Review of the Album "Shattered Existence" by British Thrash Metal Band Xentrix

Xentrix is a British thrash metal band that I have heard about for at least since 2017 though these guys go all the way back as far as 1986 and they were playing as the band Sweet Vengeance from 1986 through 1988 before they switched to Xentrix.

Stylistically, this debut which came out in 1989 can be thought of as a mixture of thrash metal combined with punk as is the case with the other major British thrash metal band Acid Reign. Vocalist Chris Astley sounds like Howard Smith of that band. The song called Dark Enemy in terms of the lead guitars sounds like Testament. I see a touch of Metallica in there as well. So let’s just say that Xentrix can be thought of as a mixture of 1980’s punk metal, Master of Puppets era Metallica and older Testament albums. So here we go with the 1989 thrash metal album Shattered Existence.

Immediately, these British thrash metal guys start with the speedy song No Compromise and this song is about not listening to what your parents, friends, or anyone else might say about not pursuing your dreams. However, as the song says it is important to not pretend to be someone that you are not. Shattered Existence is an album that clearly has that 1980’s sound and riffing even resembling Holy Moses’ Queen of Siam but Holy Moses was one of the earliest thrash metal bands that broke into the scene and Xentrix didn’t really surface until around 1986. The Metallica influence continues in the song Bad Blood and this song is about what can happen to a person who is so consumed by hatred. This feeling destroys their ability to function as a normal human being in society. Position of Security is basically a song that tries to say that if we play it safe and follow the rules, our chances for success are actually much lower. They always suggest thinking outside the box and taking risks (manageable risks of course). How can we actually “die” when we have never really lived life to the fullest?

The album’s cover is rather interesting in a way because it shows the look of broken glass or glass that is about to shatter and a middle aged man is sitting in a jail cell. That’s one of the things that can happen when a person’s very existence seems to get shattered and there is no hope left.

Shattered Existence is another one of those thrash metal albums with a thrash and punk metal feel similar to the band Acid Reign so if you enjoy Acid Reign, Xentrix’s debut release should be pretty enjoyable. The song Balance of Power has a good interlude and lead sections which are influenced by Metallica and Tankard. However, Xentrix is not Metallica and there was no intent on comparing Xentrix. But the chorus line of “what you want ain’t always good for you” is a good motto for us to live by. However, for those of you that crave a punk style influenced thrash metal album with melody mixed in will find this first album by Xentrix pretty decent.