CoC : Centurion's Ghost - The Great Work : Review

Centurion's Ghost - _The Great Work_
(I Hate Records, 2007)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10)

Just as the frozen Norse wastelands encapsulate the zeitgeist of black metal, the Deep (American) South, with its lethargy inducing heat and humidity, is essentially the audio representation of sludge doom. The title may be adopted from a noted alchemical tome, but my first thought was not about pseudo-scientific endeavours, but nasty thoughts about the size of their egos and possible puns and comments as to the lack of quality. Alas, I won't get to use them, as this is a strong entrant to the sludge doom realm, poised to fill the lacuna left by the inactivity and departure of Crowbar and Eyehategod.

Apparently, they are well known in the English underground for their frequent live performances, and certainly, that experience appears to have been of no small benefit. Centurion's Ghost are easily adept at conveying the oppressive humidity of a Louisiana summer through a combination of filthy riffs, rumbling bass, clashing symbols and tortured vocals. A Hammond organ (or passable facsimile) complements the atmosphere on occasion, but is hardly essential. These UK based sludgesters have managed to create an album that is well above average, well worth the purchase price, but falling short of classic status. If they remain on this trajectory, they won't remain part of the UK underground for too much longer though.

Contact: http://www.centurionsghost.com

(article published 4/4/2008)