Mission In Black is a melodic thrash metal band from Germany formed in 2010 by drummer Andy Black and guitarist Daniel Tschoepe. The band released their debut E.P. ‘Black Infect’ in 2012 and its debut full-length album ‘Anthems Of A Dying Breed’ in 2018. The sophomore album ‘Profit Reigns Supreme’ was released in 2023…
…and is a fierce combination of thrash, melodic death, and traditional heavy metal! The band have described their new album as a blend of In Flames and Kreator with female vocals and growls – a sentiment I agree with one hundred percent!
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The band are in devastating form, storming through the ten songs on offer in a little under forty-five minutes! Opening with the (album’s) title song ‘Profit Reigns Supreme’, Mission In Black is immediately storming through territory owned by melodic death metal superstars Arch Enemy, pummelling the senses with an unwavering amount of aggression and menace! The pace of ‘Profit Reigns Supreme’ (the song) is incredible, the growls, howls and clean vocals of lead singer Steffi Stuber are simply phenomenal. What a vocal range!
And what an opening salvo! The album moves on with the much more savage ‘What Does It Take To Be Alive’, the speed and heaviness simply superb. Yet the chorus break is the cleanest vocal performance of either opening song, featuring the infectious and melodious feel of traditional heavy metal.
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Mission In Black has amazed me across the album’s first two songs – and I feel it won’t be the last time either! ‘Patron Of The Downfall’ takes a more menacing path, pounding the ground hard, and shaking buildings to their foundations. The band’s own assessment of their sound as a blend of In Flames and Kreator – spot on! And then some! German thrash has always been harsher and more brutal than either the American or British variants, with Mission In Black displaying plenty to comfortably be mentioned in the same breath as the pioneering “Teutonic Four”. Maintaining a high level of menace, the band stomped on with ‘Dead Alive’, and an air of ‘South Of Heaven’ era Slayer – the band switching pace and tempo, ferociously clouting listeners round the ear with savage intent!
And I haven’t even mentioned the aggression level yet! Mission In Black blending aggression, menace, brutality, and savagery to a perfect consistency! Add an immense level of melodic heavy metal melded with thrash, and there you have the signature sound of the band. A sound that is simply breathtaking – the pace of ‘The Darkness Within’ taking breaths away within an instant of exploding into life. The howls and growls seem much deeper, darker and harsher than heard anywhere else so far – just how aggressive can the band go? A lot more me believes, but just for a minute, the band go all mellow and serene for the one-minute instrumental ‘Silence Of A Distant Sky’, acting as an atmospheric crescendo build up to ‘This Curse’ – a barnstorming barrage of bludgeoning thrash metal fury! The vocal range is as expansive as ever, the metal music a savage foray that cuts and slices with incredible precision. To say the sweet spot has constantly been hit is an understatement, the repeated accuracy is overwhelming, sending endless orgasmic shivers throughout the body from head to foot and other areas right in the middle!
Simply breathless stuff – the album storming on with the fast-paced and furious ‘Dreamcatcher’, swinging from an all-out thrash metal attack to a melodic heavy metal swagger. The band, maintaining their immense desire to amaze, thrill and excite, grabbed my attention right from the off and never let go – keeping me in a tight vice-like grip! A grip that I’m happy to be in, especially when the metal music on offer is this fucking fantastic! And it ain’t over yet! There are still two songs left to go – the first of which, ‘Kill Your Idols’, turn up the heat, scorching the earth with savage intent, leaving only smoke and desolation in its wake. I can’t stress enough how brutally aggressive ‘Profit Reigns Supreme’ (the album) has been, the band a menacing, in-your-face, and aggression fuelled outfit. The final song, ‘A Glimmer Of Hope’, brings the album to a close with the musical backdrop to a warm down from a vigorous workout – the reined-in aggression bursting to be let free! But the band manage to defiantly hold it in!
Overall, a brutally aggressive rampage of all-out ferocity, Mission In Black bludgeons listeners with immense savagery.
TRACKLIST
Profit Reigns Supreme
What Does It Take To Be Alive
Patron Of The Downfall
Dead Alive
The Darkness Within
Silence Of A Distant Sky
This Curse
Dreamcatcher
Kill Your Idols
A Glimmer Of Hope
Mission In Black: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: El Puerto Records
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
