Centaur are a German band who put out a string of mediocre to semi-interesting albums in the 90s, but after their 4th (and arguably best) full-length God Complex, took an extended hiatus. 11 years later, they return with The Origin of Sin, and a style largely unchanged. I'm afraid the years have not been kind... While there is nothing terrible about what Centaur does, the songs lack excitement and memorable hooks.These guys play a slower brand of power/prog metal, with low, chugging guitar rhythms given atmosphere by synthesizers. Think of later Angel Dust, beginning with Border of Reality, and you have a good picture of the ballpark these guys are in. They don't write intense anthemic riffs like the majority of European power metal bands, instead plodding along at mostly the same pace throughout much of the album. The vocals of Carsten Volz have a similar, hard rock blues feel to Rick Altzi of At Vance, only nowhere near as good. He seems to function in only one range, and the vocals rarely reach an emotional level that could carry the riffs. The band does have some good atmospheric moments with the guitar solos and synthesizers, as in the middle of "Invaders", but most of the rhythm guitars do not appeal to me, more for their tone than note patterns. A few of the tracks had some potential, like the bombastic "Hiding the Shadows" and the swaggering "The Healing", but I was unimpressed by the majority of the writing.
Centaur has released better records in the past, like Power World and God Complex, so this new effort feels lackluster by comparison. With a bolder guitar tone and perhaps a better mix this could have sounded better, but even then, there are few riffs to hold on to. Perhaps the band is just a little rough after so many years away, The Origin of Sin is just their way of shaking off the rust, and maybe they will blow our minds the next time out.
Highlights: Hiding the Shadows, The Healing
Verdict: Indifference [5/10]
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