Century Media Records

Enforced – War Remains Review

By Holdeneye on April 27, 2023 in Reviews, Hardcore, Thrash Metal, 90 comments

“It’s certainly not unusual for me to field accusations of improper scoring around these parts, but, while I usually stand by my assessment of a record long after the review has come and gone, I’m willing to admit that I do occasionally get things wrong. Case in point: Enforced’s 2021 album, Kill Grid. I was initially enamored by that record’s furious hardcore-tinged thrash, and, at the time, a 4.0/5.0 score was a no-brainer. But the intervening years and my countless returns to the album have revealed an inescapable truth: I should have scored it higher. Needless to say, follow-up War Remains approaches the battlefield facing a nearly invincible host of expectations.” Of war crimes and MOAR crimes.

Predatory Void – Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being Review

By Dear Hollow on April 26, 2023 in Reviews, Post-Metal, Sludge Metal, 19 comments

“Voids are not an uncommon thing to discuss in metal. Somehow putting to music the vastness, the unfathomability, the colossus of nothingness is a feat in and of itself, and many have attempted to bring it to life. It’s the ultimate futility, the great vanity. While many have tried, from the mysterious Prava Kollektiv’s Voidsphere, the Swiss enigma Death. Void. Terror., and the dense death metal of Desolate Shrine or Abyssal, they are mere glimpses of the monument, the perspective of madness. When the cold nothingness attaches to the skull and does not shake, will Predatory Void provide the siren’s song sprinting to the early grave?” When voids attacks.

Record(s) o’ the Month – March 2023

By Angry Metal Guy on April 1, 2023 in Blog Posts, 197 comments

As things have gotten busier and I’ve struggled with a lot of different things, it’s true that there is a burdensome aspect to being the guy who’s always doing the Record(s) o’ the Month. This year, I tried to approach this differently. I intended to use Zadion’s stupid fucking comment as the kind of bulletin board material that keeps motivating a guy to keep playing even when he’s on the verge of retirement due to his bum knee and a skyrocketing K-rate. But the “diabolical façade” cannot march on.

Ov Sulfur – The Burden Ov Faith Review

By Thus Spoke on March 24, 2023 in Reviews, 36 comments

“I’m sure it was cool once, and it can be funny sometimes, but the whole using “v”s instead of “f”s thing is a pet peeve of mine and it really hinders my ability to take a band seriously. I would have been more forgiving had the artwork been less…questionable. As an album that purports to quite seriously tackle the corruptions and injustices of organized religion, one can only hope that the contents of the package are deeper and more rewarding than their wrapper. Ov Sulfur play blackened deathcore that overall reminds me of a less bombastic A Wake in Providence.” Ov gloves ov deathcore.

Night Demon – Outsider Review

By Itchymenace on March 22, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 84 comments

“Ventura, California power trio, Night Demon have been producing quality, workman-like metal for over a decade. Always dependable, they quickly honed their NWoBHM-infused trad metal into bite-sized, three-minute horror-themed nuggets and swaddled them in denim and leather. Their last full album, 2017’s Darkness Remains was a power-packed olde school homage that my brother-in-sump, Eldritch said, “delivers pretty much everything you could want from a traditional heavy record.” After four years, the band return to haunt your dreams once more, but this time with a much more ambitious offering.” A night at the demon.

Sanguisugabogg – Homicidal Ecstasy Review

By Felagund on February 14, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 105 comments

“I first discovered the deliciously wretched Sanguisugabogg, not on the pages of this blog, but thanks instead to The Algorithm ™. There I was, click-clacking away to the dulcet tones of death metal, when my ears perked up. What was this? Why, none other than the opener of the ‘Bogg’s first full-length album, Tortured Whole. I was immediately taken by their 2021 debut, and I spun that (very) bad boy many times, taken as I was by its grimy groove, brutal efficiency and the vast amounts of fun these low lives are clearly having as they squeal their way through such a pungent platter. Now here I sit, two years later, with their follow-up Homicidal Ecstasy grasped firmly in my muck-encrusted mockery of a hand.” Bogg standard.

Distant – Heritage Review

By Saunders on February 9, 2023 in Reviews, Deathcore, 18 comments

“As far as the reviewing and the heavy music game is concerned, 2023 has been a slow start out of the blocks for yours truly. Already with a backlog of neglected albums to catch-up on from January, it is finally time to tackle my first review of 2023, from familiar deathcore band, Distant. Hailing from the Netherlands, previous experiences with Distant have been mixed to say the least. Their self-described downtempo deathcore has potential, however, up to this point Distant has been unable to truly capture interest across an album’s worth of material.” Distant but present.

The Offering – Seeing the Elephant Review

By Holdeneye on November 3, 2022 in Reviews, Alternative Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, Groove Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Metalcore, Nu Metal, Progressive Metal, 225 comments

“Three years ago, I covered Home, the debut full-length from Boston-based multi-genre masters The Offering. I loved Home at the time, but the intervening period has seen the record’s shadow grow even larger over me; it’s simply one of the most unique and mind-blowing albums I’ve ever heard. The album made my Top 5 of 2019 (and probably would move up at least one spot were I making that list today), so its follow-up comes with the highest of expectations.” You can’t go Home again.

Queensrÿche – Digital Noise Alliance Review

By Steel Druhm on October 6, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 69 comments

“A new Queensrÿche platter almost mandates a look back at the many peaks and valleys the band traversed over their long career. Early releases like their eponymous EP and The Warning were timeless pieces of traditional metal. They created what is arguably the best metal concept album of all time with Operation: Mindcrime, and they had major commercial success with Mindcrime and Empire without having to “sell out.” Lean years followed as Geoff Tate and company drifted into drab alt-rock (Hear in the Now Frontier, Q2K), then came the trend hopping (Tribe), and finally, phoning it in (Operation: Mindcrime II).” God save the Queensrÿche!

Imperial Triumphant – Spirit of Ecstasy Review

By Grymm on July 21, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, 150 comments

“We already know what’s going to happen here: I review Imperial Triumphant’s fifth album, Spirit of Ecstasy, and the comments section here will explode with remarks from the peanut gallery, explaining how much they can’t stand this type of music and how it’s “hipster drivel” of the highest magnitude. Ah, yes… the most divisive band we’ve ever reviewed that’s not named Impure Wilhelmina, Fellowship, or Wilderun, New York’s guttural black-death-jazz miscreants have no less stirred up the masses here in such a tizzy that you’d half-expect them to have somehow personally violated your dog. But no, all they did was make music.” Opulence amid the decadence.