CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - Frontal Assault say "happy birthday" to their drummer, Kyle Templeton, as they release their second EP, "Assisted Beliefs," today. The five tracks span 17 minutes of death metal-infused thrash metal.
From left to right: Will Hall (bass & vocals), Kyle Templeton (drums) and Anthony Thomas (guitars & vocals)
The EP was first announced on Friday, May 1, with the release of the first single, "Assisted Beliefs" (the title track). However, most of the music on the EP has already been played live, especially "Kill Your Local Congressman," which was described by the band in an interview in February as a song that was favored during their live performances.
The band took influence from both new and old bands, including Demolition Hammer, Obituary, Skeletal Remains, Warbringer, early Sepultura and Havok. Other influence came from slasher films from the 1980s as well as politics. The last track even features a recorded interview with infamous serial cannibal Jeffery Dahmer.
According to the band, the recording of the EP was very easy. In fact, it only took one day for them to record the drums.
"It went pretty smooth," said Will Hall, the bassist and a vocalist for Frontal Assault. "It was pretty convenient that we had all this time to do it."
The EP will eventually be printed on CD, but any physical release has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the band, the CD version will also feature two bonus covers. The covers have not been made public at this time.
Artwork by guitarist Anthony Thomas.
"Assisted Beliefs" can be streamed on Spotify.