Assassinate "s/t" 7"
[Whisper in Darkness]
Yet more vicious hardcore/punk with a traditional sort of D-beat sound coming out of Portland. Thankfully though, while building on a very typical foundation, I think there's a little extra catchiness to some of this stuff thanks to slightly noisy harmonics seeping into some of the chord progressions and a more rocked out and memorable feel that doesn't try too hard to be heavy or anything. "Babylon's Burning" definitely speeds things up a little and has plenty of traditional hardcore/punk, which carries over into "Detonator" (though the structure in this one is a little more succinct and chorus oriented), but "Lightning Strikes" is really rocked out and has that catchy side happening, while closer "Geist" adds in a touch more midpaced heaviness and also stands out as a strong cut. The recording is pretty effective, letting the dry vocal shouts (which also have a pretty unique sound in my opinion) rest barely out in front while the instruments break even with one another. It's got just the right amount of ruggedness and low-end to work, though it's certainly not as heavy as most of these bands (which admittedly works in their favor on this outing). The black and white sleeve is pretty plain in its use of high contrast imagery, and while typically a decent style I think it looks kind of bland on this one, with a rather poor illustration inside and roughly drawn lettering for the logo on the cover. The lyrics deal with death and destruction basically, working well within the simple song structures but honestly not carrying much weight in content: "You, you're stealing my life, My life is taken from me, Try, trying so hard to fight destiny..." Ignoring the rather unassuming lyrics and artwork, this is a good effort, however. The songs definitely make up for what's lacking, though with a stronger aesthetic in those other departments the band would definitely be a force to watch out for. (6/10)
Running time - 9:00 (approximately), Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Lightning Strikes, Geist]
Whisper in Darkness Label, distributed by Hardcore Holocaust - http://www.hardcoreholocaust.com

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