Accuser have always had a special place in the metal canon as a band who perfectly represented all that made the later period of German thrash metal so great. Having penned classics like Who Dominates Who the bar is always fairly high when it comes time for a new record from these Teutons. This is a huge part of what made their latest offering, The Mastery so interesting to me, it's a slab of unpretentious, face crushing German thrash metal that perfectly understands the power of the genre whilst simultaneously giving more than a nod to the Bay Area scene.
That's really the thing with the later German thrash bands, the Bay Are influence had sunk in and that made a new space for bands like Accuser to come out and dominate. So here we have come face to face with "OOGH"s reminiscent of Kreator sitting alongside big choruses and solos with all of Kerry Kings trademark bite. Toss in more than a little shredding and you start to see why The Mastery is worth picking up. It's a record that calls up that intensity and forces you to come to terms with the darker and more prominent side of the genre, encouraging us to delve ever deeper into the world of old school thrash.
With more than a little bombast and unafraid to push things over the top, The Mastery makes you want to mosh your fucking face off. There is a sense of swagger on tracks like The Real World that reminds us that these guys are the real deal and have been around the block a time or two. It gives the album a sense of authority you don't get with the younger bands which makes up for its tendency to fall back on tropes. The Mastery is everything you want from an Accuser record in 2018, so sit down and dig in, and try not to get hurt in the pit!
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