Those who were into late 80's/early 90's thrash will probably remember Xentrix, a pretty good band from the UK who signed with Roadrunner Records in 1989 and released three albums for the up and coming metal label and a few more after that. Shattered Existence is their debut, and it's a solid thrash affair with more than a fair reminder of classic Testament, as well as a little Iron Maiden, Exodus, and Metallica thrown in as well. Lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Astley sounds very much like Testament's Chuck Billy, especially on tracks like "Dark Enemy", "Balance of Power", and the churning "Reasons for Destruction". Musically, these guys were pretty tight, lashing out plenty of intricate thrash riffs and tasty solos from Kristian Havard, and the rhythm section of drummer Dennis Gasser and bassist Paul MacKensie really knew how to blast away. It's a shame this band didn't surface and get signed 3-5 years earlier when thrash first started to gain momentum, as I think they might have been huge. As it stood, by the early 90's the scene had died down and grunge was starting to gain in popularity, pushing many of the underground extreme metal bands further into the underground.
This remastered edition from Metal Mind Productions includes all three songs from the Ghost Busters single release. The band's take on the Ray Parker Jr. blockbuster hit is pretty hilarious, while the other two songs, "Nobody's Perfect" and "Interrogate" are solid examples of bloodthirsty UK thrash. With a nice digipack presentation including a booklet with lyrics and album info, this is a nice reissue from Metal Mind of a long forgotten gem.
Track Listing
1. No Compromise
2. Balance of Power
3. Crimes
4. Back in the Real World
5. Dark Enemy
6. Bad Blood
7. Reasons for Destruction
8. Position of Security
9. Heaven Cent
10. Ghost Busters-bonus track
11. Nobody's Perfect-bonus track
12. Interrogate -bonus track
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