ASSASSIN
JOACHIM KREMER
Assassin was formed in 1982 in Düsseldorf, Germany, Originally the band called themselves Satanica. But a year later they changed the name to Assassin and started to record a few demo tapes. In 1987 Assassin released their debut "The Upcoming Terror" on Steamhammer. It was an instant success and in 1988 Assassin released their second album "Interstellar Experience". After that the band broke up and Michael Hoffman joined Sodom. But in 2002 the band decided to reform and The Club was released in 2005 and in 2011 their latest album "Breaking the Silence" was released. I have spoken to Assassin's bassist Joachim Kremer.
We can begin with a small presentation of Assassin...
Hey, Jim! I'm Joachim, the bass player from Assassin. Assassin is a German Thrash Metal band from Düsseldorf founded in 1982 by Markus “Lullu” Liudwig and Michael Hoffmann.
How did you get in contact with Steamhammer?
Steamhammer/SPV is the record company that released the first two albums of the band. The band split up after the second album and refounded in 2002. After Assassin got together again, we were searching for a record deal and Steamhammer/SPV were interested to work with us.
Did your first two albums sell well?
Yes :-)
I'm a big fan of "The Upcoming Terror"-album. Was it an instant success? and what do you think of it in retrospect?
The “Upcoming Terror” was very successful for Assassin, of course. With other bands like Kreator or Sodom it was one of the first Thrash Metal records ever made in Germany. It was pioneer work, so to say.
Michael Hoffman left for Sodom, was that the reason you disbanded?
No, not at all. After the “Interstellar Experience” release the band got some internal problems and couldn't find a way for a third album. After the break up Michael got the offer to join Sodom.
I've read that your equipment got stolen? Can you tell us about what happened?
There is nothing much to tell about. Some motherfucker got into the rehearsal room and stole the whole equipment, amps, guitars, cabinets, and so on. As I told you the band had some internal problems already and this robbery was the dead shot for the band and one last reason to split up. Last not least they never found the guy who stole the shit.
When people speak about german thrash they almost always mention the three giants: Kreator, Destruction and Sodom. Do you think it's unfair that Assassin often is placed in their shadows?
I have the impression that Assassin is a bit underestimated in case of songwriting and presentation. But I'm not jealous of bands like Kreator or Sodom. 'Till nowadays we are close friends to Tom Angelripper, Bernie and Mille and have a regular contact.
You have released two albums since your comeback in 2002, "The Club" (2005) and "Breaking the Silence" (2011). How has they been received by the media and fans?
“The Club” was more like a try out for the band after they got together again. After the reformation Assassin was searching for an own style of music again; It's like losing your voice for ten years and now you have to learn to speak again. You got me?
“The Club” took some attention of fans and industry but it wasn't that successful the band expected it. After this experience Assassin concentrated on Thrash Metal music again and with “Breaking the Silence” they released a “back to the roots” album.
And fans and press regarded it as a good Thrash Metal album. In Chile we went number one in the metal charts with it, for example.
Is there any plans for a new Assassin-album?
For sure! We are now writing new material and we will release a new album in the end of the year.
Assassin's longtime vocalist Robert Gonnella recently left the band. Why did he leave? Have you found his replacement?
Robert left the band because of a different point of view how to make new songs and to work on it. He wasn't very satisfied with this situation. After he left Assassin the rest of the band had a meeting to decide what to do. “Should we stay or should we go?”, so to say :-)
After some time and a couple of auditions Crowzak came along. And what can I say? It was like “veni, vidi, vici”! We played a couple of songs and he sang his ass off! Crowzak is the kind of musician in attitude and personality Assassin needs for making a new album, dude!
Has there been any doubt whether Assassin should continue as a band now when Robert has left the band?
No, not really. Of course the rest of the band had a meeting and of course we were thinking about the opportunity to stop. But all the four of us decided to go on. It's not over 'till it's over!
What bands had the biggest influence Assassin's sound?
There are too many to number! Michael is a big fan of Slayer, Scholli prefers Venom and both of them are a big influence for Assassin. Crowzak is a big fan of Pantera and Crowbar and I like Exodus. I even took some ideas of Tom Waits and his guitarist Marc Ribot on “Breaking the Silence”.
What's the highlight of your career?
After the reformation of Assassin we got the chance to play worldwide, like in Asia or South-America, for example. This was a big chance for the band and privilege I'm deeply thankful for.
What's your plans for the near future?
We are going to release a new album this year. After the release we will be on tour again. We got some offers in Germany and South-America but it's too early to speak in details about it. But we will keep you up to date!
Last not least we are working together with Thomas Berger. He is making a film about the German metal scene called “Metal made in Germany” and Assassin is a part of it. Some interviews and photos are on facebook already. So take a look!
Have you got any funny story to tell, if anything weird has happened while touring or so?
Of course! Santiago de Chile was a funny show. While Burn was playing his drum solo I went into the audience to find a girl who come up on stage to play the floor tom to join Burn's solo; I found a victim and before I gave her the sticks to play, I fell down on my knees in front of her and started to lick her all over. After this ceremony I gave her the sticks to play while standing close behind her. After a while she stopped playing and started to touch me on my back and my ass. She was really crazy!
After this part of the show the audience was really freaking out! I remember a girl jumping up on stage just to give Robert a french kiss!
Any last words for our readers?
First of all thank you for the interview. And to all you metal heads out there: thanks for all the support you are giving. We are nothing without you!
By/ Ruthless
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