By Jonny Bakes
I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of some of the big names in thrash who have shaped and influenced the metal scene over the past few decades. You’ve got the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Kreator and a whole bunch more who roll off the tongue as soon as anyone mentions thrash metal. One band who arguably deserve to be in the same group as those is Xentrix. Despite receiving a glowing five-star review in the magazine formerly known as ‘Kerrang!’ around their debut, resulting in a signing by Roadrunner Records, I find that their name does not appear on festival lineup requests anywhere nearly as much as it should. Perhaps it’s also my position as an adopted Barrovian that brings me closer to Xentrix too as, despite sources hailing them as originating from Preston, they also have a historical connection to Barrow-in-Furness. But, whatever the reason may be, let’s see if my excitement for the new album ‘Seven Words’ is warranted…
‘Seven Worlds’ is a great example of thrash metal, which can be broadly compared to a mix of Kreator and Metallica’s recent output. It’s a well mastered album that is crisp, clear and with plenty of thrash-fueled energy that is packed to the rafters with serious (head)bangers. You can expect to hear plenty of frantic drumming, epic guitar melodies, aggressive and energetic vocals, and a good handful of focus on bass lines as well. The latter is a great touch and brings back memories of Megadeth’s ‘Rust in Peace’. So I guess you could say that if you took all your (or at least my) favourite elements of thrash and stuck them together in a big old Northern melting pot, ‘Seven Worlds’ would be the resulting output.
Let’s also take a quick look at the artwork because, although you shouldn’t judge an album by its cover, this one is likely to draw you in with its contrasting colours of green and purple and the depiction of a lone man in a gas mask fighting a whole bunch of riot police. The cover paints a pretty aggressive picture, which pairs up well with track titles such as ‘Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead’ and ‘Kill And Protect’ giving a very clear indication of what’s to come.
Standing out as key tracks as I listened through the album are the opening track ‘Behind The Walls Of Treachery’ and the previously mentioned ‘Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead’. Let’s start with the first one though, with an introductory riff that slowly builds in both volume and intensity while the other instruments catch up to further intensify. It’s quite a long build up too so, by the time the brief pause heralds the start of the really thrashy shit, you’re already salivating.
This particular track definitely reminded of some of Metallica’s recent work (particularly the ‘Hardwired…’ album) so it has real familiar feel to it and, if wasn’t for the absence of cries of “yeah-eh”, the average fan could possibly be fooled into thinking this was Metallica. ‘Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead’ has a distinctly gentler start, but this doesn’t last long as you’re quickly returned to thrashy goodness. This track became an effective earworm for me, with just the right combination of simple riffs and a catchy chorus that’ll make it a popular choice at future gigs for sure! Not forgetting that, like every track on the album, this is seriously headbang inducing!
All in all, ‘Seven Words’ is a cracking piece of thrash that firmly belongs alongside the biggest names in the genre. If you like Metallica or Kreator (or both) then there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll like this! And unlike Metallica, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be able to get tickets to see Xentrix without sacrificing your first born child and remortgaging your house to afford it!
- ‘Seven Words’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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