Xentrix
Formed: 1985
From:
Preston,
United Kingdom
Last Known Status: Regrouped
Latest Xentrix News
Below is our complete Xentrix news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Xentrix Reunion Show Footage Available
The '80s U.K. thrash band Xentrix (recently covered in our Sunday Old School column) reunited for a first show in nearly seven years on Sunday night, and you can watch video of the performance below. The clip includes a cover of the song "Ghostbusters," followed by "Dark Enemy" from the 1989 album "Shattered Existence."
Column
Sunday Old School: Xentrix
On February 3rd of this year, Sunday Old School took a look at Acid Reign, one of Britain’s best contributions to thrash metal. A day later, another of the British thrash greats, Xentrix announced that they had decided to reunite, after people had demanded them to do so for years. This week, we will be giving Xentrix the recognition they deserve, and examining the career of one of the biggest names in British thrash. Xentrix were formed in the Lancashire city of Preston and garnered themselves plenty of interest when their demo received a perfect score in Kerrang! magazine, which eventually led to a deal with Roadrunner Records, following a successful audition. Through the label, the band released their first full length album, "Shattered Existence" in 1989, and embarked on a tour with fellow thrashers, Sabbat, to support the release.
The band followed the release of their debut album with a single, a cover of the Ray Parker Jr. hit, "Ghostbusters." It was a controversial move in several aspects, not least in the copyright area, which forced the band to re-issue the record with a different cover due to use of the "Ghostbusters" logo without permission. Despite the novelty of a thrash metal version of the song, the band had rightly earned the respect of their peers with, "Shattered Existence," as evidenced by their slot opening for Bay Area heavy hitters, Testament and the group soon set to work on a second album, which was released in 1990 under the title, "For Whose Advantage?" The album was a hit amongst thrash fans, being heralded as one of the best thrash releases of the year, with the title track and the song, "Questions" in particular receiving praise, and they once again hit the road with Sabbat to promote the album. More...
Hellfighter Posts New Music Video Online
Hellfighter, the new band featuring former members of British thrash metal veterans Xentrix, has posted a new music video online for the song, "Legacy Of Hate." You can check it out below. The song comes from the group's debut album, "Damnation's Wings," which is available now. More...
U.K. Thrash Documentary Posts Trailer Online
A new trailer has been posted online for the forthcoming documenary film, "A History Of A Time To Come," which looks at the thrash metal scene and history in the United Kingdom. You can check it out below. The film makers have also announced that a book tie-in will be released, written by journalist Greg Mofitt, who has written for Metal Hammer and Terrorizer amongst other publications.
"In 2003 I had the idea to set out the story of U.K. thrash," Greg explains. "I lived through the scene as a teenager and felt that although the U.K. was the underdog compared to, say, the US and Germany, there was still a great tale to tell. It’s a story of the British bulldog spirit facing down adversity and in that sense U.K. thrash was typical of the nation. With few exceptions, British thrash bands received very little global coverage back in the day, so this is also a largely untold story. When I originally devised the book concept, U.K. thrash was nothing but a dusty chapter in history. Today, things are quite different. The scene has sparked into life once again and veteran outfits continue to reform, some sounding better than ever. When I heard about the 'A History of a Time to Come' documentary and met the guys behind it, all the pieces finally fell into place and the timing was perfect."
Speaking on the book, the film makers stated: "We’re delighted to be working in tandem with Greg on the project, and especially excited to see how the two projects will compliment each other. One of our concerns from the outset was that perhaps the film format would limit our ability to convey the story of the scene in enough depth to satisfy the fans, but with the introduction of the written story we feel confident that everyone, from hardcore fan to the casual cinema- goer will find their level of interest covered."
Both the film and the book are still in the production stages and anyone who feels they might be able to contribute in some way, be it with first hand stories, video/audio materials or pictures etc. is encouraged to get in touch. More...
UK Thrash Documentary In The Works
A new documentary examining the thrash metal scene in the United Kingdom has recently been announced, entitled, "History Of A Time To Come," which takes it's name from the debut album by Sabbat. A recent post about the documentary by Lawnmower Deth guitarist Concorde Faceripper reads as follows:
"I'm pleased to announce that Lawnmower Deth have recently spent a few fun filled hours being interviewed for a new documentary about the UK thrash scene.
"The kind fellows at A History Of A Time To Come - The Story Of UK Thrash invited us to Leeds to be filmed for a new project which will aim to document the history of the UK thrash scene and will include live footage of past and present UK thrash bands interlaced with interviews with bands from each era. More...
Xentrix Members Form New Band
Three former members of British thrash metal veterans Xentrix, singer Simon Gordon, drummer Den Gasser and guitarist Kristian Havard, have formed a brand new metal band named Hellfighter. The band also recently signed a record deal with Heavy Metal Records, through which they will release their debut album around late Spring/Summer time. Simon Gordon states:
"We're delighted to be working with such an established British label. We've known Paul Birch (Managing Director, Revolver Records and Heavy Metal Records) for ten years or so, since the Xentrix days, so it was natural for us to speak to him about Hellfighter. We're looking forward to a successful partnership."
MD Paul Birch added: "Hellfighter are in the studio at the moment and the album is sounding killer, with strong elements of the thrash sound but also some of their wider influences thrown in. We're pleased to be bringing Hellfighter to a wider audience. The album is a priority release for us in 2010, and with Heavy Metal Records celebrating its 30th year we're confident Hellfighter will help to make it a memorable one for the label."
