Artist: XENTRIX
Album: KIN RE-RELEASE (DIGI)

Year: 1993/ 2006
Media type: CD

Only a few bands in the music business can call themselves lucky enough to keep on the highlights without changing their style. Xentrix, unfortunately, wasn’t one of them. Then again, with the thrash scene being nearly wiped out by 1993, there wasn’t really much to do apart from changing direction. Now, some may think that such situation meant the end for thrash bands. Well, for some – maybe. For Xentrix, it meant only one
thing – progress…

After releasing their debut LP Shattered Existence (1989) and the follow-up For Whose Advantage (1990), Xentrix gained a well deserved status of British thrash heroes. The popularity of the band was followed by some intensive touring, next to groups such as Skyclad and Sepultura. Then it all came tumbling down, as the U.K. thrash scene became more and more neglected by the fans and nearly collapsed in 1993. But Xentrix refused to simply step down and surrender their career. Instead they made their most successful effort yet by releasing their third and most intensive album, Kin. Tired of being labeled the “Ghostbusters band”, Xentrix cut off from their past in favor of experimenting with new musical genres. Recorded at Loco studios in four weeks (which was the longest time the band had ever spent in a studio), the album featured a whole new image of the group, focused on effective songwriting with clear vocals and acoustic elements. As guitarist Kristian Havard admitted, “There’s a lot of weird stuff going on the new record. Chris Astley tried some ‘normal’ singning and Paul MacKenzie treated his bass guitar as a solo instrument, which enabled us to incorporate some totally new ideas”. The producer Mark Flannery accomplished creating a fresh sound for Xentrix, highlighting all the best elements of their music – catchy, yet powerful riffs, strong and energetic vocal lines and a thrash feeling, even though the band did not consider themselves a thrash group: “I don’t think we were ever satisfied with being called a thrash band, although we never protested against it. However, if someone called us that nowadays, the reaction would be pretty much: ‘What the f**k are you talking about?’”. Musically, Kin was a definite step forward, totally differing from the earlier releases.

With their third release, Xentrix proved to be a true gem on the British metal scene. Escaping the thrash boundaries, the band recorded an album which was for them as important as The Black Album for Metallica. Kin is undoubtedly the most intense production by Xentrix and one of the most underestimated metal records ever released in the U.K.

TRACKLIST:

01 The Order Of Chaos
02 A Friend to you
03 All Bleed Red
04 No more time
05 Waiting
06 Come Tomorrow
07 Release
08 See Through You
09 Another Day

Bonus tracks:
10 Reward
11 Never Be
12 The Hand That Feeds Itself
13 Silence