Centurian - Liber Zar Zax

CENTURIAN - Liber Zar Zax (LISTENABLE Records CD 2001)

Not so long ago I wrote few words about Centurian's debut and best album "Choronzonic Chaos Gods". Now it's time to do the same with their second full length, "Liber Zar Zax" from 2001. It's highly recommended album, for me personally these two Centurian albums belong to the best death metal releases of early 00's (and a decade later, after reformation, they did another killer record "Contra Rationem"!). I love that sheer violence and intensity of their music, I love how fierce and relentless it is and of course that evil, satanic aura around it is also impressive. From start to finish Centurian sounds killer and hardly anything has ever sounded as aggressive and savage as this band. 

I may like "Choronzonic Chaos Gods" slightly more, but "Liber Zar Zax" is also incredibly strong and killer album. The songwriting is very much on the same quality and just like on the debut we get a bunch of extreme and utterly powerful, vicious death metal songs that punch you like crazy until you bleed out and die in pain. Stylistically close to such Deicide, Krisiun, Morbid Angel, Angel Corpse or Vital Remains, it is a fuckin death metal feast. Every song sounds like a furious beast, it's truly fast and extremely intense, but without sounding boring or pointless. Centurian does come up with many great riffs, a lot of them are quite memorable, sometimes they can even add a small melodic pattern.... And the arrangements are very good, without repeating the same ideas over and over again. Song structure is actually very simple, because usually every track is based only on three or four patterns, so maybe this is why this album is quite simple to get into and to remember (and all is spiced with many delicious guitar solos). But I prefer it that way, because I don't need to hear ten thousand riffs in every song to like it. More so, there's a good balance between blasting, tight parts and some slower, yet heavy fragments. Songs like "The Reading (Zarzax unto Zax)" and "Heading for Holocaust" and a bunch more are a must for you to hear. 

And right in the middle of the album Centurian decided to come up with "Feeding Flesh to the Vortex", which is a fantastic sounding instrumental piece, which gives you a time to gasp for breath, before another dose of carnage begins. I love these slow, sick riffs in it. Fuckin cool stuff. Good album then, not as good as the previous one, but still very damn worthy and recommendable release. Get it, if you love such sick and intense satanic death metal massacre! 

Standout tracks: "The Reading (Zarzax unto Zax)", "Heading for Holocaust", "Conjuration for Choronzon" 

Final rate: 75/100