During the first wave of thrash, German four-piece Accuser enjoyed a robust decade of destruction. After imploding in 1996, they returned for a second bite of the cherry in 2008 and over the past few years have delivered a fistful of tasty sonic treats that rival their well-thought-of early material. Latest opus The Mastery resolutely sticks to an ‘If it ain’t broke’ ethos and is a potent, if predictable, 10 tracks of technical thrash. A bit like the bastard son of their classic 1989-released, benchmark-setting Who Dominates Who? and 1992’s crushing Repent, their third album since their reunion has plenty of shredding solos courtesy of relative new recruit Dennis Rybakowski to please the faithful, not least Solace In Sorrow and Mission Missile. The fiendishly catchy The Real World is their finest moment and the primal, pummelling number could be a crossover hit.
Accuser - The Mastery album review
Veteran Teutonic thrashers keep their blades sharp
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
More about metal hammer
“The one core thing about metal is that rebellious nature. You’re allowed to be yourself no matter what side of the spectrum you are”: How Halestorm went from teenage rockers to globe-conquering metal stars
“Once you heard death metal, there was no turning back. Thrash was out of the window. It seemed silly, music for wimps”: The chaotic story of Nihilist, Unleashed, Entombed and the bloody birth of Swedish death metal
