Centaurus-A - Side Effects Expected review
| Band: | Centaurus-A |
| Album: | Side Effects Expected |
| Style: | Death metal |
| Release date: | March 02, 2009 |
| A review by: | jupitreas |
01. The Praying Mantis
02. Narcotic
03. Drop Off
04. Morning Tremble
05. The Ease
06. Incident/Accident
07. Arson
08. Dripping Red Canvas
09. Selfmade Cage
10. Resistance Ain't Futile
There are two problems that people might have with a release like Side Effects Expected, the technical death/thrash debut of Germany's Centaurus-A.
First of all, who exactly is this album for? It is not Necrophagist and it is not Coroner either - neo-classical shred guitars are often accompanied here by rather straight forward riffs, dual lead runs end in breakdowns and the song structures tend to opt for being memorable rather than mind blowing. The result is something that might be too simplistic for the tech-freaks out there but not groovy and dynamic enough for those of us who prefer thrash. Luckily, an alternative point of view on this issue is that Centarus-A simply offers the golden compromise between uber-technical wankery and dynamic compositional substance. You get the best of two worlds in songs like the very catchy "Drop Off", the relatively predictable "Arson" and in how the Coroner-inspired riffs mix with blasts of technical death in what are probably the best songs on this album - "Dripping Red Canvas" and "Selfmade Cage".
Unfortunately, the second problem with this album is not as easily overlooked - Side Effects Expected is an uneven album from a songwriting point of view. The songs mentioned above might all be great but cuts like "The Praying Mantis", "Narcotic" and "Incident / Accident" aren't nearly as memorable. Oh, sure, they still feature some incredible instrumental parts; however, one is forced to look for them amongst poorly chosen barrages of melodic death metal leads and one particularly abysmal constipated clean vocal.
Alas, Centaurus-A could have been Coronerophagist on Side Effects Expected but ended up still being Centaurus-A - a talented but inconsistent newcomer from Germany. With all this said, this album is closer to being "technical death for Coroner fans" than you might think, so it might be worth checking out.
 | Written on 08.04.2009 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool. |
Comments
Comments: 6
Visited by: 83 users
| Visioneerie Urban Monster Posts: 810  |
This sounds interesting. After all, i always wished for at least a bit more agression in Necrophagist's sound, so this seems to be like the perfect balance (due to breakdowns and a thrashy Coroner sound) despite its inconsistency as you mentioned. Even though it might not be as technical as Necrophagist, it seems worthy of listen.
---- Any man can stand adversity, but to test his character give him power - A. Lincoln
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| Kasper Posts: 372  |
This album is definitely into my liking, I think it's really good. I don't find any songs boring, just some parts maybe, but generally nothing wrong with the songs. There are some very catchy parts in every song, that makes you want to listen to it again, just to hear that specific part again - thats just how I feel when I listen to it 
---- "An open mind is like a fortress with it's gates unbarred and unguarded"
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| pazuzuovbabel Pazuzu Posts: 303  |
The most UN ORIGINAL record i ever heard, its like mixing sound many bands in one album without adding any new touches ...  but still not bad one....for this style fans specially
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| Kasper Posts: 372 |
Yeah, it's not really original. But what is original today? It's very hard to come up with something completely new never-heard-before.
---- "An open mind is like a fortress with it's gates unbarred and unguarded"
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| RockeRoy Posts: 641  |
Just listend to it one time, i think it is promissing, have to listen to it a couple of more times first.. And i don't like the production very much
---- You found god? If nobody claims him in thirty days, he's yours Walk with me in hell
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| Derwood Posts: 511  |
The album is pretty uneven, but it's also a very promising debut. If this band is able to gel a little more and develop greater consistency they could become very good indeed.
---- You can't fight evil with a macaroni duck!
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