Assassin's Blade - Gather Darkness

Assassin's Blade

Gather Darkness

by Quinten Serna at 15 October 2019, 9:19 PM

Composed of members from Sweden and Canada ASSASSIN’S BLADE is a Metal act of 5 years who has just released their sophomore album “Gather Darkness”.  Their Modus Operandi is akin to Classical Metal among the likes of JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, and RAINBOW—that classic tone and bite is an unmistakable attribute of the band.

The album starts strong with the song “Tempt Not (The Blade Of The Assassin),” a heavy driven song with snarling dynamic vocals, headbanging drums, and classic guitar riffs. The song exemplifies the memorable nature of the band such that days later I’m still singing along to the memory of the track—the classic tones give strength to the riffs which in turn act as a guide for the song carrying the listener through the different sections of drawn out chords, rhythmic strumming, and tremolo sections. The song ends suddenly on faded vocals paving way for “Call Of The Watch”.  Another classically charged song fills the sonic space bearing an unforgettable chorus; the title track “Gather, Darkness!” follows next.

The album in its entirety is built on classical vibes, tones, and motifs wherein any listener can discern how much care and attention went into construction and engineering. The guitars have a 70s and 80s sound to them both in tone and riff structure. The bass is rich and strong both providing a foundation to each track and an emphasis on each accented note. The drums are relentlessly driven coloring in each track with headbanging strikes. “The Ghost of Orion” is perhaps one of my favorite tracks on the album just for its tone and build alone—the guitars are high and craft the perfect rhythm between the strings and drums and the harmony, the harmony solo paves the way for some killer solos that follow suit.

ASSASSIN’S BLADE is a band which offers a distinct taste for those who long for archaic and forgotten sounds albeit it with a more modern type of production—the band’s reverence for older sounds is easily apparent in every vein of their work shining through with emphasis in every tone, riff, accentuation, and scream. For anybody who themselves grew up in the 70s or 80s or has a penchant for those musical stylings ASSASSIN’S BLADE is as wholesome as they come, whilst still being true to themselves and their shared vision.

Songwriting: 8
Originality: 9
Memorability: 10
Production: 9