Apocalypse Rider Mike LePond's Silent Assassins

The new project from Symphony X bassist Mike LePond, Silent Assassins is a beautiful throwback to the heroic metal albums of the eighties, drawing upon a wide range of influences from Judas Priest and Iron Maiden to Dio and Black Sabbath. Featuring an assembled cast of virtuoso musicians, Silent Assassins features Alan Tecchio (Watchtower, Hades, Non-fiction) on vocals, Metal Mike (Halford, Testament) on lead guitar and Michael Romeo (Symphony X) also on lead guitar as well as keyboards and drum programming. Together, Silent Assassins pay tribute to the genre of heavy metal, bringing together myriad influences to deliver an album that combines a thoroughly modern sound with all the power and passion of traditional heavy metal, making the album something of an essential listen for metal heads everywhere. All too often the role of bassist is overlooked in metal bands, despite the fact that a bassist can effectively make or break a band’s sound. There are, of course, celebrated bassists such as John Myung (Dream Theater) or Steve Harris who have done much to bring the oft-ignored musicality of the instrument to the fore, and to their ranks we can add Mike LePond for, whilst opening track ‘apocalypse rider’ is led by a turbo-charged riff that sounds like a cross between Iron Maiden and ‘kill ‘em all’-era Metallica, it is impossible to ignore the thunderous bass which underpins the track with deadly accuracy. However, whilst the gruelling riff may be the opening barrage that signals the start of the battle, the secret weapon which is set to end it is Alan Tecchio’s heroic vocal assault which soars from the heart of the mix. It’s the sort of life-affirming metal assault that sets the blood pumping and there’s no doubting the adrenalin rush that greets the song’s huge chorus and wild bouts of soloing. With such an impressive start there’s always the worry that the quality could dip, but Mike LePond has no such intention and ‘Red Death’ kicks off with a Moroccan feel that recalls the wild flights of fancy of Page and Plant’s epic ‘unledded’ album before building into a restless charge filled with all the blood and thunder you could wish for. Moving into Baroque territory, ‘the quest’ is the sort of bold, fantasy-fuelled metal you might expect from Manowar or Maiden at their most epic, with Mike’s stunning bass work leading a charge into the valley of death as riffs combine from the left and right, flanking Alan’s fearsome war cry. With a melody that is as irresistible as the riffs are huge, ‘the quest’ is a seven-minute monster that will have you leaping from your seat in excitement. With a remarkable bass solo leading the way, ‘the outsider’ is a direct metal assault that serves to leave the listener breathless. Whether it be the brutal precision of the drums, Alan’s raw, rage-fuelled vocal or the dextrous guitar riffs, ‘the outsider’ is a monster. Not to be outdone, ‘’Masada’ may dispense with the ferocious riffing, but where it tones down the metal, i