EP Review: Asasara - 777
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
I was massively intrigued when I saw this pop up as it combines my two favourite metal genres, stoner and thrash, into one melting pot of noise, aggression and laid-back vibes. I was a bit disappointed when I saw that it was only four songs long, as I wanted something more substantial to get my teeth stuck into but nonetheless, I sat back and had a listen.
The EP from Asasara was released on digital format last November, and it has three original compositions and a reworked traditional Greek song, as the duo from Massachusetts, Niko Galanis on guitar/bass/vocals and Emidio Alexandre on drums, follow up their debut EP, “Sinking” from 2022.
It kicks off with a heavy bass intro and simple drum on “Myself Made Perfect”, with the guitar solo coming in early to dictate the pace of the song. The rhythm flows well and then it gets heavier, a bit more of an old school thrash sound, with the bass high in the mix. It has a mix of an 80’s metal vocal style with hints of melody and this remains the pattern for the rest of the song before a more furious ending.
“The Jaws of Life” again showcases the bass playing skills of Galanis, before the guitar riff kicks in, leading to a more powerful vocal on this track. I like the pace they maintain throughout and it’s clear that they’ve got that thrash style down to a tee, with decent solos and no let-up in the tempo of the music.
What I do like is that they’ve kept the songs a decent length, between three to four minutes, and “Limitless Vision” is the shorter of the originals. It starts at a faster pace, but there’s no screaming style vocal, which can sometimes ruin a thrash song, as the words are audible and pleasing to the ear. It’s my favourite of the three songs and has a nicely controlled solo in the final third of the song, which I find myself nodding along with.
The final track breathes new life into an old Greek song called “The Gambler” and once again shows their versatility, as you can feel the traditional tones aching to come out, but they’ve immersed them into a decent version of an old song. With Emmanuel Thresher of Xenos adding his vocal weight to the final song, it wraps up an interesting EP from the duo, and I’m looking forward to see where they go from here.
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