SFTHU Quick Reviews: Century - "Sign of the Storm"
Fun fact: I love traditional heavy metal almost as much as I love doom. When you think about it, they have a lot in common: occult and fantastical themes and imagery, riff-driven guitar work, and countless shared musical influences for starters. As much as I adore the low and slow sinister tones of doom, I'm enamored with the high energy and often more intricate compositions of traditional heavy metal and the new wave of British heavy metal movement that rocked the genre in the 70s and 80s.
With that said, you can imagine my giddiness after happening upon Century, a heavy metal duo from Sweden who creates one of the most raw and legitimate vintage metal sounds I've had the pleasure of hearing. The band composes as a duo, with Leo Ekstrom Sollenmo on drums and bass and Staffan Tengner on guitars, vocals, and bass. When playing live, they enlist the help of fellow musicians Isak Koskinen Rosemarin and Edvin Aftonfalk.
Century got their start in 2020, releasing a few demos and singles (often released on an old school cassette format) before dropping their first full-length album, The Conquest of Time, in 2023. By this point, the band had really refined their heavy metal chops and had homed in on their signature sound. For the most part, the tracks on this album are rather short, albeit high energy and concentrated doses of NWOBHM goodness. Not quite two years later, Century is keeping up the momentum by releasing their second full-length album, Sign of the Storm, which will be our focus here.
Sign of the Storm
On Sign of the Storm, Century picks up where they left off on their debut full-length album, and that's a good thing in this case. While I do hear a fair amount of dimension added on Sign of the Storm, the band ultimately does what they do best in bringing us more of their trademark NWOBHM stylings.
Unlike many of their mainstream counterparts, Century is not about modern production values or theatrics. They're all about maintaining a genuine retro sound, and it's a massive part of their appeal; the music effortlessly speaks for itself. The band keeps this attitude on their sophomore album, which I was delighted to hear. In fact, I'm quite sure that if I told you that this album was recorded in the late 70s, you wouldn't bat an eye. To my ears, however, Century is unique in that there's a dark and hazy quality in that old school production that adds a layer of dark magic alongside the sword and shield vibes, in the vein of bands such as Angel Witch and Diamond Head.
The ten tracks on Sign of the Storm are powerful, confident, and anthem-like (especially that title track), each weaving fantastical tales in the tradition of the genre. The instrumental chops are impressive, with intricate, relentless, charging riffage and wailing solos that both impress and remind you of everything you love about the complexities of traditional heavy metal. This is a genre that exudes power, and Century interprets this quality incredibly well. Similarly, the smooth yet assured vocals recount each epic, soaring above the instrumental battleground and often punctuating stanzas with a characteristic heavy metal wail.
On Sign of the Storm, Century continues to wield the torch of the NWOBHM bands that came before them and breathes fresh air into the genre by bringing it into modern times. It's beyond refreshing to not only hear a new band keep that flame burning, but to do it remarkably well.
Physical CD copies of Sign of the Storm can be purchased via Dying Victims Productions and Electric Assault Records here.
More About Century:
You can follow Century and listen to their music at the following links:
If you like Century, you might also enjoy HRAEFN!
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