Review by Greg on February 11, 2024.

Spanning more than two decades by now, thrash metal's rebirth is going strong year after year, with young (and less young) metalheads around the world not showing any signs of getting tired of it. Among the countless twists to the original formula that have surfaced so far, opposed to the most original and ambitious efforts are many others which are simply redundant, and wouldn't have added anything new even twenty-something years earlier. Somewhere in the middle lies Dying World, the latest instalment by German act Full Assault.

So, by 2024, it's hard to write about an album that doesn't 'exceed' or surprise in any aspect whatsoever. I also seem to attract a lot of new bands jumping on the modern-day Kreator bandwagon recently. Dying World is, for now, the latest entry in that list. Axeman Fränk the Tänk doesn't shine as an extremely technical player, but sure took his time to adorn each of the nine tracks with little melodic touches and lead lines here and there. You can pick out any song to verify, although 'Edge Of A Collapse' is where the dude takes it one step further, with the riffing that could be compared to something like Killswitch Engage's thrashiest moments. Said comparison, luckily, doesn't extend to the vocals, where frontman Robsess remains firmly within national borders, especially recalling Pessimist's Michael "TZ" Schweitzer at these ears. Elsewhere, the more traditional opener 'Final Dawn Of Light' and 'Signs Of The End', along with the slower, but super effective 'Vengeance...Victory', complete an honestly successful first stint.

Central track 'All Hope Is Gone' is where some cracks start to show. To clarify, the track itself is probably the best 'pure' thrasher to be found on Dying World, but it's also notable for its awkward – or should I say, non-existent – transitions. Seriously, the whole thing feels so clunky it's hard to believe. Nevertheless, the song isn't a complete watershed as much as it's, most likely, the point where you'll notice how the recipe doesn't radically change throughout the tracklist. There aren't any flat-out 'bad' tracks, and 'Planet Grave' stands out a bit with its speedier character and spot-on melodic ending – it's just that I can't listen to, say, 'Apocalyptic World' without thinking that 'Edge Of A Collapse' did the same things six tracks earlier. 'Piece Of Cloth' attempts an epic closer, but it's hardly a surprise at this point, after having tried to shoehorn a solemn refrain in every track prior to it.

Nonetheless, I did not get the Fueled By Fire/Merciless Death copycat I was expecting from a moniker like Full Assault, so I guess I've been somewhat surprised, after all. I've mentioned Pessimist above and I'm tempted to say Dying World is more or less at the level of their latest "Holdout", arguably lacking a must-hear track like 'Landsknecht' was, as well as any kind of overt Sodom influences, but making up for it with consistency and a more than solid first half. Good for what it is, but you can live without it.

Also, if you dig this, you might want to check out "Martyr" from Luxembourgish neighbours Scarlet Anger.

Rating: 7 out of 10