{"id":110535,"date":"2025-09-03T02:48:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T02:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/110535\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T02:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T02:48:13","slug":"review-centuries-of-decay-a-monument-to-oblivion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/110535\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Centuries of Decay – A Monument to Oblivion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published by Cory<\/a> on September 2, 2025September 2, 2025<\/p>\n

\"\"Artwork by: Derrick Doucette<\/p>\n

Style: Progressive death metal (mixed vocals, mostly harsh)
Recommended for fans of: Rivers of Nihil<\/a>, Ulcerate, Gojira
Country: Canada
Release date: 1 August 2025<\/p>\n

At the Subway, we certainly believe that much of the best music lies deep underground. The perceptive among you might even have noticed this belief is, indeed, the premise of our blog. But the truth is, when sampling an album by a band with a monthly listener count barely cracking three digits, more often than not, the release sits somewhere between unenjoyable and unremarkable. Whether it\u2019s an understandably amateurish production, lack of direction, underdeveloped songwriting, or all these things, many of the albums we hear fall short\u2014and the limitations are usually evident within minutes. You gotta shuck a lot of oysters to find a pearl.<\/p>\n

So cue my surprise when putting on Centuries of Decay\u2019s sophomore album, A Monument to Oblivion. At the time of the album\u2019s release, the Canadian prog-death act had a paltry 200 or so monthly listeners on Spotify,1<\/a> and eight years had passed since their debut. Yet, as the first riffs hit\u2014all massive, intuitively strung together, and backed by thunderous drumming and a polished production\u2014it seemed we had uncovered something special. In our world, it\u2019s rare to hear a band so instantly and obviously professional. A Monument to Oblivion\u2019s opening few minutes firmly impressed, but would the rest of the album\u2019s hour-long runtime sound as, well, monumental?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Centuries of Decay deliver an aurally dense brand of progressive death metal\u2014a sturdy wall built of thick riffing and heavy atmosphere. There\u2019s a weight to their sound reminiscent of Ulcerate, along with the occasional flash of dissonance, but the band also offer a Gojira-esque accessibility and pack in plenty of melody. Powerful harsh vocals pummel, while cleans are used frequently for texture and variety. This sonic blend is metered perfectly in opener \u201cCauterize,\u201d an infectious yet crushing track of nearly ten minutes that stands as one of this year\u2019s best. After its tension-building intro, the song propels forward through a series of wonderfully heavy passages, letting up only to supply a hell of a chorus that features one of the catchiest guitar leads in recent memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Monument to Oblivion might lure you in with its heft, but its artfully executed, melodic sections are what grab hold. The bridges halfway through both \u201cBetween the Waves of Grief\u201d and \u201cWake\u201d are simply phenomenal, each evoking a beautifully bleak, desert-like aura that wouldn\u2019t be out of place on a Dvne record. \u201cTo Dust,\u201d meanwhile, shifts from aggressive to subdued at its midpoint, building patiently atop wistful clean guitars until exploding into a colossal outro. The sharp, melodic guitars in the final minute of the title track can cut you to pieces, and the weeping leads throughout the chunky, slow-burning \u201cThe Great Divide\u201d are enough to leave you shattered\u2014take your pick. Consistent across all these passages, and the whole album really, is Derrick Doucette\u2019s ingenious drumming.2<\/a> Not only is he an absolute beast behind the kit, but his deft cymbal work and sense of flow actively stand out even among the other band members\u2019 strong performances. Just as I find the urge to hum along to the guitar melodies, I also find the urge to click and hiss along to the drums.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although A Monument to Oblivion\u2019s quality never falters across its seven tracks, as the old adage goes, there can be too much of a good thing\u2014and here, that applies just slightly to the album\u2019s heavier features. The pulverizing riffs, aggressive passages, and chunky rhythms are excellent but often tonally and atmospherically similar, and they begin to blend together over the course of an hour. By the time the closing track \u201cTempest\u201d hits, I\u2019m about ready for a different feel. Had the band been a bit more concise in their compositions, some material could have been cut or curtailed, and the listening experience made slightly more impactful as a result. Nonetheless, because the album\u2019s so well-written and performed\u2014even if a tad bloated\u2014this all amounts to a minor quibble.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a year replete with strong prog-death albums,3<\/a> Centuries of Decay manage to join the upper echelon. All the more impressive, upon the release of A Monument to Oblivion, the band was virtually unknown, or perhaps forgotten during the eight years since their debut. Yet, the album sounds like it came from a household name\u2014well, to the extent any progressive death metal band can be a household name. For my own sake, I hope Centuries of Decay harness the momentum and bit of renown this album has earned them and put out new material on a swifter cycle. Another eight years is simply too long to wait to hear again from a band this formidable.<\/p>\n

Recommended tracks: Cauterize, Between the Waves of Grief, The Great Divide
You may also like: Hath<\/a>, Blighted Eye, Orgone<\/a>, Dormant Ordeal<\/a>
Final verdict: 8\/10<\/p>\n

Related links: Bandcamp<\/a> | Official Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Metal-Archives<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Centuries of Decay is:
\u2013 Devin Doucette (guitars, vocals)
\u2013 Rob McAllister (guitars, backing vocals)
\u2013 Anton Zhura (bass)
\u2013 Derrick Doucette (drums)<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n