Listenable Records have quite a find here with Germany's Centaurus-A, their brand new debut Side Effects Expected is a solid display of technical death metal and thrash that should raise a few eyebrows on the extreme metal scene. Formed in 2000, Centaurus-A recorded a few demos before beginning the work on their debut in 2007, and though it took nearly two years to finalize Side Effects Expected, the results were worth the wait. Featuring ten tracks and nearly 44 minutes of music, this CD offers a lot to the adventurous metal head, kick off track "Praying Mantis" opens things up with a pulverizing, complex riff attack that should bring a smile to the face of any technical death metal geek. There's a healthy dollop of catchy thrash & melodic death here too, like the brief "The Ease", the galloping "Narcotic", and the crushing "Incident/Accident". The heavy, groove 'n' chunk of "Arson" is a nice touch, and the out and out brutality mixed with intricate arrangements on "Dripping Red Canvas" shows you just how heavy & complex these guys can get, yet the song is so addicting and memorable you just can't get it out of your head. Monstrous growls and furious riffs permeate the raging "Selfmade Cage", and the closing 6-minute "Resistance Ain't Futile" is a fine example of technical, progressive extreme metal, complete with jackhammer blast beats, lightning guitar fills, tasty harmonies, and complex riffery.
With Side Effects Expected, Centaurus-A have thrown their name into the technical death metal sweepstakes. A very solid debut-check it out.
Track Listing
- Praying Mantis
- Narcotic
- Drop off
- Morning Tremble
- The Ease
- Incident/Accident
- Arson
- Dripping Red Canvas
- Selfmade Cage
- Resistance ain't Futile
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