When I heard for the first time the debut of the German ASSASSIN they sound so heavy and at the same time precise that I could not imagine them as smiling partygoers as it seems they are. I thought that they mainly disembowel their friends and relatives. Oh, there were romantic times…

There were lots of obstacles in front of the band during the years. The reformation of the band was hard and somehow slow. Now is released their first DVD which contains its whole history.  And although shots from their early concerts are missing the DVD succeeds to cover the story of ASSASSIN.

The project presenting the life of the band required long-term hard work. The basis of the story is a frank conversation with the five musicians who are in the actual line up of ASSASSIN. The staging initiates in the DVD and enriches the story making it close to the historical films. Various interviews and statements of all the x-members of the band, friends, roadies, producers and other people close to the history of the band are included. In the first disk are melted cadres from a gig on 27.03.2010 in Osaka, Japan. Everything is mixed in a way that the story flows easily thru the history, thru the albums and the lyrics and creates a well-arranged picture. This precise order is made with the vision inside that only the boys could make. You will understand what was the place of ASSASSIN at the stage of the 80es and the 90es, and also what continues to connect them with SODOM, WARLOCK and lots of other bands.

The love toward everything they passed thru inspired everyone in the project to make a detailed dissection of the events which are not so remarkable. For people who are not maniacs on the topic of ASSASSIN some scenes might be boring. But the fresh variableness and the skillful combination of cadres makes the story exclusive.

The second disk of the DVD includes the whole concert on 27.03.2010 and three bonus tracks from the band’s presentation on the next day also in OSAKA. The club performance of the Germans is not spectacular or titanic. The Japanese club is not big. This is evidence that is frank in the thrash manner which documented the band in the evening of the release of “Breaking the Silence” (2011).

I cannot remember other music DVD which is created in this NG approach. In all the statements of witnesses there is no even a particle of powder. We can find a lot about the inspiration and the devotion but there are no pretensions for significance and contribution! But the boys from ASSASSIN could be presented on the background of birth pains of death metal as well as among the patterns of the late thrash from the new millennium.  The obstacles they passed do not lower their contribution to the development of metal. This lack of megalomaniac declarations is in unison with their live thrash presentation. Maybe because of this and because of the misunderstanding by some fans the period “The Club” remains in the shadows. Besides the fact that this DVD is an interesting document I can say for sure that it will bring a lot of ennobling light for the fans of the band. Indeed it is an exceptional achievement.

But I postponed the big “However!”… After the hard work on the arranging of the cadres they should make subtitles on this German language art. This act is made in so unprofessional way that woke up my interest toward the producers of the release... The placing of long passages on the whole screen and their disproportionate timing, and the reckless characters would force every spectator who does not know German to use the pause every minute if he wants to catch the point. It is obvious that someone unprofessionally made the subtitles.

When you put the titanic name of Harris Johns in the category audio-mix it will be a crime not to master a double DVD in the proper way. The levels of sound gravitate around 0 dB and if you need the concert to burst our loudly you will have to buy a little bit more serious technique for this. It is clear that many people put their efforts for the existence of this release. But a serious label should spend recourses if not in producer then at least in the control of the quality of the final product!

“Chaos and Live Shots“ turns into exceptional DVD at the background of the chronicle of the crisis in the music (and not only) business. Because of this the release looses a bit from its rating. Its re-release will be with serious corrections. And ASSASSIN continues to be at the top of their strength swimming against the stream.