Xentrix – Bury The Pain

What are the ingredients for a tasty, mouthwatering Thrash Metal album?

Two cups of driving riffs.

666ml of sweet, sweet solid, pacy drumming

A pinch of hard but not overly aggressive vocals

69oz of melody

and

A generous glug of groove.

Now, how a band combines and cooks those ingredients is going to determine how the final product is going to turn out. Veteran UK Thrash bruisers, Xentrix  have been cooking up what they hope is a delicious feast of Thrash in Bury The Pain and want you to get your auditory teeth stuck in.

Thrash as a genre is on where it’s difficult to gain any new ground, musically. Fans expect certain things when they spend their hard-earned wages on new releases and any real deviation from the Thrash model is in danger of slipping into a sub genre, Satan forbid. It’s safe to say the Xentix know the formula well and confidently smash Bury The Pain  wide open with the title track. This is the first album featuring new frontman and guitarist Jay Walsh, who does and decent job of barking out a solid vocal. To me the vocal feels maybe a touch tentative but I think as Walsh’s confidence grows behind the mic, he’ll rapidly become a strong, competent frontman and one that helps drive the legacy of one of the UK longest established and prominent Thrash bands.

I’ll admit that initially this album didn’t hit me between the ears with the “oof” that I wanted and expected. On first listen I found it a bit flat in delivery and unfairly branded it as “kind of generic”, however, I mention “unfairly” as on repeated spins, I’ve discovered a strong, well-rounded album, that certainly has a place in UK Thrash history. Many of my favorite albums have been slow burners, which have taken time to ensconced themselves in my brain and I feel that Bury The Pain will continue to mature the more I listen.

Bury The Pain  for me personally is an album that’ll find its heart in the live environment. There are so many mosh pit fueling moments, that live will push the crowd to get frenzied and flip the fuck out. Bangers like the chant heavy “There Will Be Consequences and the groove laden Word of Mouth will, I have no doubt have fists pumping hard, heads banging and plenty a sore throat after a show.

So, the ingredients are all there but have Xentrix managed to produce the goods?

In short, yes! Bury The Pain isn’t perfect and I feel that as a whole there’s a tentative edge to the album,  almost like a new band trying to find their feet as opposed to an established, seasoned band but I’m contributing that to this being a new chapter for Xentrix  and a foundation on which they can build a stronger, thrashier, long-lasting presence on the scene.

I’ve had several slices of this Thrash cake now and I’m happy to return for more if its going. If you’re going to grab this album, I urge you to smash through it several time to really get a taste for it and enjoy it’s honest, solid flavors fully.

Score – 7.5 /10

Tracklist
1. Bury the pain
2. There will be consequences
3. Bleeding out
4. The truth lies buried
5. Let the world burn
6. The red mist descends
7. World of mouth
8. Deathless and divine
9. The one you fear
10. Evil by design

Record Label: 
LISTENABLE RECORDS

Release Date:  
7th June 2019

For all things Xentrix, click HERE and to purchase the album, click HERE