REVIEWS
: SAURON - Thrash Assault [MTVHELL.COM] A new thrash masterpiece? Yep, I think so. Sauron is probably the best thing to happen to thrash in awhile. They perfectly combine that raw punk aggression with pummeling blizzards of thrash riffs that never give out; their attack just runs rampant. The riffs are what really fuel this band; every executed one is memorable and has a catchy groove that you just can't get enough of. I've listened to this album 3 times in a row the first time I got it. If I ever needed to get ready for a battle, I'd play this thing, it really gets you pumped. Throughout the whole album, not a single second is wasted, every sound made is pure old school thrash with some prototypical death metal leanings in the vocals. As fast and heavy as the music can be, melodies manage to chisel their ways in the elegant solos, reminding me of a testosterone-filled Iron Maiden harmony. The production isn't ultra clean, giving it that true underground feel that's still audible. Fans of Sodom, Bathory, Slayer, Kreator, prepare to be impressed by such violent classic thrash. 10/10 joseangeles@muchomail.com SAURON - Thrash Assault [Metal Observer] You remember that first time you heard “No Life ‘Till Leather”, “Power In Black”, or any 80’s Thrash demo for that matter? The energy and riffs are energetic and chaotic to a point of pure Metal bliss. SAURON certainly remember the 80’s and such demo work, as “Thrash Assault” is a full-length release possessing that raw, fuzzy and violent sound only found on such demos and Black Metal albums. While this outfit does possess certain elements of the latter genre (including sick vocals in that Black/Thrash vein of early SODOM/KREATOR), this is much more of a Thrash album than a Black Metal outing. How refreshing it is to see Tolkien inspired artwork/lyrics and not find a cheesy Power Metal band behind the music. Indeed, SAURON’s debut long-player does not overwhelm the listener with falsetto, rather Victor Lore Ruiz shoves rusty riffs down your throat at blinding speeds while Mike Skinthrasher Hudson beats the hell out of his drum-kit in a fashion which does hint at the fact he knows what the hell he is doing. Intensity and raw power are the words for the day. The unique sound accomplished here is courtesy of the raw and buzzing guitars which hearken back to recordings such as “Transilvanian Hunger”, albeit with a completely different style of riffs. This 80’s demo quality is truly what makes for such a unique album which displays a band not worried about hitting every note and riff perfectly. The production is surprisingly well done as the drums are not too loud, vocals are placed well in the mix and the guitar tone absolutely crushes. Just take a listen to “Tormentor” and have 911 on speed-dial for when your lifeless body is shredded wholesale. You know what else I love? When killer choruses shouted ferociously are spread liberally throughout the course of the album. That is precisely whey I love “Thrash Assault”. I frantically attempt to not yell along but cannot help but lose my voice with such great lines as, “THRASH ‘TIL DEATH!!!!” and “Thrash Assault/Thrash Assault/Thrash Assault!!!”. These excellent gang choruses are made twice as lethal when combined with the excellent riffage and propelled by the chaotic leads/solos which further help the album shine. This album is much more intense and evil than other contemporary Thrash bands due to that raw, eclectic sound combining Thrash and Black Metal with unbridled ferocity. At 27:19 this album is quite short and comparable to “Reign In Blood” but containing the unrelenting speed of “Darkness Descends”. If you head-bang to this the duration of the album you may have a hard time coping with the pain once your head dislodges itself from your neck. Every single track is quality except perhaps the KREATOR cover which is nothing more than competent and possesses somewhat worse quality which makes it appear as though it was tacked on to lengthen the album (which is likely true). The bottom-line is this album possesses riffs that truly slaughter and showcase fervent minds which could yield several more classic Thrash releases to come. (Online July 8, 2005) SAURON - Thrash Assault [Metal Side] The title of Sauron’s album is very suggestive. You can only wonder what kind of Thrash Metal these musicians from Michigan play. If I tell you that the best comparisons are the materials from the 80’s, first of all recorded by Kreator and Sodom, you won’t have any doubts what “Thrash Assault” means in this case. This is hateful and violent music, a great continuation of the best traditions of German Thrash Metal. However, even those legendary bands listed above didn’t play as aggressively. Listening to “Witch King” or “Thrash Assault” I regret that such barbaric and devastating Thrash Metal albums are very rare nowadays. Sauron writes very coherent tracks. They are straightforward and very fast. To some degree, they remind me also of Slayer’s “Reign in Blood” and “Hell Awaits”. Definitely, if you are the worshipper of the tradition, if you like the music that knows no compromise, you must find Sauron’s album. SAURON - Thrash Assault [Nocturnal Cult] For some reason I just can't get enough of all of this modern black thrash. Maybe it is me have an old school nostalgic now that I am 30. So when I got this Sauron Cd I was in Aural heaven. With a title called Thrash Assault it wasn't a mystery what kind of music I would be hearing. And a Thrash Assault it is. The music runs at a very rapid pace through virtually the entire album. Very seldomly does a band wear their influences so blatantly on their sleeve but Sauron obviously has heard old Kreator once or twice. They even do a spirited cover of my favorite Kreator song, Total Death. This album differs very much from what is coming out of other thrash revival scenes these days because this is completely old school with virtually no modern influences. Another thing I love about Sauron is their tasteful use of guitar solos. It really enhances the overall flow of the song rather than distracting from what is going on beneath it. Thrash 'Til Death has a Slayer-esque solo whereas the one found on Thrash Assault is an inviting melodic treat. And I love the drumming breakdown right after the solo ends. Man that is killer!!!! But my favorite on this album is Tormentor and its triumphant main riff and the blistering solo that melts into some interesting stop and start breaks that vary in style and focus only to burst into another hammering solo. The production on here is filthy just like that of the early German scene on the first Destruction, Sodom, and Kreator albums. The whole atmosphere on this album is was one of energetic focus but it still remains loose and relaxed without being sloppy. I would have to say I find this incredibly enjoyable and can listen to this album without being in any certain mood except for a metal one. An Old school assault that recalls a bygone era with a sense of intensity and freshness. I can't wait to hear more. SAURON - Thrash Assault [Metal Crypt] These days, it takes a big fucking pair to call your album simply "Thrash Assault", because then you are left with the task of making it stick. So an album called "Thrash Assault" with an opening track called "Thrash 'Til Death" had better fucking thrash 'til the aforementioned death or it will look really stupid. Well Sauron don't fuck around, and after having your head forcibly slammed into a wall for a half-hour you too will come to the conclusion that not only is the title warranted, it could be nothing else. Do you love Destroyer 666? (and who besides inveterate homosexuals does not?) Do you miss the good old days of Kreator and Sodom? Then grab this sucker, slap it in, and prepare for some serious neck pain. Sauron are a band from Michigan of all fucking places and this is their first proper album (though it is short). This is the sort of music that reminds you why they called it thrash in the first place. There is quite a bit of Black Metal influence here – from the raw-as-fuck production to the KK Warslut rasp of frontman Doomy G Blackthrash (nicknames too, very kvlt), but this thing just, well, thrashes. It thrashes the living shit out of everything. I have certainly heard tighter bands, and all these tracks sound like they were recorded live and raw in the studio, or maybe in a garage, so the players sometimes fuck up, or don't keep on time as well as they could. Who gives a fuck? This disc bellows with the kind of raw-throated, shredding metal energy that most so-called extreme bands can only dream of. So even though the recording quality is demo-level and the performances are downright manic, this is the kind of head-smashing magic that so very very few bands ever manage to conjure up. If you love thrash, or fuck, any kind of Death or Black Metal, then this is too cool to miss. Of all the bands trying to recapture the magic of the old days, Sauron have actually done it, and "Thrash Assault" is like bottled fucking lightning. It's a little short for a real album, but an hour of this shit would probably kill you. An absolute gem of neck-snapping, throat-ripping old school slayage. Get it. SAURON - Thrash Assault [WORM GEAR] There was a time not too long ago in the extreme metal world, when it was cool and the trend to be a retro trash band, but to those of us who lived through the mid 80's heyday of this genre, the redundancy was often insulting. The more plagiarized riffage you could heap into your songs, the more it seemed people ate up the end result. Even though Sauron may possess a definitive German thrash presence (ie: Kreator, old Tankard, Destruction), they thankfully keep their ideas pure. Standard E tuning and a crisp guitar tone keeps their sound razor wire sharp, if not overly raw when the palm muted speed picking sliced through precision progressions and hook laden speed changes. If you told me this album was recorded in 1988, I'd likely believe it for the simple fact that Sauron thankfully uses the blast beat very infrequently and the overall production is lo-fi. Their music stands on it's own merit and the drummer has enough tricks up his sleeve that he can pile on the intensity and tense speed without stooping to a turbo death-like crutch. The harsh mid-ranged vocal attack fits the nature of this music perfectly, once again placing Sauron's music in the realm of Kreator and other such classic bands from the mid 80's, yet they do it by standing on the strength of their own searing ideas and conviction. Old school, but not at all redundant, Sauron is yet another outstanding and upcoming Michigan band worthy of your inspection. - Marty BLACKENED MOON PRODUCTIONS SAURON - Thrash Assault [VAMPIRE MAGAZINE] This is not the Dutch war ensemble, yet the US Sauron, and their music has been heavily influenced by eighties (black) thrash: better said, the entire album is one huge homage to the German and US thrash attack from the eighties. Had this album released during that era, this would have been a cult classic. If you are looking for originality, this is not your pick. It is as if a time machine has taken you back, including a cover by German monument Kreator (‘Total Death’ from the 1985 “Endless Pain” album). I think it is wise to take a song from that album, and not my favourite “Pleasure to Kill” as it fits perfectly into this Sauron’s sound. The band was so kind to send along some reviews, which all refer to the German eighties thrash bands Destruction and Kreator, and on occasion to Venom and Bathory. Well, I don’t hear so much of these latter, yet there is something I am missing: US primordial thrash!!! The solos could have been played by King and Hanneman on Slayer’s “Show No Mercy”, and the atmosphere reminds me also of another band, Dark Angel (‘Thrash Assault)! And the twin work somehow remind me of Agent Steel!!! Good thing that these blokes do not deny their American roots and avoid copying the German sound! The drumming is really authentic; sloppy passages just the way it was on those early releases. To be honest, if they had told me this was an eighties thrash recording I would have believed it too; really nothing refers to the new millennium. And though I never steal from other reviews, there is one thing I must borrow from the bio (I believe it is from Metal-rules.com); as it says it all: Tormentor – Obsessed by Cruelty Tormentor – Endless Pain Tormentor – Under The Sign of The Black Mark Tormentor – Hell Awaits Sodom, Kreator, (bathory) and Slayer; and wasn’t Tormentor the original name of a certain thrash legend? For the old school thrash fans: just take this trip down memory lane, you won’t regret it. Advisory to any old school thrash party! Thrash ‘til Death! SAURON - "Thrash Assault" [METAL JUDGEMENT] FINALLY! After months of anticipation of their album, Sauron, the black/thrash metal band from Michigan, deliver the goods. Their recently released album Thrash Assault utterly kills. I can't say enough good things about it. I may be biased, being mostly a fan of just this style of metal, and having known these guys since I first heard their demos, but I don't care. This album is brutal, fast, crushing, black thrash metal from hell in the vein of old Sodom, Bathory, Hellhammer, and Abigail. Sauron consists of Doomy G. Blackthrash on bass and vocals, Victor "Lore Lord" Ruiz on guitars, and Mike "Skinthrasher" Hudson on drums, and like I said, these guys know how to thrash it the fuck out. Okay, enough sucking up. I guess I should try my hand at an actual critical analysis here. The main strength of Thrash Assault is the songwriting. Sauron don't play their instruments especially well, and they're CERTAINLY not innovative, so they gotta have something going for 'em, right? But seriously, I don't know what it is about the songs on this album, but they are incredibly catchy, even for thrash, which tends to pride itself on simple hooks and verse-chorus-verse headbangers. I only wish some of their older demo material would have been on the album, because most of it is even catchier than the material on the album. Despite the fact that the band plays so sloppily, they definitely know what they're doing. Someone else who knows what they're doing is the album's producer, Kevin Kitchel. The album sounds perfectly raw and edgy without going overboard like a lot of bands do. In summary, I love Sauron. But I think I've made that obvious, heh. Any of you thrashers whose interest has been piqued by this review, stop by Sauron's site and check out some sample MP3s, and pick up the album if you dig it! Thrash 'til fuckin' death! 4 out of 5 SAURON "Prepare to Die" [METAL SIDE] SAURON review on “Prepare to Die” (Cassette demo 2002) - Michigan’s Sauron plays pure, straightforward thrash/death metal in the vein of the heroes of the old school brutal metal from the 80thies. Many bands try to continue these glorious traditions. Many of them simply fail, as they are repetitive. Definitely, Sauron isn’t one of them. “Prepare to Die” was recorded live therefore the sound isn’t impressive. But it really doesn’t matter. Furious, straightforward riffs and violent drumming, plus harsh, hateful vocals are the core of the old school thrash and death metal and Sauron adopts this formula very well. The trio from Michigan managed to compose tunes, which are influenced by early Sodom, Slayer, Destruction, Bathory, Kreator and even Motorhead (read Metal Side’s interview with Sauron to find out more what they think about the essence of old school thrash metal), but at the same time sound freshly. I always support young bands that worship the tradition and are talented enough to use old ideas creatively. I am aware that for many fans the relative simplicity of the riffing and the track structures may be a problem. If someone wants to hear technical, modern metal, he won’t be impressed listening to “Prepare to die”. This music has other advantages. Everyone who is a fan of death/thrash from the 80thies won’t have a dilemma if the style chosen by Sauron is a right one. Listening to the title track or “Unholy Art” he will get everything he needs. There are many bands that use names from Tolkien’s trilogy. Michigan’s Sauron is one of the best I know. I hope that when they enter the studio, they won’t lose the barbaric and evil attitude, which is their trademark. The full-length debut is on the way so be prepared to die. www.sauron666.cjb.net SAURON "Prepare to Die" [RAGING METAL] Tracklist: 1.Prepare To Die 2.Bestial Warlust 3.Unholy Art 4.Thrash 'til Death 5.The Return Of Darkness And Evil Sauron (U.S) have returned!!! I just got their demo 'Prepare To Die'. Thanks for the warning Sauron...hehe. Those with weak hearts will surely die after listening to Sauron's thrash metal onslaught!! The demo consists of five crushing tracks. Three of them are from their 'Unholy Invasion of Thrash' rehearsal tape, one's a brand new track and the last is a cover of Bathory's 'The Reutrn of Darkness And Evil'. The tape starts out with the brand new song 'Prepare To Die'. It just slays. Pure killer thrash! The chorus is just great. The next 3 tracks are from the rehearsal. 'Bestial Warlust' being one of my favourites. It's intro is classic. Lastly is the Bathory cover. It's very well done. The vocals of Doomy G. give it the Sauron charm. Just like the amazing rehearsal tape, Sauron's demo tape states on it's cover "RAW FUCKING THRASH" and "All fuck ups included!" Which just adds to the magic of Sauron. For those of you who don't you this band, it's a thrash band from the U.S, that plays thrash...German style. Totally old-school metal...unpolished, uncensored, in your face...just the way metal should be played! There aren't many bands out there doing what Sauron does. For more info check out: www.sauron666.cjb.net
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