Could it be that Centinex are back? Why, it certainly seems so. For extreme metal fans of a certain age, Centinex are one of those bands who were a big name in Swedish death metal in and around the nineties, even through to the mid two-thousands, until the band had an implosion. Some of the band members went on to sign the thoroughly and rigorously good outfit, Demonical, and yet – and this had passed me by – Centinex formed again in 2013, with an EP, and this is their most recent release. Time passes you by, eh?
What to say of this most recent release then? Well, in terms of reinvention, don’t expect Centinex to have come up with something that’s really outside the box. There are no jazz / psychedelic breakdowns and other such frippery here; Centinex know what they are good at, and they stick at it. What they are good at is solid, memorable, mid-tempo death metal. Personally, that ticks a whole lot of boxes for me, and I’d much rather listen to a crew that knows how to wring a good tune out of what they know, then an outfit that sacrifices the well-worn path in the pursuit of innovation. From opener “Flesh Passion”, (which, amusingly for my promo-mp3 has the title in all caps; apt), which is a ferocious statement of intent, through to the lumbering closer, “Faceless”, this is an album that has the groove to it.
Now, I know what many of you will be thinking. No, when I mention “groove”, I don’t mean that horrible term that has come to represent a certain stage in mid-2000’s metal, I mean that swing, that indefinable feeling that comes from a finely honed riff in conjunction with an experienced rhythm section. So sure, there isn’t much in the way of blasting here, with the music tending to be comprised more of the good, solid, head-swaying speeds, but that’s all the better for me. I have to say, by the way, that the production is pretty thick; all weighty, chunky guitar tones and tight, martial drumming. The vocals are of the strictly old-school variety too – easily decipherable, with a powerful roar to them. In terms of the songwriting, there’s very little in the way of filler here, and solid ten tracks to fill your ears with. None of the tracks are over the four minute mark, so for those of us who enjoy our extreme metal sharp and to the point, this is an album for you, with a ruthless streak being exhibited in the editing department.
I’ve enjoyed the album for what it is: good, solid, meat-and-potatoes death metal. If you approach this in the same vein, I’m certain that you too will enjoy it. It may not be making it onto my top ten albums of the year list, but by the same token, I’m sure to play it long after I’ve had to review it – and that, dear reader, makes it a treat in and of itself.
(7/10 Chris Davison)
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