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ACCU§ER
The Mastery

Metal Blade (2018)
Rating: 8/10

Arguably one of metal’s most underrated yet prolific bands, German thrash act Accu§er has been toiling away since the 80s and The Mastery is the 11th release from the combo.

Over the decades, Accu§er has only slightly drifted in its style, often churning out heavy thrash grooves, and so this latest effort is not going to disappoint those who’ve become familiar with the band’s output, and certainly those albums issued over recent years in the form of Diabolic (2013) and The Forlorn Divide (2016).

Accu§er have come a long way since the speedy outburst of their 1987 debut The Conviction, which, through all its nifty thrash prowess, seems a lifetime away. But fair play to these thrash masters, they’ve kept a solid backbone reliant on Frank Thoms’ biting snaps and his own weighty guitar rhythms, which over the last few years have been infected with the sizzling strands of Dennis Rybakowski’s leads.

This fearsome collaboration is immediate from the raging opener ‘Mission: Missile’; a steady wave of crushing thrash with groove based riffage and a hammering drum courtesy of Olli Fechner, who, alongside bassist Frank Kimpel, has been with the band since the 00s when Accu§er flirted under the Scartribe moniker.

And so, as the album lurches into motion, we find ourselves swept up by a thrust of well-produced thrash certainly more suited to the modern climate, except that the combo have all the experience and quality necessary to remove themselves from the pack of sound-alikes.

‘The Real World’ comes simmering from the depths before a steady chugging fizz moves in; it’s very much killer groove metal that Machine Head could certainly learn a lesson from if anyone has heard their latest travesty. Again Thoms’ vocal spit is a rabid, phlegm-fuelled expression of muscular angst as the band marches into a stable mid-tempo persistency that wouldn’t seem to out of place on a mid 90s Pantera or Sepultura opus.

‘Solace In Sorrow’ brings extra zip as a straight down the line energetic, head-busting thrasher – albeit one that is slightly generic. But then again, we are existing in a world where bands such as Sodom and Destruction have been carving similar niches for what seems like centuries, so it’s no real surprise to hear familiar lashings creep in. However, that doesn’t stop this song, or this platter, from being a crushing, lead weight brain-burster. ‘Solace In Sorrow’ features a killer melody which crawls from the thickening thrash mesh, while ‘Time For Silence’ spouts a fierce menace born from Frank Thom’s volatile spittle. The leads swirl and twirl in majestic fashion, however, unexpectedly spiralling out of the thrashing density.

Other favourites include the slow-building hiss of ‘Catacombs’, which soon becomes one of the fastest slabs on the record; exhibited at breakneck speed as Olli Fechner batters the skins with utmost fury. ‘Into The Black’ is another face-ripping lump of sonic thrash built upon a foundation of destructive riffing, spurted out at such a speed, while the title track brings another thrash masterclass only to add another infectious chug, which hints at a glossier Sodom and throws in a catchy chorus too.

But for me, Accu§er really showcase their talent with the sinister riffage of ‘Mourning’; a rollin’ thunder of density and angst whereby Thoms’ spits are varnished with extra hateful, war-torn coating and the bass clatters like a rocket searing through the night sky.

The only downside, as there is with almost any album, is that some may feel the record offers up all too many generic numbers which seemingly melt into one another. However, there’s still enough speed, weight and aggression here to keep the thrashheads more than happy, and if you’re a fan of the band from any era then I don’t see why this slab shouldn’t fulfil your needs.

Neil Arnold

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