Xentrix

Lancashire's hapless Xentrix stands among England's most accomplished thrash metal outfits, yet their trajectory ultimately underscored Great Britain's comparatively minor role in speed metal when measured against the genre's overwhelming American dominance. The group originated in Preston during 1986 under the name Sweet Vengeance, with vocalist/guitarist Chris Astley, guitarist Kristian Havard, bassist Paul MacKenzie, and drummer Dennis Gasser comprising the lineup. They began, predictably enough, by performing Metallica covers and slowly built a following through appearances on the U.K. pub circuit, reinforced by the 1988 demo Hunger For.... Roadrunner Records noticed the emerging act and offered a deal, which resulted in the 1989 release of their debut album Shattered Existence followed later that year by the Ghost Buster EP. Fronted by an aggressive, overly ironic cover of Ray Parker Jr.'s movie theme, the EP quickly drew cease-and-desist action that forced its withdrawal from numerous retailers and thrust the relatively inexperienced Xentrix into unwelcome legal trouble.

Despite the setback, the band pressed ahead and produced a string of increasingly formulaic thrash efforts: For Whose Advantage? in 1990, Dilute to Taste in 1991, and both Kin and the Order of Chaos EP in 1992. Mounting lack of interest and declining commercial returns inevitably sparked internal tensions; after Roadrunner dropped them in 1993 the original incarnation dissolved. A partial revival surfaced in 1996 with Scourge, now featuring vocalist Simon Gordon and second guitarist Andy Rudd, yet the album merely confirmed that Xentrix's already limited creative resources had been exhausted, confirming the project's definitive conclusion.