J-Man Despite being formed as early as 2003, it wasn't until 2013 that Italian melodic death metal act Kruna unleashed their debut full-length observation. Entitled Last Century, the band's entrance statement is a groovy and thrash-influenced take on the genre that is likely to appeal to fans of extreme metal with a strong modern touch. Kruna doesn't do anything tremendously noteworthy on Last Century, but they offer up a very competent and well-executed debut for sure.

The music here strikes me as somewhere between At the Gates, Killswitch Engage, In Flames, and The Haunted; as such, Last Century isn't too dissimilar from most modern melodic death/thrash metal (with a hint of metalcore), but Kruna does a solid job making their debut an enjoyable one. The musicianship here is held to a very high standard, and Aaron Sabadin's drumwork is particularly impressive - his intricate playing really grabs my attention! Last Century is also a well-produced album, with every instrument sounding clear in the balanced and crisp mix.

As 'technically' impressive as Last Century is, though, it doesn't do quite enough set it apart from other bands playing this style. Kruna plays it somewhat safe here, and although the compositions are solid throughout, they rarely reach into excellent territory (with the notable exception being "Death By War" - I really dig the classic metal influence here!). Last Century isn't a bad debut by any means, and fans of melodic death/thrash metal won't regret hearing it, but I wouldn't put it among the elite albums in this style.