In the 32 years of their existence I can honestly say that I have never come across the German Heavy Metal band ASSIGNMENT, hailing from Gütersloh. Which also means that before their 69 minute long current album "With The End Comes Silence" I have never been able to experience the kind of Melodic Metal they play. As this is their sixth try at pleasing and satisfying their audience, I'm at least confident that I'm going to review a very accomplished and confident band. And that is exactly what ASSIGNMENT is treating me to on "With The End Comes Silence".

Musically this is sandwiched between some subtle Melodic Metal and pure unadulterated Heavy Metal. You will hear the band bouncing from one to another and back with great ease, giving the music on "With The End Comes Silence" a versatility that avoids you getting bored in that respect. And as I mentioned, ASSIGNMENT exists of three very experienced and well-versed musicians that know how to use their instruments to their best abilities in order to make the songs sound as good as possible. But then I have to mention singer Diego Valdez. I don't know how I missed his voice before, but he reminds me of two greats in the world of Rock and Metal. He has a bit of Michael Sweet (STRYPER) when he sings low key, but he also has some RONNIE JAMES DIO in him, especially when he gets more intense, when the gravel enters his vocal chords.

What the vocals do is lift the songs on "With The End Comes Silence" higher than you would expect, as you would expect with such a singer. And although there isn't anything bad on this ASSIGNMENT album, neither are their songs that really stand out. Some are rather good, some are okay, but there are also some that I find boring. There is no fire in them. Let there be no mistake, when ASSIGNMENT adds a bit of fire to their music is when they are at their best. That is when you can hear that determination and resolution can make songs sound just that little bit better. If only more songs had those traits. I therefore have to conclude that although the majority of the music on "With The End Comes Silence" is at or above par, the few that aren't bring down the euphoric feeling that I was aiming for.