heavymetaltribune : 15/20 | 10 years after the release of their previous full length album, Conquer & Rule, Poland's Centurion finally unleashes their follow up album, Serve no One. Already 3 years in the making, with a new lineup, Serve no One is certainly one album that has left followers of the band waiting eagerly for.
And right from the beginning, the thirst is immediately satisfied as the punishment on the drums assaults the listener's ear without any mercy, and one knows instantly that this is unadulterated Polish death metal in its full glory, with the band for the most part sounding like a brutal death metal version of Infernal War, with the speed that the band goes at. Caesar's vocals are a deep, guttural growl, and these are often backed by higher pitched growls of AD Gore and Bigos, resulting in an effect that reminds listeners of bands like Zygoatsis with the layering of different registers of vocals and the face-ripping speed.
Songs on the album are for the most part extremely short, with all but 2 songs falling under the 3 minute mark, and despite the short runtime, the band manages to crush all mankind with the heaviness of the riffs that are unleashed by guitarists AD Gore and Bigos and the relentless pounding of drummer Demon, with deadly accuracy and precision. On top of the brutality, the band also incorporates moments of technicality such as the complex riffing patterns on songs like Sacrilege. Gateways to Condemnation further increases the heaviness factor with a slow build up in the intro, though the follow up to the intro is slightly disappointing, lacking the impact that one would expect after all the tension that is present in the air. This, however, improves as the song progresses, with the increased focus and intensity towards the middle of the track. Bassist Blacha also gets his presence heard with numerous lead spots given to him, such as those on the intro of Under the Black Banner.
While Serve no One certainly stands as a good album by itself, it adds nothing to bands that have played music in the Polish death metal style, though if one were looking for a fast and energetic album to headbang along to or an album that sounds like a cross between Infernal War and Behemoth, this album is definitely a good pick. 2012-04-05 15:01:27
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