""Scourge" is the last album from underrated British thrash metal band, and with its focus on groove and heaviness it is stylistically a far cry from their first albums "Shattered Existence" and "Whose Advantage" which are more technical thrash metal records. However, one must remember that between these is "Kin", where Xentrix took the tempo down a knot or two, so, "Scourge" is very much a natural step in Xentrix' musical evolution. It also very much reflects a band struggling to find a new musical identity in a time when metal was not in, and - ironically - it also reflects the general evolutionary curve that thrash metal took in the wake of Pantera's success with groove metal and the onslaught of alternative metal.
"Scourge" is one of the better attempts by a thrash band at making more groovy metal because, after all, they do not abandon their thrash metal roots altogether as evidenced by riffage in tracks like "Incite" and "Strength of Persuasion" as wel as "Never Be" and "The Hand that Feeds Itself" (my favorites of the album). I also like Xentrix' approach to heavy and groovy metal on this album. Rather than trying to just copy Pantera (although there are a lot of Pantera-rip-off-ish things on this album), Xentrix try to add their own touch and blend in alternative metal and classic metal elements in with the groove, which can be heard in a track like "Caught You Living" which contains groove, technical riffage and rap... all in one song.
The major weakness of the album is that its energy quickly wanes away and gives the impression of limping music which should have been played faster (and this is a problem that many of the thrash-cum-groove metal bands of the late 90s had). In other words, this is another one of those album which are best served a couple of tracks at the time, because the individual tracks are pretty good.
The production is crisp and clean, and the bass drums have that characteristic 90s click sound. I think that this rather polished production is fine, because it allows you to pick out all the details, which is something I appreciate. Moreover, the music on this album does not really have the raw energy to carry a raw production.
So, not a bad album at all, and one of the better thrash-cum-groove metal albums. But "Scourge" does not measure up to the quality of Xentrix' previous releases. It is also historically interesting in that it very much reflects the state of flux that metal music found itself in in the mid 90s.
(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)
Hej Morten,
Efter kontakt på Facebook sender jeg dig her interviewet - det er både i dansk oversættelse og engelsk form. Jeg tænker, at hvis vi vedhæfter den originale engelske version i slutningen, som appendiks til den danske oversættelse, så er der større mulighed for at, det bliver opfanget på Blabbermouth og jeg kan lave referencer dertil fra andre internationale sites, og vi dermed også kan skabe lidt mere opmærksomhed omkring HMdk.
VH, -Kim / TS"
"A thrash metal gemstone, "For Whose Advantage" is obviously inspired by the likes of Metallica and Testament. Still Xentrix manages to maintain a high degree of originality, delivering a bunch of songs that are rich in fast paced riffs as well as odd time signatures, unusual haromies and other elements tht fall under the umbrella of technical thrash metal."
