Choronzonic Chaos Gods

There was a time in the late 90’s when Holland started to come up with a great bunch of fuckin brutal death metal bands. Pyaemia, Severe Torture, Disavowed, Prostitute Disfigurement and few more were crushing with some of the most intense, technical and extreme shit that you could imagine. Centurian was also there and they were also my favourite Dutch band from that era, simply because their music was also more like old school stuff, influenced by some of the old US death metal heroes. And yes, it was intense and brutal. And this album, “Choronzonic Chaos Gods”, is the best Dutch death metal motherfucker that was released at that time. This album is simply fantastic.

The sheer intensity and extreme, powerful character of music are the main strengths of “Choronzonic Chaos Gods”. Wow, this album blows away the speakers into the damn cosmos and your ears will bleed, because you’ll play it too loud. Trust me, you will. You cannot listen to it quietly. I just love how it sounds, how fast Centurian's music is on this album and that even if it’s technical and brutal death metal, it is still easy to listen to. And they even have some memorable parts in slower fragments, etc. I like the riffage and many ideas for arrangements or whatever, I like the vocals also a lot, because Seth has this kind of Glen Benton alike voice, which is just super cool. Basically Deicide along such Vital Remains or Morbid Angel were surely the bands that you could compare Centurian the most to. But also Aeon, Angel Corpse, Brazilian commando Krisiun and obviously Sinister as well. All these bands share passion for something totally blasphemous, evil sounding and malicious; intense, brutal and insanely ferocious. “Choronzonic Chaos Gods” is exactly like that, with a bunch of killer, standing out tracks like “Hail Caligula!!!”, “The Law of Burning”, “Misanthropic Luciferian Onslaught”

Yeah, this music will tear you up and its power will surely infect you in positive way, providing a lot of adrenaline and energy. It’s a pure slaughtering death metal, nothing more, nothing less.

The musicianship of every Centurian member is obviously top notch, they’re like beasts that were locked in a studio to unleashed all their fury and aggression and transform them into music. The production is also great, way better than it was on the demo “Of Purest Fire”… and that artwork, all covered in blood of band’s guitarist!! Can it be any better? Nope. Killer stuff!!!!

Standout tracks: “Hail Caligula!!!”, “The Law of Burning”, “Misanthropic Luciferian Onslaught”
Final rate: 80/100

Choronozonic Chaos Gods is the first full length album from Dutch warmongers Centurian. It was originally released in late 1999 by the once mighty Full Moon Productions. Hot on the heels of the chaotic hell ride that was their demo (1997's Of Purest Fire), the band's debut full length is full of blistering, blasphemous death metal. Hells Headbangers reissued Centurian's first full length album, as well as their debut demo, on CD and, for the first time for both releases, on vinyl, introducing a new generation of metal heads into this Dutch institution's early years.

While the band's demo featured a host of blackened influences, Choronozonic Chaos Gods is more focused on rapid fire delivery and swirling, frenzied patterns of unrelenting death metal. Eschewing the slight thrash tendencies on the demo, Centurian assault your senses with an album full of nonstop blasting, rapid fire, riff fueled death metal. Taking cues from the seminal works of Morbid Angel and Deicide as well as bits of the NYDM scene, Centurian's debut is violent and virulent album that has stood the test of time as one of the strongest second wave performances of the movement. Razor sharp, violently chaotic riffing, blasting drums and a mix of unearthly bellows and aggressively rasped growls fill this album in an unholy fashion. Tracks like “In the Name of Chaos” showcase the band's destructive, militant pulsing and tracks like “Damned and Dead” invoke the band's frenzied edge, complete with blasting drums and chaotic, filthy riffing.

As if things were blasphemous enough, the album artwork was painted by Rob Oorthuis, using his own blood. Talk about dedication, right? Unfortunately, the stars never truly aligned for Centurian, as the band's two seminal works, this album and 2001's Liber Zar Zax, were released during a low point for death metal. The band stopped activity between 2002 and 2011, and although they performed as Nox during that time, but I can't help but feel that if this Choronozonic Chaos Gods was released a few years earlier or later then Centurian would be a household name. The band's chaotic brand of death metal is striking; brutally fast, unrelenting and blatantly blasphemous.

Choronozonic Chaos Gods is a striking monument of the so-called second wave of death metal: frenzied, chaotic, blasting and unrelenting in nature. While Centurian is back at it again, with a freshly released album in 2013, Contra Rationem, their debut has stood the test of time. Fifteen years after its original release Choronozonic Chaos Gods has still not lost its vicious and scathing edge. Fans of Angelcorpse and Krisiun take note, because if this album is not yet in your collection, this is your chance to score one.

Written for The Metal Observer:
http://www.metal-observer.com/