Xentrix were called Sweet Vengeance from 1984 to 1988.[2] The band attracted attention with a five-star rating from Kerrang! magazine, and Roadrunner Records then contacted the band asking them why they had not been sent a copy, and arranged an audition with the band. After the audition, the band was signed to the label and recorded their first album Shattered Existence in the summer of 1989.[1] The band toured with Sabbat in support of the album.[6]
In 1990, the band faced a small bit of controversy/publicity surrounding the release of their cover of Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" theme, in which the original artwork for the single had an unauthorized use of the Ghostbusters logo (with the ghost flicking a V Sign).[1] The single was subsequently re-released using a different cover.[1]
The band also reached new heights when they opened for Bay Area thrash metal band Testament. Later that year they recorded their second album For Whose Advantage?,[1] which gained them yet more interest and their first music video for the album's title track. Xentrix promoted For Whose Advantage? with a tour with Skyclad, and also played shows with bands like Slayer and Sepultura.[6]
In 1992, the band decided to take a different direction with their album Kin, adopting a more progressive power metal style with their music,[1] which was considered by many[who?] to be the band's biggest mistake. Despite the critical acclaim, a video for "The Order of Chaos" was shot and received some airplay on MTV, and to promote the album, Xentrix went on tour with Tankard.[6]
After a hiatus and replacing Chris Astley with Simon Gordon and Andy Rudd on vocals and guitar respectively, Xentrix resurfaced in 1996 with their fourth album Scourge. The band broke up shortly after its release, citing the decline in popularity in the British metal scene as the reason.[6]
In 2005, Xentrix announced that they would be reuniting with its classic line-up for a small number of dates. They played a handful of shows in the UK in the spring of 2006, including one with then-recently reunited Onslaught and Evile.[7][8][9] Despite the positive response to those two shows, Xentrix announced that September that they had once again split up.[10]
On 4 February 2013, it was announced via Evile's Facebook page that a reunited Xentrix would be joining Kreator and Evile for a three-show UK tour in late April.[11] This was initially the full Shattered Existence lineup, but later in the year bassist Paul MacKenzie left, to be replaced by Chris Shires. On 15 February, the band announced that they had new material in the works.[12]
Select shows continued in early 2014, and at the Up The Hammers Festival in Athens, Greece on 8 March, they played new song "World of Mouth" for the first time, and included it in their set supporting Overkill on their UK tour, starting in London on 13 March. In October 2015, Xentrix embarked on a six-date UK tour with a reunited Acid Reign and Shrapnel.[13]
On 14 July 2017, it was announced that Xentrix had once again parted ways with Chris Astley and replaced him with Jay Walsh.[14]
On 27 March 2019, Xentrix announced Bury the Pain as the title of their first studio album in 23 years.[15] The album was released on 7 June 2019.[16][17]
In a June 2019 interview with Metal Crypt, guitarist Kristian Havard revealed that Xentrix had already begun writing the follow-up to Bury the Pain.[18] By March 2021, the band had written and demoed at least twelve songs for their new album,[19] and announced that August they were in the studio recording it.[20] The album was completed in June 2022, and a month later, the band announced Seven Words as its album title and that it will be released on 4 November.[21] In order to promote it, Xentrix (along with Whiplash and Artillery) will support Vio-lence on the European MTV Headbangers Ball Tour.[22]
New Beginnings
Xentrix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reflect on what you say.
Connected indirectly,
Perfect in every way.
Aware of every movement.
Commit to memory.
Not easy to ignore but
Too easy to believe.
To trust in your own judgement,
And keep an open mind.
Evaluation silent,
Confusion killing time.
Meaningless information
Implanted deep within.
Hours of intense frustration,
Your needs are genuine.
A single thought, no shape, no form.
To analyse and criticise, lost and yet unborn.
Feeds on itself and wants for nothing more.
Untouchable, invisible, your whole mind to explore.
Your thoughts you cannot purify.
The need to dominate and occupy.
The urge to win and not to be ruled, you just cannot deny.
Premature senility.
Uncontrollable decay.
A loss of your ability,
All functions waste away.
Untouched by conscience feeling,
Invisible to all.
After a time revealing,
Your unable to recall.
A single thought...
Your thoughts...
The lyrics to Xentrix's song New Beginnings speak to the challenge of navigating the sea of information that we are constantly bombarded with. The opening lines, "Subject to your own scrutiny. Reflect on what you say," suggest that we need to be critical of the information we consume and the thoughts that we allow to take hold in our minds. The idea of being "connected indirectly" implies that there are hidden influences that shape our thinking, and it's important to be aware of these.
The second verse continues this theme of evaluating information and being mindful of our own thought processes. The lines, "Meaningless information implanted deep within. Hours of intense frustration, your needs are genuine," suggest that we need to sift through the noise to find what truly matters to us.
The final verse takes a darker turn, with references to "premature senility" and a loss of ability. This could be seen as a warning about the dangers of allowing our minds to be overwhelmed by the constant barrage of information we face on a daily basis.
Overall, the song seems to be calling for a more mindful approach to thinking and consuming information, and a recognition of the hidden influences that shape our thoughts and beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Subject to your own scrutiny.
Reflect on and examine everything you say and do, with a critical eye.
Reflect on what you say.
Think carefully about the words that come out of your mouth.
Connected indirectly, Perfect in every way.
Although it may seem that things are only indirectly connected, everything happens for a reason and according to a perfect plan.
Aware of every movement.
Be mindful of every action and decision you make.
Commit to memory.
Make a conscious effort to remember important things.
Not easy to ignore but Too easy to believe.
It can be hard to ignore things that seem important or true, but it's also easy to be swayed by things that aren't necessarily accurate.
To trust in your own judgement, And keep an open mind.
Have confidence in your own ability to make decisions, but also be willing to consider other viewpoints.
Evaluation silent, Confusion killing time.
Silently evaluate situations and make decisions, as confusion and uncertainty can waste valuable time.
Meaningless information Implanted deep within.
Don't let unimportant or inaccurate information take root in your mind and influence your decisions.
Hours of intense frustration, Your needs are genuine.
Despite any frustration or difficulty, remember that your needs and desires are valid and worth pursuing.
A single thought, no shape, no form.
A vague or abstract thought that hasn't yet taken any concrete shape.
To analyse and criticise, lost and yet unborn.
Although the thought may not yet be fully formed or realized, it is still possible to analyze and critique it.
Feeds on itself and wants for nothing more.
The thought can grow and perpetuate on its own, without any external factors or desires.
Untouchable, invisible, your whole mind to explore.
The thought exists purely in your mind and can be explored in depth.
Your thoughts you cannot purify.
You can't always control or purify your thoughts to align with your desires or values.
The need to dominate and occupy.
There may be an innate desire to control or dominate a situation or person.
The urge to win and not to be ruled, you just cannot deny.
Feeling the need to be in control and not wanting to be controlled by others is a strong and undeniable desire.
Premature senility.
A loss of cognitive function and mental agility at a relatively young age.
Uncontrollable decay.
Physical or mental degeneration that cannot be stopped or prevented.
A loss of your ability, All functions waste away.
As mental or physical decay sets in, your abilities gradually diminish until they are gone completely.
Untouched by conscience feeling, Invisible to all.
As mental decay worsens, emotions and empathy may be dulled or even absent.
After a time revealing, Your unable to recall.
With further decay, memories and knowledge may be lost completely, leaving you unable to remember anything at all.
Your thoughts...
Continuation of the same theme of exploring and analyzing your own thoughts.
Contributed by Caleb O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.