Review: Centrate “Ritual”

Centrate “Ritual”

Join the electrifying ritual of old school Thrash Metal conducted by this unrelenting, up-and-coming squad from Germany.

The Thrash Metal squad known as Centrate might not come from the San Francisco Bay Area in California, where the worldwide famous “Bay Area Thrash” movement was born, but even being located over 9,000km away from that in Dillenburg, a town in Hesse’s Gießen region in Germany, they definitely know how to blast pure adrenaline and aggressiveness through their music, keeping up with the awesomeness of Slayer, Anthrax, Metallica, Testament and other big names of the genre. Put differently, ou know a Thrash Metal band is good when you feel the urge to slam into the circle pit while listening to their music, right? Well, that’s exactly the feeling Centrate will provide you.

Formed in 2010 from the ashes of another German group named Without Fear, Centrate stick to the foundations of old school Thrash Metal in their compositions, adding their own European touch to the musicality. The result of Centrate’s solid mix of harmony, violence and speed answers to the name of Ritual, their first full-length album comprised of 10 rampant songs that accurately represent what this Teutonic army is all about. After sharing the stage with several bands like Dust Bolt, Dawn of Disease and Face Down Hero, releasing their debut EP titled Tiger Force in 2015, and after touring different European countries such as Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium in 2016, it’s time for Centrate to reach new heights with Rituals, carving their name in the underground metal scene with their high-quality thrashing music.

In the opening track Voodoo, its initial tribal elements are replaced by Niklas Keul’s aggressive vocals and the unstoppable shredding by guitarists Tobias Diehl and Chris Wömpner, welcoming the listener to the Thrash Metal realm of this talented German act. Then drummer Manuel Ernst will put you slam into the pit in the frantic In the Face of Death, with both Tobias and Chris firing more furious riffs and melodious solos. Moreover, the song’s vibe reminds me of the early days of Slayer, which obviously translates into pure awesomeness. And maintaining the same level of aggression as the previous tunes, Forever Mine contains all the elements fans of Thrash Metal look for in music, with Niklas flawlessly matching the musicality with his raspy gnarls.

Soul Collector gets closer to the superb modern Thrash Metal played by Exodus and Testament nowadays, showcasing a strong focus on the balance between violence and melody, with Manuel once again adding fury to the music with his sick beats, fills and double bass. After that sensational creation by Centrate we have the very rhythmic and impactful Old Man’s Table, where Manuel and bassist Marcel Dippel help generate a dark ambience with their instruments while Niklas vociferates the song’s lyrics in an almost poetic way; followed by Infected, which high-octane start will pulverize your spinal cord into the pit, switching to a neck breaking vibe that will crush your neck. Furthermore, pay good attention to the great job done by Tobias and Chris on guitars, as it keeps the song as heavy and old school as hell.

Kill till Death, the longest of all tracks, is another tune where heaviness is the main ingredient rather than speed, but of course the song has its moments of frenzy for lovers of circle pits (mainly due to the crushing beats by Manuel), whereas in Revenge Niklas leads his army of Thrash Metal to victory with his growls, with highlights to the unstoppable Manuel and to the kick-ass riffs by both Tobias and Chris. Well, a song named “Revenge” had to exhale anger, fury and madness just like what Centrate offer us, don’t you agree? And there’s still more demented aggression to come, starting with the title-track Ritual, which despite its weird beginning gradually morphs into a feast of heavy riffs and thunderous drums, before the very traditional Exorcism literally exorcises boredom and bad music from our souls once and for all, sounding slightly heavier than all other songs (probably due to the nature of its topic) and bringing forward a thrilling ending with a nice guitar solo and sheer heaviness bursting from all instruments.

Centrate’s unrelenting ritual of Thrash Metal is just starting, and in case you want to join their electrified cult of heavy music, all you have to do is check their Facebook page for more details on the band, their tour dates and future plans, raise your beer and bang your head to their kick-ass music at their YouTube channel as well as on ReverbNation, and obviously purchase their new album on iTunes, on Amazon or on iGroove. If you love our good old Thrash Metal more than anything in life, simply go show your support for this amazing quintet from Germany, as bands like Centrate are undoubtedly the future of the genre and they need us fans to keep the fires of their metallic rituals burning brighter than the sun.

Best moments of the album: In the Face of Death, Soul Collector and Infected.

Worst moments of the album: Ritual.

Released in 2016, Independent

Track listing

1. Voodoo 4:34
2. In the Face of Death 2:05
3. Forever Mine 3:08
4. Soul Collector 5:16
5. Old Man’s Table 3:11
6. Infected 3:34
7. Kill till Death 6:02
8. Revenge 3:01
9. Ritual 5:14
10. Exorcism 4:08

Band members
Niklas Keul – vocals
Tobias Diehl – guitars
Chris Wömpner – guitars
Marcel Dippel – bass
Manuel Ernst – drums