Thrash, the breadwinner of the 1980's underground, gained supremacy through superior aggression, superior musicianship, and superior speed. Sure, the Floridian death scene swept the world in the end of the decade, and black metal took over like an infected oddity in the early 90's, but nothing shook the world like a quality thrash metal recording...nothing.

In 1990, well after the groundbreakers came to power in the thrash world, Xentrix released their debut album, Shattered Existence, on an up and coming label called Roadracer (better known currently as the label powerhouse Roadrunner) to much critical acclaim in an otherwise saturated market, and this was for one simple fact: it was catchy thrash metal through and through. Unfortunately, because of the lack of original sounds at the time, Xentrix was sometimes dismissed as a Testament or Metallica clone, and was probably not taken as seriously as they should have been because of this fact. Yes, the band did take certain aspects of their sound from other bands, and yes, their material wasn't the most original, but the talent these Englishmen had in pumping out an album's worth of headbanging riffage defined the very reasons why originality in thrash isn't absolutely necessary if good, solid riffs keep pouring off of the fretboard. A good thrash record is good because it runs on pure adrenaline and doesn't let go of you until the end of the album, this is the most important aspect of any good, fun thrash album! Xentrix pulled this off on Shattered Existence with flying colors; it is a catch album, period.

Combining catchy hooks with double kick (a lethal combination for the headbanger), Shattered Existence combines a tried and true method of thrash that has managed to stay relevent years later. Every song on this album is worth listening to basically because every song maintains the same ingredients. Songs like No Compromise act as an immediate attention getter as an opening track with some very fast speed, and Reasons For Destuction provide some kick ass breakdowns that are completely moshable. While this entire album is completely enjoyable, there are, however, no real amazing stand out tracks to write home to Mom about. The breakdowns and tempo changes are what kept this band popular in the early 90's, but a lack of substantial writing is probably what kept them from attaining lasting attention from the media and international thrashers (even though latter albums showed much more maturity in writing).

For those who are casual listeners of the genre, going out of your way to find Shattered Existence might not be worth your time, but if you are a die hard thrasher, or you simply run across an old copy in a used store (if you do, consider yourself lucky, original pressings are fairly rare), then please do yourself a favor and pick this one up for a fun bit of time. Hopefully, in writing this review, I garner some interest in bands like Xentrix which have become severely overlooked over the years, yet have music that completely holds up well over time. Even their revered English peers Sabbat are highly under appreciated. It is my intention to continue to write more reviews, for both the good and the bad, of the lost thrash that the metal community should pay more attention to. Anyway, I'll get off my soapdbox now. If one person goes out and buys Shattered Existence because of this review, I'll be a happy camper.