Review by Death8699 on October 31, 2019.

As much as I like the lyrics to this album, I think that the raw production sound made the sound kind of flat. This release is a mix of death metal combined with grindcore. This takes us back to the early days of hearing old Napalm Death via Lee Dorrian and old Carcass via "Reek of Putrefaction". No surprise that Oscar Garcia (Terrorizer) is on guitar/vocals to have us revisit these days of what early grind was like and the mixing/sound quality reminiscent of those band's grind days.

The music varies, but overall I'd say that it's a good blend between thick guitar chunks immersed in some grind frenzies which didn't exist in eternity with this album. They are not just blast beating galore, it's a mix and it really hit home with me, especially the efforts of both guitarists and the band as a whole. A 4-piece here and some solo frenzies via whammy bar plus arpeggios and screechy lead guitar work. The main focus here I think was to stay underground and dish out about 30 minutes of utter craziness.

Oscar reminds me a lot of Lee Dorian, just not as deep throat as he was. There isn’t a plethora of grind bands that I know of these days. Napalm Death turned more into death metal as opposed to pure grind of the early days. Nausea revisits the early days of these bands, not the band themselves, just a comparison when grind really became intriguing with the gruesomeness and noise it seemed to be like in the mid 80's to the early 90's. This band has been a mix of death/grind, but it's the first time ever hearing them.

Expect the rawness sound of the recording and you will hear the guitars blast bar chords mixed with tremolo picking style riffs. It's a definite good listen to. I found it on YouTube, this album at least and decided that it was good enough to own a physical copy of the CD. I like the brutality and rawness, the lyrics are also well sought out in topics that cover war, politics and religion. I don't agree with the religious aspect, but they have some pretty cool political commentary here as well as rage war of nowadays tyrannies that exist.

If you're into and like that death/grind raw sound to these genres, then Condemned To The System is definitely worth looking into. Grind is tough to find nowadays, and Nausea really hits home with good music alongside some fast riff frenzies and deep throat mixed with some screaming. So much of what I liked in the early days of grindcore, but they mesh the death metal aspect of the album, so you'll get both combined. The music is original and addictive. It's really under 30 minutes of pure awesome music!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on October 31, 2019.

As much as I like the lyrics to this album, I think that the raw production sound made the sound kind of flat. This release is a mix of death metal combined with grindcore. This takes us back to the early days of hearing old Napalm Death via Lee Dorrian and old Carcass via "Reek of Putrefaction". No surprise that Oscar Garcia (Terrorizer) is on guitar/vocals to have us revisit these days of what early grind was like and the mixing/sound quality reminiscent of those band's grind days.

The music varies, but overall I'd say that it's a good blend between thick guitar chunks immersed in some grind frenzies which didn't exist in eternity with this album. They are not just blast beating galore, it's a mix and it really hit home with me, especially the efforts of both guitarists and the band as a whole. A 4-piece here and some solo frenzies via whammy bar plus arpeggios and screechy lead guitar work. The main focus here I think was to stay underground and dish out about 30 minutes of utter craziness.

Oscar reminds me a lot of Lee Dorian, just not as deep throat as he was. There isn’t a plethora of grind bands that I know of these days. Napalm Death turned more into death metal as opposed to pure grind of the early days. Nausea revisits the early days of these bands, not the band themselves, just a comparison when grind really became intriguing with the gruesomeness and noise it seemed to be like in the mid 80's to the early 90's. This band has been a mix of death/grind, but it's the first time ever hearing them.

Expect the rawness sound of the recording and you will hear the guitars blast bar chords mixed with tremolo picking style riffs. It's a definite good listen to. I found it on YouTube, this album at least and decided that it was good enough to own a physical copy of the CD. I like the brutality and rawness, the lyrics are also well sought out in topics that cover war, politics and religion. I don't agree with the religious aspect, but they have some pretty cool political commentary here as well as rage war of nowadays tyrannies that exist.

If you're into and like that death/grind raw sound to these genres, then Condemned To The System is definitely worth looking into. Grind is tough to find nowadays, and Nausea really hits home with good music alongside some fast riff frenzies and deep throat mixed with some screaming. So much of what I liked in the early days of grindcore, but they mesh the death metal aspect of the album, so you'll get both combined. The music is original and addictive. It's really under 30 minutes of pure awesome music!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on April 30, 2024.

My previous experience involving the "Rock Knights" EP by the Swiss band Amethyst has led me to another great heavy metal gem which I also didn’t get the chance to check out in time, that being the Swedish band Century. This time we have another band in the similar vein which successfully revives the classic 80’s heavy metal in all its glory, with their exemplary debut full-length album The Conquest Of Time, released on April 21st, 2023 via Electric Assault Records. Even though I still regret not being able to check it out earlier, it’s always better late than never, and I can safely say that this journey went even more exciting than the previous one. 

From the very get-go, Century strikes hard with rocking out heavy metal that bursts out in flames like a phoenix, providing a nice throwback to the 80’s with amazing vocals and catchy but heavy riffs. Throughout this album, you will also get to hear a lot of the familiarity with classic heavy metal albums from the 80’s, ranging from a variety of significant bands such as Heavy Load, Riot, 80’s Judas Priest, Blitzkrieg, Gotham City and Angel Witch. From start to finish it’s all adrenaline-pumping excitement filled with headbanging energy and full power attack, going non-stop fast against the wind and out of time like a jacked-up roadrunner. This album has plenty of hit tracks which are guaranteed to crawl under your skin and make your blood boil from excitement, always delivering what you expect and then some. Although every track on the album is great in its own way, examples such as 'Black Revenant', 'Sinister Star', 'The Conquest Of Time' and 'Master Hell' are definitely some of the stand outs which for me personally left the strongest impression. The great thing about this album is that its balls never drop in a single moment, because it keeps this consistent flow of heaviness towards the very end, making the listener feel always engaged even when it reaches the final track 'Servants Of The Iron Mask'. 

Songwriting-wise, the album is dynamic and engaging thanks to its progression, as well as the plethora of ideas and styles that come from their key influences. Every time I would listen to this album, I kept thinking to myself that it’s just mind-blowing how a contemporary heavy metal band such as Century managed to create something that sounds as if it came out between 1980 and 1985, all the way down to the riffs and choruses with the overall clean and organic sound production. To make an album such as this in 2023 seems like an impossible task that no living soul can pull off, but in the case of Century, we were proven wrong, as well as with many other bands who are similar in style, such as Amethyst for example. It’s impossible to find a flaw about this album because it’s so good that it gives you goosebumps how great and authentic it sounds, leaving no room for disappointment and constantly staying on track. 

The Conquest Of Time is such a great album that it is equally nostalgic and excellent all the way through, giving the maximum satisfaction that an oldschool heavy metal fan could ever ask for. It’s such a rewarding feeling when you get to fully immerse yourself and enjoy this amazing work of art that was crafted with such effort and care that comes from the members of Century, with the goal of creating something that both the fans and the band can love and appreciate. This album is possibly one of the greatest things I have discovered lately, and it will be very hard to let go because right now I thirst for more action, which I know we’ll definitely get in the near future. 

Rating: 9 out of 10