Saturday, December 8, 2012

Centurion - Serve No One [2012]


Most death metal these days seems to glide down one of three paths: straight, no frills OSDM that doesn't venture too far beyond the standard set by the sinister forefathers, more 'extreme' efforts that flirt with added brutality, pristine production or technicality, or hybrids which integrate elements of black metal or other related sub-genres. Serve No One, the sophomore album of Poland's Centurion and their first since 2002, combines the first two methods in the sense that they play the classically constructed death metal of old in the vein of more brutal acts like Suffocation and Litany-era Vader. Combine that with the brute force and blunt songwriting of Deicide, and the essence of Centurion begins to take shape. Serve No One comprises ten consistent tracks of brief, pummeling strikes within the span of less than 30 minutes, resulting in a highly powerful and proficient (if not particularly memorable or adventurous) album.

The name of the game here is speed, and Centurion rarely lets up in this regard. In fact, outlier segments like the atmospheric intro of "Gateways to Condemnation" or the plodding riff devastation in "No One to Serve" are memorable solely due to their rarity in scope against the other haste-dominated 25 or so minutes included. While this attack plan may offer many formidable moments of heaviness and intensity, it unfortunately offers few sections that truly etch themselves into the listener's memory. Occasionally we are offered a particularly tasty, groovy riff section like that in "Ritual Mass Murder," but for the most part, Centurion passably assault the conscious without leaving a deep impact. Part of the fault is in the decently well-performed but monotonous vocals, deeply bellowing in a consistent and occasionally monotonous fashion. The lyrics are a dime a dozen concoction of unimaginative, anti-Christian blasphemies (with a few noticeable English mistakes) that won't offer any new ideas, though I'd hardly expect much better.

Serve No One is a very tight and well-produced album, and the experience of Centurion in the Polish death metal scene is made clear through the proficient, menacing tapestry of riffs laid woven within. However, beyond the bare, bloody essentials, not too much else here is notable. In a sense, though, I get the feeling that this is what Centurion strived for: to provide another slab of old school butchery to a style performed by many and perfected by precious few. Still, this is a trip that might be worth checking out for fans of any of the aforementioned bands if you've already knocked out all the top-tier releases of the genre.

   Overall: 6.5/10 (Fair)

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