Centuries

Broken Hymns

Written by: AZ on 28/07/2013 18:55:30

Darkness, misery, death. These words could accurately describe the picture that Florida natives Centuries portray with their latest effort called “Broken Hymns”. This is a truly emotional piece that carries the heaviness of a mountain and the sharpness of a razor. It is vast, coherent and, at times, painfully brutal. The majority of the tracks that compose the record are already familiar to long time fans of the band since they have been part of the three previous releases (two splits and one EP) already put out. Be that as it may the sound of the album follows a steady mental line of succession that gives it a feeling of completeness. This is admirable since the short chops that the tracks are, manage to stay concise and contribute to the greater picture.

“Dead(Creation)” is the first track on the record. With it the boys from Centuries show what great emotional content lays embedded within their songs. Luring the listener with a dissonant chord echo, the quartet easily builds up tension which is skillfully transformed into the fuel that a skank beat needs to spin a circle pit. The energy holding off the fast pace is maintained even when the tempo goes down into a breakdown. Songs like “Crumble and Fall”, “II” and “Broken Hymns” take energy and add “pure violence” as a label on them. Short, heavy and atmospheric, they will surely please every hardcore fan at a live show.

Pushing the limits of the hardcore genre with influences from sludge and death metal, the band clearly shows interest into experimenting with their sound. Songs like “Dusk” have hidden gems like violin echoes lurking amongst the heaviness of their powerful guitar chops. “Caeruleus” has an almost Pink Floyd-like guitar intro drenched in reverb, whereas “Coward(Extinction)” finishes off with a long piano section as played on an old turntable. In short the guys have made a conscious effort towards something more than brutal pounding on the listener's eardrum.

As I mentioned before a cool thing that Centuries have achieved is the successful combination of separate releases into a monster of sounds and feelings. And while the final result doesn't sound like it has been patched up, it bares another problem. While listening to the release I found myself losing track of the actual song that was played currently. This was interrupted precisely when a new “section” of the record was entered. The difference in the way the instruments and vocals sound shook me up from my, otherwise deep, numbness.

“Broken Hymns” is not just a compilation. It is a journey through the years of darkness, madness and painful memories. It is honest, deep and real. Consume with caution!

Download: Dead(Creation), Night, I, III, Dredge
For The Fans Of: Torch Runner, Downfall of Gaia, Napalm Death
Listen: Facebook

Release Date 01.06.2013
Halo Of Flies/This Charmin Man Records

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