In The Name Of Nothing is the new album from Glaswegian metalcore band Centrilia. This release follows two EPs and a succession of live shows with a range of established metal bands from Rob Zombie to Arch Enemy.
Centrilia launch the album into an intense experience for the senses with the opening track Symptoms Of Betrayal. The gradual build-up of percussion, guitar melodies and harsh vocals enhances the drama of the sound. Dropping into heavy guitar rhythms, accented with short riff motifs, the overall effect is very powerful. The harsh vocals have a low, mellow tone which combines well with the distortion effects used on the instrumentation. Symptoms of Betrayal retains the intensity of the beginning all the way through. The experimentation with guitar riffs and dissonant harmonic licks breaks through the dense rhythm instrumentation without losing the power it brings. The vocals are dynamic throughout. Sections of layered harsh vocals enhance the sound and snippets of cleans add a taste of something different. In many respects these short snippets of clean vocals act in the same way as the guitar motifs.
The energy of the album takes a step up with Imposters. The opening drum fill combined with the lead guitar melody creates a sense of contrapuntal melody. The sudden explosion is very powerful with heavy guitars, dynamic harsh vocals and, of course, fast-paced double kicks from the percussion. All of this combined gives the track a feeling of momentum. The verses diminish slightly with less space being taken up by the rhythm instrumentation. This gives the rest of the parts plenty of breathing space, and it enhances the effect of the chorus. Once again, clean vocals sneak into the track. Centrilia add an extra dimension to their sound through this – effectively showing how a short break in a dense section can enhance the overall result of the sound. The Fool On The Hill maintains the high levels of energy from the previous the track. The verse in particular is incredibly fast paced. The chorus in this track slows to half speed, nicely breaking up the power of the verse whilst retaining the drama of the sound. The break down in this track is especially dynamic. The rising chord sequence is a little unexpected as many breakdowns involve descending patterns. The sudden drop into the incredibly dense rhythm section is fantastic.
In The Name Of Nothing deviates from the previous style of tracks on the album. Opening with a clean guitar melody and toned-down vocals, it brings a very different sound from Centrilia. Well, before it explodes into the heavy energy of the verse that is. In The Name Of Nothing shows off their range by incorporating a range of styles, both in the instrumentation and vocals, that have been displayed in the previous tracks. The cleaner sections of instrumentation layered with the harsh vocals create an effective contrast by playing with the dynamics of their sound. The lead guitars come through strongly with a variety of melodies and riffs present throughout the track. All of these elements combine well to create a track that is cohesive overall. It’s perhaps not surprising that this is the title track as it appears to combine all of the skills of the members. The latter half of the album continues to develop. The Oriental melodies of Tamam Shud delve into further experimentation as the album draws to a close. Although this sound hasn’t been explored in previous tracks, it doesn’t feel out of place. Centrilia work the Oriental style into their own sound. The clean vocals combine well with the style of the track, whilst the harsh sections and heavy instrumentation keep it routed firmly in the album.
Centrilia have produced an incredibly strong album that has the potential to seriously raise their presence in the metalcore scene. The immense power of their sound never fails throughout the album, it develops with each track exploring the band’s unique sound. The experimental aspects are very effective, and it would be great to see Centrilia delve further into this in the future.
9/10
For fans of: Machine Head, Lamb Of God, Pantera
Words by Holly Royle
‘In The Name Of Nothing’ by Centrilia is out now on 233 Records.
