Review by Alex on May 21, 2018.

Druid Lord's latest work of disgust Grotesque Offerings is a death/doom metal spear. It strikes slowly and deep thus inflicting wounds far beyond convalescence. Druid Lord makes precise incisions into the listener's mind by combining highly melodic riffs, with pummeling drum and bass work. The voraciousness of every note being played summons the impression that Grotesque Offerings may have been entirely recorded in analog. 

Druid Lord appeared on my radar when I was browsing through Hell's Headbangers web store. Presented before my untamed, lust driven eyes, was the artwork of Grotesque Offerings which swiftly steered my senses and lured me towards Druid Lord's dark dungeon of dystopia. I refuse to ruin the experience for the listener by revealing the lyrical themes' exact derivatives, however, I will state that most, if not all of it is based on old horror films.The idea of portraying scenes in horror movies through music is a concept I commend and implore Druid Lord to keep embedded within their death/doom metal model. 

The opening track is a perilous tale that is perfectly portrayed by the band's musical craftsmanship. Slow heavy drums materialize and a soothing guitar solo sets the tone of the opening song "House of Dripping Gore", which ceremoniously ushers in the hideous scenarios re-animated and unveiled. The Pete Slate and Benn Ross guitar combination have provided the listener with some of the most unforgettable riffs of the album. Songs such as "House of Dripping Gore", "Murderous Mr. Hyde" and "Black Candle Séance" display patience and brilliance when inscribing or carving the guitar notes onto a blank slate, in hopes of achieving an everlasting impression. 

The drumming throughout the album is particularly slow with some occurrences of mid-paced sections. There is a very thrash metal style of drumming present on "Last Drop Of Blood" more towards the middle of the track and lasts for less than a minute. I enjoyed that sudden shift in speed and ferocity from Elden Santos. The drums are played very vehemently on Grotesque Offerings; there is much feeling and passion evident on each track, thus magnifying the gloom of the doom. Sometimes drummers arrive at the studio just to record their parts on an album. With this attitude, the album suffers tremendously, as most keen listeners of metal can easily identify when the drumming effort appears to be "soulless." One example of this is on Nightwish's 2015 album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", (I will chime in on this lazy offering in a future extensive review). That is not the case here, Elden Santos's drumming concretizes the stories being told; each segment featuring his drumming boldly embraces the concepts. 

The vocals are easily understood but sound similar to grunts; they do have a doom metal sound due to Tony Blakk's deep enunciation, however; I would have liked a bit more obscurity in the vocal pronunciation, which would have greatly expanded the evil presence of the music being played. 

Grotesque Offerings holds up well against many other death/doom metal releases of 2018 and 2017. Each song is bathed in addicting, crisp, guitar, bass, drums and vocal work. The samples from various horror movies are an excellent addition to the music. The samples partially paint a grim picture to give the listener an idea of the scene, then leaves the listener to envision the rest, compliments of Druid Lord's superb musical output. I can't wait to get the vinyl version of the album which is currently available for pre-order on Hell's Headbangers.

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 22, 2019.

Is it still only a temporary thrash metal survival or has this glorious style finally become a constant value in the music business? Newcomers from all directions show up and some veterans take up the challenge. Even a band like Xentrix comes back, although the quartet has never had the luck to sit on a place in the first row of the sub genre's theatre. It is therefore all the more surprising that their first album after 23 years of silence really has something to say. Forget the lukewarm Kin and, if you like to do so, join me in ignoring Scourge. Here comes a vehement thrash attack that does not intend to offer polished riffs for frustrated housewives. Xentrix have forged a muscular output with a great sound that gives the voice and all instruments room to develop their strengths. Even the bass sounds powerful and clear, hallelujah! Some people say that Andy Sneap's productions are almost sterile and all of them sound the same, but I disagree. This is a modern yet organic production that does not hurt the old school flair of the music. Especially the drum sound reaches perfection and I think it makes sense to use today's technical possibilities in order to reanimate a great style from yesterday.

Indeed, Xentrix jump back in time. This is the real successor of their first two albums and this alone speaks for the integrity of the dudes from Preston. The music emanates the original charm of thrash and a kind of working-class awareness. The band rather works thrash than to play it. Everything sounds like the result of a physically demanding eight- or ten-hour shift, but this gives the compositions just some more grains of authenticity. Of course, the fact that the band goes back to its roots - there are still two members of the Shattered Existence line-up involved - eliminates an overdose of innovation right from the beginning. Now one could moan about this fact in general and especially the opening title track seems to be heavily influenced by Gary Holt's "Scar Spangled Banner" from the year 2004. Honestly speaking, I notice it, but it does not matter. The song has a lot of energy, drive and vitality, that is what really counts. Better still, these characteristics shape nearly the whole album.

Admittedly, "The Truth Lies Buried" does not hold many exciting elements and every now and then Xentrix take the wrong exit. The very promising verses of "Deathless and Divine" attack strictly and with pinpoint precision, but the chorus with its ineffective melody fails to crown the track. However, such things remain exceptional. The double bass onslaught "Bleeding Out" comes in like a battering ram and the double strike in the centre of the album, namely "Let the World Burn" with its very dynamic chorus and "The Red Mist Descends", illustrates perfectly that the musicians know how to perform accurate thrash riffs. It is really a pleasure to see that they did not feel the need to add melancholic or overly melodic elements to their harsh basic orientation. Two acoustic intros are all that they offer in terms of thoughtful silence and this is enough, if I am not mistaken. So, let the thrash metal hammer rule, enjoy the vocals of Jay Walsh whose voice lies in close proximity to that of Chris Astley and bang your head. I admit that these words sound stale, nevertheless it is the best one can do when it comes to this release. Its only significant mistake is the stupid artwork. However, there is one thing I want to know about it: is the man with the handgun the dude we met first time on the cover of For Whose Advantage? Has he realized the effects of the financial crisis, for which he and his criminal business partners is to blame, albeit with some delay? Well, the crisis seems to be banned, but old school thrash metal is more present than ever.

Rating: 8 out of 10