a drunk asshole, before realizing it’s all for nothing anyway. So hey, you can either die whimpering, or give it one more shot and go down in a final shitstorm blaze of glory.
Jag Panzer – The Scourge Of The Light (SPV)
1983-84 was a magic window for heavy metal: back-to-back classics from Mercyful Fate, Manilla Road brought out Crystal Logic, Priest were at the pinnacle of a long rising peak, and Jag Panzer released Ample Destruction. Well I mean, holy crap, that record is balls out in-the-night street metal with just the right amount of melodic hooks. Classic stuff. Yet they’ve never really been able to deliver on the promise of that album. Vocalist Harry Conklin left after Ample Destruction to create another classic, Metal From Hell, with Satan’s Host, only to return to Jag Panzer in 1996. And there is no question that Conklin is the strong link here: powerful vocals, but not too over the top. It’s unfortunate the same can’t be said for the other arrangements. Things start out promising enough; “Condemned to Fight” is a winner. But midway through, the melodic aspects become a nuisance. The noticeable lack of strong guitar leads is like working through a tangled, digitally-rendered forest without a machete. Progressive enhancements, complete with piano interludes and sterilized production via Jim Morris, ultimately work against most of the more powerful riffs. I’d still put this album up as a winner against any metalcore bullshit, or almost any black metal release from the last ten years, but against the ghosts of their own past selves, Jag Panzer don’t stand a chance.
Assassin – Breaking The Silence (SPV)
The Germans know how to do two things: wage war and make thrash metal. But those naughty Krauts went too far with World War II, so we had to take away all their guns and ammunition. Now all they can do is make thrash metal. And beer. It’s up to us as American to wage the wars. So here is Assassin delivering that thrash that the Germans do so well. Nothing groundbreaking, just solid choppy speed, although a bit modernized. There may be a little too much of the party thrash stuff happening here, and even a couple cringeworthy moments of slappy-sounding bass. These guys are getting old, and past a certain age that stuff just doesn’t make sense. Still, they deserve credit for sticking to their guns. Assassin were always the junior cousin to titans like Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction. Allegedly they called it quits in the late ‘80s after all their gear was stolen, only to return about five years ago. So who knows? Maybe if things happened differently, they would’ve developed into a better band. Maybe they still can. Maybe sometimes that’s how it goes: all your weapons get taken away and you become a drunk asshole, before realizing it’s all for nothing anyway. So hey, you can either die whimpering, or give it one more shot and go down in a final shitstorm blaze of glory.
Jag Panzer – The Scourge Of The Light (SPV)
1983-84 was a magic window for heavy metal: back-to-back classics from Mercyful Fate, Manilla Road brought out Crystal Logic, Priest were at the pinnacle of a long rising peak, and Jag Panzer released Ample Destruction. Well I mean, holy crap, that record is balls out in-the-night street metal with just the right amount of melodic hooks. Classic stuff. Yet they’ve never really been able to deliver on the promise of that album. Vocalist Harry Conklin left after Ample Destruction to create another classic, Metal From Hell, with Satan’s Host, only to return to Jag Panzer in 1996. And there is no question that Conklin is the strong link here: powerful vocals, but not too over the top. It’s unfortunate the same can’t be said for the other arrangements. Things start out promising enough; “Condemned to Fight” is a winner. But midway through, the melodic aspects become a nuisance. The noticeable lack of strong guitar leads is like working through a tangled, digitally-rendered forest without a machete. Progressive enhancements, complete with piano interludes and sterilized production via Jim Morris, ultimately work against most of the more powerful riffs. I’d still put this album up as a winner against any metalcore bullshit, or almost any black metal release from the last ten years, but against the ghosts of their own past selves, Jag Panzer don’t stand a chance.
