Hardcore thrashers insisting that Assassin´s two early demos were superior to the re-recordings of the very same songs that ended up on the band´s debut album The Upcoming Terror might have a point. When the first tape Holy Terror started to circulate at the beginning of 1986, it not only put Düsseldorf on the map of German extreme metal but was also an instant classic of Teutonic steel because the quintet married instinctive ferocity with an already impressive degree of musicality. Still rough around the edges for all their palpable ambition, the tunes – the catchy title track, band anthem ‘Assassin’ and the surprisingly colourful instrumental ‘ Speed of Light’ amongst them – were recorded in 1985 in their rehearsal space with just one microphone. Listening to this stuff now, it´s astounding just how well it has aged in comparison to the dilettantish initial steps of some of Assassin´s peers, most of which became significantly more popular.