Century – The Conquest of Time (No Remorse Records)
Wednesday, 19th April 2023
A Swedish two-piece with seasoning in other acts across the heavy, speed, and progressive black/death landscape, Century took shape in 2020, releasing their debut Demo MMXX that same year. The underground hordes took notice, a subsequent 7” single “The Fighting Eagle” issued in 2022 became a teaser for labels to come calling as this debut album The Conquest of Time hits the market on No Remorse Records for CD (Electric Assault for vinyl fanatics). Choosing to be a self-contained entity in terms of production, artwork, songwriting, and instrumentation, you will get purity for the cause that resonates loud and clear from first playback to latest.
Pulling from an array of those early 80’s European/American influences, these gentlemen know when to hit the higher gears for riffs, blazing solos, undeniable vocal melodies, epic marching tempos and catchy choruses that stand resolute with mighty power. Staffan Tengnér and Leo Ekström layer the guitar rhythms, bass, and drums in an infectious manner, robust even through the wind effects that sweep through the cleaner atmosphere twist for “Black Revenant”, while the Maiden-esque driving ethos charges in a Heavy Load-ish context through the follow-up “Sinister Star”. Versatile in dynamic contrasts song to song, Century knows when to ride that mid-tempo classic metal riff parade, where Staffan can shine in his mid-range to higher vocal note proficiencies, the dual axe harmony accents building momentum as “Victim in Chains” becomes a mid-album highlight. Subtle progressive movements appear in spots to counterbalance the heads down metal proceedings, as air guitar mavens will find plenty to shadow on “Master of Hell”, while the longest cut “Servants of the Iron Mask” presents a versatile arrangement featuring a swirling keyboard intro, heroic bass lines, and large power hooks designed for unison loud festival participation moments.
Nine songs in a tidy thirty-six minutes and change time frame, The Conquest of Time is another shining example of Swedish metal transporting the listeners to the early strengths of classic heavy metal with power, speed, and all-around superior musicianship. Those fortunate enough to attend the recent Hells Heroes V festival in Texas witnessed Century to come away more than impressed – this scribe believes that there will be many more joining the flock, clamoring for tales of magic, sword, steel, triumphant to valiantly battle for the cause to bitter end.
