My Spanish is fair at best, even though I used to speak it really well. The reason I bring up that seemingly random fact is that I recently discovered CENTAURO (thank you, Jon Asher!), Thrash Metal band from Culiacán, Sinaloa in Mexico. And you guessed it, they sing in Spanish. I can catch a few words here and there, but that’s really of little consequence. Because Thrash is meant to be played, loud, hard, and fast, and boy oh boy do these fuckers do just that! The vocals are some of the angriest I’ve ever heard in the genre, and musically this band is tight as a drum. The guitar work is serious business thanks to the tandem of Roberto Lizarraga and Iván García, who also handles lead vocals. Meanwhile the rhythm section of Hecris Estrada on bass and drummer Mario Rivera locks it all down with authority.
The boys recently dropped their self-released third full-length album (eighth release overall since 2009…wow!) Daño Colateral and Jeezus, does it go hard!! The minute I heard opener “Aberrante Creación” I could tell shit was about to get real serious up in here. The next two tracks “Extenuante Cometido” and “I.D.S.” pull no punches, either, with the latter shifting gears at the three minute mark and making me go, “Whoa! I need to hear this one AGAIN!” The opening riff to “Al Pie del Borde” totally belies what’s waiting for you once you step inside the song. This was such a cool curveball, with some nice dual harmonized leads, and definitely a favorite on the disc, no question.
At this point I think I should make it clear that this is a concept album, and not one for the faint of heart. I’ll let Rivera tell you in his own words: “The album is a story about a person that has been born from rape, that’s why this newborn is unwanted; So he and his brother work their way through the struggles of life until his brother dies. He gets angry with life and his resentment burns until he gets into prison for vandalism. In prison, he learns how to be a real criminal, and when he is released, he begins a path of violent crimes and killing until his madness makes him commit suicide.” Wow…seriously heady subject matter, no? But man, these guys play and sing with a conviction some bands couldn’t on their best day.
Other favorites for me included “El Derecho del Mártir” and “Sentencia de Muerte” from the very first spin. Both rock your face off, but there’s such a complexity to them that you can’t help but get drawn in. And it’s hard not to go nuts to “Colmando un Oscuro Vacío”, “Delirio Esquizofrénico”, and closer “Impulso Terminal” to be honest. Honestly this record is a big fucking helping of Thrash Metal done right. Whether or not you understand the language doesn’t even matter because the strength of these tracks transcends all that. Daño Colateral is a great album, CENTAURO is a great band, and I am so happy that they fell into my lap. You can purchase the record HERE. You’ll thank me later, trust and believe.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Delirio Esquizofrénico”, “Al Pie del Borde”, “El Derecho del Mártir”, “Sentencia de Muerte”, “I.D.S.”
RATING: 9/10
