The Assailant “Cólera” CD

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe "Cólera" is the debut "full-length" (though most of the tracks are less than three minutes apiece and the total length is only 26 minutes) from The Assailant (on Rome Plow Records), upon which the Seattle outfit tears through nine tracks comparable to defunct hometown heroes such as Kiss it Goodbye or Botch. Expect loads of frantic pull-off riffs and meaty, dissonant chord phrasings alongside ferocious yelling, with some quirkier fare—eerie clean passages, hefty rhythmic bursts, and some jangly "skronk"—seeping in to provide some diversity. In the end these tracks boast just the right amount of chaotic acerbity—given a slightly more grinding, metallic edge than many of the band's influences. I like this material far more than the band's self-titled EP from a few years back, as there's much more atmosphere involved in the compositions, and the general sense of pacing and structure seems more balanced in many ways. The material still lacks variety to some degree, but there's a greater sense of power and ferocity here, and it's more than evident that they're starting to branch out and push for something more, which is awesome. I'll certainly be expecting bigger and better things to come from The Assailant now. Oh, and the thick matte digipack housing the CD looks sweet, too!

The Assailant "24"

Be sure to make the grab if this is your thing, 'cause I know there are a shitload of people out there who eat this stuff up:

Rome Plow Records