Though Germany’s Full Assault has been around for over fifteen years, I’ve never heard of them. I was even surprised they’ve never been reviewed before in these halls. But that might be the lack of a label—until now. Their Iron Shields debut, Dying World, arrives with neothrash tendencies that combine a Crisix-like vocal approach with At the Gates thrashery. Standing as their third full-length release, Dying World comes seven years after their last (and undoubtedly best) album, War Blooded. Though their debut record, Forgotten Blood Tales, had some highlights, its successor is far superior in every way. While you won’t find anything new that hasn’t been done before, this three-piece outfit was firing on all cylinders when they recorded that album. They even evolved their sound from unhinged bruisers, like “Unleashed Warbeast,” to Amon Amarthy melodic numbers, like “City of No Hope.” And now the band pushes farther into those melodic influences with this new record.
How far they go and how far it’ll take them probably depends on the listener. Fans of the band will find some differences between Dying World and their last album. While War Blooded had inklings of that melodeath sound, this new record goes all in. While still invoking the spirit of old-school At the Gates, the band even adds some of the melodies of Kreator to the mix. The result is a combination of overly technical thrash licks and dramatic choruses. At times, the band even extends their song lengths beyond what’s typical for them to capture (if anything) the grandioseness of their melodic builds. Other times, it feels like they aren’t quite up to the challenge, slowing songs down that would otherwise be shredders. It’s an odd conglomeration that will either be adored by their fanbase or left by the wayside.
“Edge of a Collapse” is one of the better tracks on the album, tearing its way through a killer riff while borrowing its melodic qualities from the likes of Trivium and Kreator. The fitting solo at the halfway point does wonders for the song, enhancing the emotion as it soars to its conclusion. Its only real flaw is that it overstays its welcome just a little bit. “All Hope Is Gone” is another that shares some similarities to Kreator, particularly in its mighty chorus. It has great energy, and even when it stops to let the drums set up the next phase of the song, the harmonizing guitar leads and soaring solo bring it back into action.
The opener, “Final Dawn of Light,” is one of those songs that struggles to keep pace. After the almost Viking-like introduction, the intricate riffage fights and struggles to get rolling. More than on previous albums, the vocals have a sharper, Crisix-like edge that swings from one ear to the other during the chorus. And, like most of the songs on the album, there’s a dramatic turn after the midpoint, chugging its way back to life until it closes with the chorus. “Signs of the End” also struggles to keep pace. While the melodic riffage is beefy and the guitars alternate between ripping thrash licks and old-school Metallica sustains, the drums do very little to add to the charge. Well, other than just being there as a really loud metronome.
While there’s some great stuff on Dying World, and impressive guitar work, the album drags on too long. This is not helped by songs like “Planet Grave” and “Piece of Cloth.” While the fretwork in the first is badass, it transitions to a pointless bass lead and these annoying fade-ins and fade-outs before finally ending a minute too late. “Piece of Cloth,” on the other hand, never gets going in the first place. Instead, it drawls on and on, ending the album on a low point. Though Dying World isn’t a disappointment in Full Assault standards, it’s not at the same level of hookiness as its predecessor. That said, if you like the namedrops in this review, there’s potential you might enjoy Dying World. For me, I’ll stick with the slick and snappy War Blooded.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Iron Shield Records
Websites: fullassault.bandcamp.com1 | facebook.com/fullassaultofficial
Releases Worldwide: February 9th, 2024
