A man singing into a microphone while playing a guitar
A man playing a guitar next to another man playing a double bass
A man is playing a red gibson guitar
A man singing into a microphone while another man plays a guitar
A man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket is singing into a microphone.
A group of people are standing on a stage playing instruments.
A shirtless man is playing drums in front of a sign that says el camilly
A group of people posing for a picture with one woman holding a red cup
A man in a black shirt is playing a double bass
A man is playing a guitar in a dark room

Century Sign Of The Storm CD Review

December 22, 2024
The cover of a game called the renfields

The more time passes on, the more I unearth NWOTHM bands that just absolutely set fire to my expectations. One might think that a new wave of bands that are keeping traditional heavy metal alive might be redundant and/or boring, but I don't find that to be the case. Bands like Skull Fist, Cauldron and Night Demon have had my heart for many years, but I'm always looking for more to run across that I can put on the same pedestal. I may have been successful in that with Century and their sophomore full length album 'Sign of the Storm'.


Having formed in 2020, Century is composed of two members - drummer and bassist Leo Ekström Sollenmo and guitarist and vocalist Staffan Tengnér. And let me tell you, their chemistry on 'Sign of the Storm' is nothing short of amazing. The album is warm and rich in atmosphere, often lending itself to the forefathers of traditional heavy metal. The instrumental "Sorceress" gives me Angel Witch vibes while "Fly Away" is something I could have easily seen on an early Priest album. Speaking of Judas Priest, Staffan's vocal performance in many situations is almost identical to Rob's which just brings the tone and production of the album full circle as it sounds like it's something that could have easily been released in the late 70's or early 80's.


As one of the first releases of 2025 that I've been able to get my hands on, 'Sign of the Storm' is setting the bar high as I would have to already consider it for top 10 contendership for sure. There are a lot of releases I'm looking forward to, so I'll have to see how things play out, but this is getting things off on the right foot. One listen to "Children of the Past" or "Sign of the Storm" and you'll have no choice but to agree. This album will be released by both Electric Assault Records (Vinyl) and Dying Victims Productions (CD).

~TJ

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