Xentrix are a thrash metal band from the UK formed in 1988 and is recognised as one of Britain’s finest thrash metal bands – with their first two albums – ‘Shattered Existence’ (1989) and ‘For Whose Advantage?’ (1990) – quintessential listening for anyone researching “British thrash”. Over a hiatus-riddled three-decade career, the band have toured with such luminary thrash bands as Testament, Tankard, Sepultura, Sacred Reich, Sabbat, and Annihilator, – releasing six albums to date…the aforementioned two, along with ‘Kin’ (1992), ‘Scourge’ (1996), ‘Bury The Pain’ (2019), and ‘Seven Words’, released in 2022…
…featuring ten songs over a fast and furious forty-seven minutes, ‘Behind The Walls Of Treachery’ launches the album with a slow burn intro that is menacing and tension fuelled – breaking out into a blistering barrage of brutally melodious thrash metal! Xentrix means business, pounding hard with an intensity that’ll liven up every single mosh pit in the world. The title song ‘Seven Words’ increases the album’s speed, hurtling along at high velocity, taking no fucking prisoners with its devastating intensity. If you’re looking for a thrash album to leave you breathless – this could be it! The opening double salvo has sent out a message of savagery, ferocity, and one hundred percent head-bang ability!
The band cruised on with ‘Spit Coin’ – and a much heavier and menacing attitude than heard so far. Thrash metal foot stomping blended with turns of speed has never sounded so good. Planting one “foot on the monitor”, the album mixes the sound of traditional heavy metal with its thrash metal roots – ‘The Altar Of Nothing’ a barnstorming barrage of both styles! Replete with gear and tempo changes, ‘The Altar Of Nothing’ is gonna attract a very wide range of fans.
Xentrix is one-quarter of the legendary “British Big 4” of thrash – the other three-quarters are made up of Acid Reign, Sabbat, and Onslaught. These four bands placed British thrash metal on the world map, standing shoulder to shoulder with the “Big 4” and “Teutonic 4”. With an almighty and massively dramatic change in feel, ‘Seven Words’ (the album) takes on a highly sinister vibe – ‘Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead’ a mid-tempo thunder stomp of groove thrash. The band is showing their prowess at delivering many different styles of thrash, not just one! The all-out speedy one! The band remain in a menacing mood for ‘Reckless With A Smile’, a ferocious pace-changing rampage that’s going to plant smiles a mile wide on the faces of every listener, fan and follower. What a song! What an album! What a band! Moving forward with pace and power, ‘Ghost Tape Number 10’ is a blistering barrage of head bang-able thrash – the kind of thrash that excites and delights the mosh pits, sending them into an absolute frenzy. Prepare to be jostled and cajoled as metal heads go crazy for a neck-breaking, bone-crunching slab of thrash.
And without dropping the intensity and menace levels, ‘Seven Words’ (the album) races on with the scorching pace of the explosive ‘My War’ – and an influx of aggression higher than heard anywhere else on the album…so far! Xentrix has been an unrelenting roller coaster of a thrash metal machine for many years – with the band showing no signs of slowing down. This is great for the die-hard metallers (like me) who love this style of savage thrash – ‘Kill And Protect’ maintaining the album’s recent explosion of speed. Ferocity plays a huge part in the band’s sound – none more so than with ‘Kill And Protect’, a ferocious tirade that adds touches of brashness and boldness—cracking stuff from the legendary Xentrix, an iconic band in the history of thrash metal. Bringing the album to a close, ‘Anything But The Truth’ is more sinister than any other song on offer – the intro alone is atmospherically chilling and haunting! And then, at one minute thirty seconds, we’re off and running at a comfortably head bang-able pace. The band not letting the intensity drop from start to finish, ‘Seven Words’ (the album) has been a terrific avalanche of thrash.
Overall, a thunderous tirade of thrash metal – intense and savage with a one hundred percent head bang ability.
TRACKLIST
Behind The Walls Of Treachery
Seven Words
Spit Coin
The Alter Of Nothing
Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead
Reckless With A Smile
Ghost Tape Number 10
My War
Kill And Protect
Anything But The Truth
Xentrix: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: Listenable Records
Category: Album
Country: UK
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
