Time Signature When bands are reformed...

Genre: death metal

Death metal veteran outfit Centinex was formed back in 1990 and thus part of the more brutal first wave of Swedish death metal which would eventually be supplanted by the more melodic type of death metal with which Sweden is associated today. After 16 years, the band folded in 2006, but reformed earlier this year.

And, lo and behold, they already released their comeback in the form of "Redeeming Filth" in November this year. From beginning to end, the album is no-nonsense brutal old school Swedish death metal, driven by brutal riffs, guttural vocals, and double bass drums. Fast and aggressive stuff is combined with passages, and, true to the Stockholmer death metal style of the 1990s, there are also some crust-inspired tracks, such as the d-beating 'Death Glance'.

The production is bottom-heavy, but much more well-defined than much 1990s death metal. Obviously, this sort of production supports the aggressive and brutal music very well. The songwriting and musicianship documented on this album are both solid. This is riff-driven old school death metal, so don't expect fancy technical modern stuff. This is death metal brutality in the original sense of the term.

Fans of old school death metal must not miss out on this one!