To delight longtime fans and new listeners, German-based thrash metal act Assassin presents their first EP in the band’s history! “Skullblast” will be coming out on November 1, 2024 through Massacre Records. Available as Digipak, Ltd. Vinyl and Digital format, the pre-sale has now started at https://lnk.to/skullblast

For the first time ever, all band members collaborated on the five songs featured on “Skullblast”, which contributed to a very creative and positive workflow. With pride and joy, the band will now unleash an EP of hard-hitting thrash metal songs that are bursting with heaviness and groove, hook lines with a high recognition value – brutal and groovy at the same time, but also rich in variety – while staying true to the band’s style. Also new musical elements, such as gang shouts or longer solos, have found their way onto the EP which captivates with a straightforward sound. The hint “This record was made to be played at maximum volume” on the EP’s artwork is meant to be no joke…

But give ear, a video clip to the EP title track (out now on all digital services at https://assassin.bfan.link/skullblast) is premiering at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um0kTX4dXuI&ab_channel=MassacreRecords

The band comments about the song: “The title track simply thrashes the listener away 80’s style and you can hear Steve, who joined the band a while ago, for the first time over three parts in the solo lick and extended solo. The bass and drums complement the song in terms of heaviness and structure, and in one part of the solo you can only hear drums accompanying the guitar solo. With this element, Assassin bring the joy of playing and lightness to the listener, and you can see how small changes in a song can give the listener something new and exciting.

The vocals are powerful, and the chorus is catchy, so that all fans will surely be swept away by the band at future live shows. Lyrically, it’s about a dystopian war scene and this part of the second verse speaks for itself: “…rolling terror strikes at midnight, machine gun fire sound”.”

For the first time, the band worked with Lucky Bob Studios and Jean Bormann (Rage) for the recordings. The enjoyable and inspiring atmosphere in the studio contributed to the fact that the songs were developed further at one point or another, while adding further punch to them. In terms of heaviness, the mastering by Manu Cohnen (Parabol Audio) added even more intensity to the EP. Also, Patrick Pagliaro contributed guest vocals to the songs “Blood For Blood” and “Cut Your (Own) Throat”. The idea for the cover art was born during the songwriting process for the title track “Skullblast” and was beautifully executed by Karim König and Plamen.

“Skullblast” Track Listing: 1. Blood For Blood 2. Skullblast 3. In And Out By The Tide 4. Cut Your (Own) Throat 5. The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)

Assassin is: Ingo Bajonczak – Vocals / Jürgen “Scholli” Scholz – Guitar / Stefano “Steve” Smura – Guitar / Joachim “Jo” Kremer – Bass / Björn “Burn” Sondermann – Drums