America the Beautiful

Assayer's 2012 debut album sits right on the line between thrash and death metal. The former makes for the most noticeable influence as the guitar and drums typically opt for more straightforward charges though the more extreme elements will come into play during the occasional blasts and more intricate riffing patterns. The vocals make for a particularly interesting meeting point for the two styles at hand, mixing fairly conventional death growls with a cleaner bark that bares an uncanny resemblance to contemporary James Hetfield.

Backed by a dry as sandpaper production job, the musicianship is incredibly tight. The guitars in particular stand out, often channeling the tones of Exodus and Testament's most recent outings with tight rhythms, squealing solos pulled straight form the Gary Holt, and occasional clean segments. This tightness is further reflected by the drums, which are executed with a machine-like mix of power and flexibility. Unfortunately, the sound doesn't quite have the bottom end one would hope for as the bass is often buried in the mix and the growls occasionally feel like they could afford to go deeper.

The songwriting is also more grandiose than your typical thrash revivalist group, exercising longer lengths and elaborate structures with a lofty political theming overcast. The less hooky songwriting in combination with the dry production results in tracks that are ultimately more competent than outright memorable, but there's some solid stuff to work with. The opening title track and "Advocate for Revenge" are the best of the more straightforward thrashers, the former putting in a solid chorus and breakdown. "The Human Condition" also turns out well, featuring a slew of melodic intrusions that remind me of mid-era Opeth in a way.

Overall, Assayer makes a rock solid first impression on America the Brutal. While a warmer production job would've worked in the release's favor, the band already knew how to make the most of their influences with musicianship that is leagues beneath than many of their peers in the thrash scene. Things might've been even tighter with more concise songwriting but if the song lengths on the 2017 followup Return to the Throne are anything to go by, the band only got more elaborate from here...

Highlights:
"America the Beautiful"
"Advocate for Revenge"
"The Human Condition"