ASSASSIN - Interstellar Experience LP HRR 900LP, 180g black vinyl, transparent piss yellow vinyl (ltd 400), transparent clear/ blue galaxy vinyl (ltd 200, HRR mailorder exclusive), lyric sheet + 4 pages insert printed on uncoated paper, poster, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover Robert Gonnella - vocals Dinko Vekic - guitars Michael Hoffmann - guitars Markus Ludwig - bass Frank Nellen - drums 01 Abstract War 02 AGD 03 A Message to Survive 04 Pipeline 05 Resolution 588 06 Junk Food 07 Interstellar Experience 08 Baka 09 Strange World April 26th

Mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels ... ETERNAL TEUTONIC THRASH METAL CULT GEM. It would be remiss not to reissue Assassin’s second full-length Interstellar Experience (1988) together with their debut The Upcoming Terror because in tandem, they give a condensed impression of how fast the initial German thrash metal scene developed in the second half of the 1980s. With talented drummer Frank Nellen freshly behind the kit and guitarist Scholli being replaced by Michael Hoffmann, who had been in the band early on when it was still called Satanica, the Düsseldorf-based musicians set about writing new material, baptized the line-up on stage and changed management, all the while maintaining focus to build upon their critically acclaimed first efforts. When it came to tracking their latest songs, Assassin travelled to Music Lab Studios in West-Berlin to work under the aegis of legendary producer Harris Johns (Kreator, Voivod…), who supported the five-piece during the creation of what would become one of Teutonic thrash metal’s quintessential albums. Even Scholli, who was absent at the time and is now the last veteran member in the group, can’t help but marvel at their achievement. “It was super aggressive, like I wish our first album would have sounded”, he says. “To me, the opener ‘Abstract War’ is the best track due to its cool riffing and wicked drum beat. I also like the compact ‘Baka’ and the short cover ‘Pipeline’, a surf rock instrumental by The Chantays.” Elsewhere on Interstellar Experience, we have ‘AGD’, which saw members from Kreator, Destruction, Sodom and Deathrow dropping by during recordings to contribute, the equally fun ‘Junk Food’ and the original bonus track ‘Strange World’, which is now also part of High Roller’s brand-new CD and vinyl reissues. “I’d never have thought that both albums would have such an impact on the international metal community,” admits Scholli, who worked diligently on the new editions with the label to faithfully pay homage to an irretrievable era and spirit. After the album release back in the day, the band went on tour with Death Angel and Rumble Militia before starting to work on a tentative third LP. Yet with co-founder/guitarist Dinko leaving and the band’s equipment being stolen from their rehearsal space, Assassin called it quits in 1989 – reuniting in 2002 and having been a mainstay within the scene ever since. Andreas Schiffmann