The Order of Chaos

The Order of Chaos was a single/EP release through Roadracer that was used to promote their third album Kin, but let's be real about this: in 1992, was there much cause for excitement over anything in the sinking thrash genre? With the very rare exception, no, there wasn't, and Xentrix enforced this decline with some rather inept decisions to mellow themselves out even further from the sampling we heard on the Dilute to Taste EP, becoming the elevator music equivalent of thrash metal, so this is but the warm up to another major disappointment, made more so by the fact that the band's sophomore For Whose Advantage? had been quite promising.

Basically, this single release captures two tracks from the full-length, "The Order of Chaos" and "All Bleed Red". The former makes sense as the single and lead-in to the album, because sadly it is the best song found within, with somber melodic guitars and pulsing muted thrash rhythms that show the spirit hasn't entirely fled the band. However, as the new originals from Dilute to Taste hinted, the band is now about absorbing the listener into a more spacious envelope of sound. "All Bleed Red" is, coincidentally, the second best song on Kin, and perhaps the closest on that album to the materail from For Whose Advantage? Rounding this out is a cover of The Teardrop Explodes' "Reward", a peppy post-punk piece given a slightly metallic treatment that is pretty forgettable, but at least it's no "Ghost Busters"...

It's almost ironic that most of the best metallic content of the Kin album is contained within this single, but ultimately it's a worthless release, since you can probably get the full-length for a few dollars more and never miss the added content. I wouldn't call the cover 'bad', and I'm sure Xentrix felt it showed off their diverse tastes in music, but this isn't really a band I want to hear outside of their riffier, energetic flair like "Questions" or "Balance of Power", and The Order of Chaos is relegated to yet another piece of worn, useless plastic that might have sold a few hundred copies at shows or record shops, but few if any would ever care about again.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Xentrix is a nice little British thrash band formed in the mid 80's, as most people have come to know them for their fine debut and sophomore album featuring a nice melodic thrash output. Xentrix released their third album, Kin in 1992 which is a mediocre offering of somewhat appealing thrash metal. It was a bit of a different approach it seems as to the previous two albums featuring a less overall melodic atmosphere and more of a mid paced thrasher that didn't hold as much attention. It's almost what I could imagine being a precursor to what you hear in the more 'modern' thrash albums/acts such as something like Exodus' newest or Bonded by Blood or even Metallica's newest. Which is safe to say this is quite near what you hear on the Black Album. Anyway, this is not a review of that full length, it's about the more important part of it - this single.

Now, I should go ahead and say after the very few minimal listens I gave Kin, I wasn't exactly as pleased or entertained as I was with Xentrix's debut and decided to discard it as a mediocre thrash album with little appeal, but at the same time I had obtained I had gotten this single released just before featuring 3 songs off the album centered around The Order of Chaos. The title song features a decent mid tempo gait that at times sometimes plods along with an interesting semi groove melody to it, with Chris Astely keeping an all full lower semi growl and singing instead of using any higher registers period, an interesting direction that somehow works with the new almost mechanical thrash image that you see with an almost replica to Wolfpack Unleashed minus the death metal influences.

The Order of Chaos and All Bleed Red are two of the better songs on Kin that feature a mid paced pace that somehow pulls itself off to be interesting about half the time, but once put in and mixed together with a whole album of other semi interesting songs, it just doesn't work. This single is better than the whole of Kin because it chooses the style Xentrix employs and doesn't overdo it or wear it thin like a full length album would. Reward is a nice song, a bit faster with some cool bass parts and even some fun riffing, although it still doesn't remind me of the Xentrix I first heard on Shattered Existence. The vocals are competent and somehow fitting for the style found here but really doesn't stand out or showcase any amount of appeal otherwise.

Xentrix are a fun band, nothing special or completely original but have their first 2 albums that shine above the rest of their discography with this single showing a glimpse into their third album Kin. This single is probably better to pick up than the whole of Kin, as that album lacks the strength and power to keep any sort of appeal for long listens, as instead this is a better and shorter listen. It's much like The Black Album and a definite mid 90's thrash album that's somewhat mainstream in sound and production. Pick this up if you are a diehard Xentrix fan and you want to get a small taste of their later career work.