Thrash Assault

It's raw. It's fast. It's old-school. It's everything the metal scene was in 1985 and more, and it all comes in under 28 minutes, including a cover of Kreator's "Total Death." This CD, despite being so short, is virtually flawless. Perhaps the only thing that can take away points from this album is in fact the production on the Kreator cover - you have to turn the bass way up to combat the shrieky guitar tone, but that is only a minor issue.

This album is filled with metal-worshipping cliches - The album is titled "Thrash Assault" for one thing, and how many bands have a song called "Thrash Til Death" nowadays? The same for "Tormentor?" Destruction has done both. Sauron has done better on both! They've proven they can sing about metal and not make it sound overdone or boring.

The tone is really raw, and yet you can hear every instrument clearly. The drumming is loud, fast, and very well done. Skinthrasher is such an appropriate name. The vocals are harsh, and black in style. Doomy G. Blackthrash (greatest name ever?) is not just a singer, he's a frontman, and you'll find him frequently straying from the traditional verses to put his voice to other uses - the thrash breakdown in Unholy Art features an uber evil laugh, and just before the solo in Thrash Assault gets into its groove he yells "here comes the assault!", and as already mentioned in one of the reviews he ends the song Thrash Til Death with "fucking old-school... HaHaHaHa!" More metal singers need to do this - these are the little things that will turn an ordinary vocalist into a good one.

Not only are there lots and lots of riffs, but all of them are good. Nothing on this album is out of place or needing improvement. The songs come at you heavier, faster, and more destructive than a wall of panzers in Polish territory (and fuck you historians, Poland fought well, but this CD is still better than anything made from Poland). Victor 'Lore Lord' Ruiz has invented riffs, solos, and even melodies that can literally make musicians envious. Listen to the song Tormentor - you won't be able to speak the minute you hear the main riffs in the first chorus and the instrumental section that follows - especially the solo - you too, will wish you had the ability to write that. Thrash Assault also has a wonderful chorus and melodic solo, with some good harmonies. In fact, the display of soloing on this album is good enough for any Priest or Maiden album. Sheer brilliance - there is no mindless wankery here.

Every song here is a total winner, but as all rules apply some just tend to win better than others. I'll only say that my favorite track here would have to be Tormentor. It's break-neck fast like all the others, but it has such an intense instrumental section after the first chorus that makes it so epic.

Few CDs can do so much with so little, as this album has done. It is a fantastic display of thrash with an excellent blend of black metal, and some quality Iron Maiden-ish epic melody to boot. If you can get this album, please get it, you won't get any more old-school than this album. This is indeed, the soundtrack by which the dark lord Sauron destroys everything in his path.

I've been a big fan of these guys for the past year and a half and nothing could make me happier then to finally have their debut album in my hands. I thought I knew what I was in for after hearing their demos and seeing them in concert a few times, but nothing could have prepared me for the full speed blistering brutality of this CD.

This is solid fucking black thrash from beginning to end. It's not Lars Ulrich teat sucking MTV thrash. This is the stuff that hides in your closet, kills your little sister and spawns endless nightmares and legions of fear. It's everything you liked about the classic thrash and first-wave black metal swirled into one album. The production reminds me of early Venom and Bathory albums so don't expect that over-produced, watered-down, Swedish melo-death sound. This is raw and uncompromising sound that fits the genre perfectly.

Every song is unbelievably fast (think "Darkness Descends" by Dark Angel) and gives all the classic thrash albums a good run for their money. Speaking of the classics, at the end of the first song "Thrash 'til Death" you can hear an evil scream of "Fucking Old School....HaHaHa". Then in the song "Tormentor" is the album-referencing chorus:

Tormentor - Obsessed By Cruelty
Tormentor - Endless Pain
Tormentor - Under The Sign Of The Black Mark
Tormentor - Hell Awaits

These guys fucking know where to pay respect and they close the album with an unmastered recording of Kreator's "Total Death". In concert they proudly wear their throwback denim vests with Overkill and Celtic Frost back patches. But don't get me wrong, Sauron is not merely trying to ride the coattails of the past. They write some great thrash riffs and the songs are all really damn catchy. Check out the riff at 2:12 into "Witch King" ...solid. Every song is unique with no filler to be found anywhere. If tracks like "Demonic Invasion" and "Thrash 'til Death" don't get you headbanging then you're either dead or fucking retarded. Occasionally they sound a little sloppy but with everything else they've got going for them it's a weak complaint.

Clocking in at a short 28 minutes, the album leaves the listener wanting more but the answer to that is to put it on full repeat. I've listened to this at least 8 times in the first 24 hours that I've had it and it still sounds as fresh as the first listen. I expect to hear more great things from this band in the future and I can guarantee you that this will be in the CD player for a long time to come.

Best Tracks: All of them, but standouts include "Witch King" and "Demonic Invasion".