I,Assassin are a 4-piece heavy rock outfit from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, forming in 2016 from the ashes of two ill-fated bands. The band is the “coming together of four distinctly different individuals unified under a single vision,” and that is to create and perform outstanding and infectious original rock music. They perform whenever and wherever they can until either, and in their words, “the wheels fall off or they achieve world domination!”

With an old-school classic rocker on guitar, a hair metalist on bass, a pop-punk drummer and a metalcore singer, and influences so broad and diverse, it’s impossible to pinpoint their sound (which, to me, is always a good thing!) but they guarantee it “will be loud, it will be fast, and it will leave you with a grin from ear to ear.”

After perfecting their undefinable sound, they made their live debut in March 2017, to instant praise and acclaim, and a strong debut year followed. They performed as finalists in both the Metallum and Soundwaves competitions, and played numerous blistering headlining shows across the West Midlands, building themselves a name as one of the best live unsigned bands in the country.

This EP is a sonic juggernaut, full of big riffs, soaring choruses and a fist pumping drive, and their diversity is definitely one of their strengths. From the groove and presence of opening track ‘Survival’, to the fast and frantic ‘The Horde’, to the classic rock ballad of ‘Another Feeling’ and, finally, to the dynamic closer ‘Anthem’ this EP has a little bit of everything. ‘The Horde’ has been played on BBC Radio, and they have also been interviewed on BBC Radio in Shropshire.

I really did like this EP. At four tracks long and lasting just over nineteen minutes, it packs a lot into such a short space of time. The guitars are heavy yet melodic and the singers voice is actually quite unique. There is a bit of a drone to it that gives the lyrics personality and, mixed with the growls that sneak in every now and then, it makes for some powerful stuff.

As previously mentioned, each track on this EP is different from the last and this is where the band’s diversity shines through. They can write and perform a power ballad magnificently, yet at the same time produce a balls in your face metal track.

I hope the appeal of this band starts to spread further afield than the West Midlands as I would love to see them perform in London or the surrounding area sometime soon.

Keep up the good work boys! Next stop, an album??

TRACKLISTING

1 Survival

2 The Horde

3 Another Feeling

4 Anthem

First published on Ever Metal