The new Assumption record is called “Paradox of the Arrow,” a philosophy I’ve always found a little strange and overexplanatory. I’m glad I got that off my chest because it bothers me, and it’s why I didn’t get as much out of my philosophy classes, and yes, I am the problem here and not the band or anyone else. My brain makes no sense either.
That said, like most Assumption records, this thing immediately captures the imagination, and yes, I see how the concept works with their music as they can trick your mind into how they got from point A to B, and your terrain after can seem different than initially perceived. It’s a reason I’ve followed their music as the band—vocalist/guitarist/synth player Giorgio Trombino, guitarist Matija Dolinar, bassist Claudio Troise, drummer David Lucido—pours their darkness and emotion over six tracks and 41 minutes on their luring third record. They seem heavy and hulking but weightless and locked into a strange dreamscape that you’re surprised to find has enveloped from moment one.
The title track opens, dripping through the fog, blistering as the growls bury, guitars lighting the way, ensnaring with misery, detached calls chilling before beastly tendencies sprawl. Guitars boil as dizzying playing makes the room spin, trudging and slowly slithering to a cold ending. “A Labyrinth in Ruin” has guitars scuffing and charring, growls hulking, heavy snarling working down your spine. Growls gurgle as the mists intensify, the guitars release exhaust, and a hypnotic gush fills your senses. Leads ignite as the playing bruises, atmospheric melodies flood, and the last shots ricochet. “Tombs Upon the Sun” crawls through a heavy murk, guitars chug and hammer, and the growls bury, stinging with thrashiness. Guitars bubble as the storm gains steam, Trombino repeats the title, and ashen chaos erupts, rubbery leads bending corners, the bass chugging and mauling.
“Southwards Our Spirits Shall Forever Drift” is clean and eerie when it enters, the moodiness spreading as the pace drubs, growls retching as the playing warps. The playing slithers and pounds as the leads go off, finger tapped guitar work bristling, strange speaking chilling as the playing ravages. “Selenite” starts with guitars lighting wicks, smoking as the pace twists brains, the smoke spreading as things take on a mystical feel. Leads slink as wordless calls chill, a sullen sky darkening as the growls choke. The playing unloads as the growls thicken and smear, and the final moments burn away. Closer “Vrykolakes” melts with trickling guitars, a chugging pace, and cold, frosty melodies icing muscles. The growls explode as the playing combusts, spewing smoke and agony, the guitars cascading and tingling. The pace storms harder as the leads rush, everything disappearing into a cosmic glaze.
Assumption’s thick, bruising doom captivates and flattens on “Paradox of the Arrow,” a weighty creation that blackens hearts. Power that might seem motionless actually does ample damage to your psyche and body, putting you through the ringer but also amplifying your emotions. This is dark and foreboding but also weirdly spacious, an album that sticks with you long after the music stops.
For more on the band, go here: https://assumption.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/assumption
For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/
