Some bands pass us by which is often a sad state of affairs, but it’s only natural. You might be a massive Black Metal fan but never really got into Immortal and all of that is okay. Music isn’t just about praising the ways of old it’s also about digging underground and finding new and exciting artists. I mean I love Death Metal but honestly I don’t know Morbid Angel’s discography inside out for example, and today’s subjects are no different.
I’ve overlooked this band in the past which is pretty mad considering their underground influence. That band is of course the Swedish Death Metal titans Centinex. Their debut Subconscious Lobotomy despite its shoddy artwork is hailed as a hidden gem. In fact much of their 90’a material is well received. Yet now we come to the bands eleventh full length record ‘Death In Pieces’. As so many bands of this ilk hark back to their glory days can this album be a success?
Swooping classic Death Metal riffs encircle the opening of Only Death Remains. All backed with pounding drums and old school purist vocals, a real throwback to a classic 90s sound whereby Thrash had an important role to play in the genre. Derelict Souls and God Ends Here continue in a similar vein. The later injects some further lyrical memorability giving this record the boost that it needs. Tomb Of The Dead adds to this further, simplistic no frills Death Metal that’s easy to sink your teeth into, is it perfect? No, but it’s good fun.
Into the second half of the album we find Pieces, pieces of filler that is. I joke but the instrumental that is Pieces is just about everything I hate in an ‘interlude’ this album is snappy and doesn’t demand any sort of break. Thankfully Cauterized brings the album back to focus with its knuckle dragging aggression and OSDM flare (by no means a burn to the bands ethos, pun intended). The slower pacing of Sacrifice is an awesome addition, perhaps the best track from the release, memorable in every sense. Doom driven and classic in tone this is a perfect snapshot of what Death Metal is all about and almost gives me Autopsy vibes. The album closes with Skin Turning Grey which kind of follows the same pattern as Sacrifice but with just a touch more ferocity.
So aside from the pointless interlude this album is pretty top notch Death Metal proving that if you stick to your guns your sure to continue with success. I can see fans new and old rejoicing in this album. It proves that Death Metal in all its guises is far from, well, dead. Literally if this album had been unearthed in the 90s then doubtless it would be hailed as a classic, as such it shouldn’t be overlooked now. If you want to get into Centinex then I can’t think of a better opportunity, get cracking!
(8/10 George Caley)
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