Century - Sign of the Storm (2025)

4.5★

Ever since CENTURY dropped their first demo, people saw their vision: melodic & anthemic heavy metal for the masses. In 2023, we were blessed with their stellar debut album, The Conquest of Time, which allowed the band to gain even more traction and global attention -- and might I add, quickly became one of my favorite modern heavy metal albums. After some watching and waiting, CENTURY have unveiled their second album, Sign of the Storm!

If you've heard the singles from this album, you know what you're in for. It's a continuation of CENTURY's already-established sound, but this time we're getting a little bit of speed metal flavor thrown in, especially prevalent on tracks like "Sacrifice."

The riffs are just as catchy as ever, with some guitar acrobatics thrown in here and there, and blistering lead guitar work from mainman Staffan Tengnér. I'm just not sure how he does it, but I guess some people just have a knack for writing great riffs. If he's not known now, he will be in due time! As for drummer and 'co-bassist' Leo Ekström Sollenmo, well he's just playing his ass off as usual; keeping time but showing some needed flash here and there to really push the songs over the edge. These two are a force to be reckoned with, and their collective chops and songwriting skills are in full effect yet again. I have to touch on Staffan's vocals, because how could we ignore them? His voice is just as bright as ever, with vocal harmonies galore and some absolutely killer choruses. I swear, the first time I heard "Sacrifice," I had the chorus stuck in my head for weeks -- WEEKS I tell you!

I've done enough blushing over this band, but if you're in the mood for some energetic, anthemic, and melodic heavy metal that'll stay with you for a long time, DO NOT ignore CENTURY.

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FAVORITE TRACKS: “Sacrifice,” “Children of the Past,” "Fly Away"

FOR FANS OF: Heavy Load, Gotham City, Iron Maiden

Out on January 24, 2025!

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