Review: “Self Titled” EP by Sentre

In April 2019, Belgian Metallers Sentre released a pair of tracks recorded, mixed and mastered by Matthijs Quaars Audio (Spoil Engine, Exhuminate) and then… seemingly disappeared into the wilderness. The tracks were actually recorded in 2018 as Nick Lamote (Vocals), Dries Van Belle (Guitar, backing vocals), Jonas Delbecke (Drums) and Kristof Taveirne (Bass) went in search of something new to formulate their sound, looking to create innovative and inspiring music while remaining a solid, heavy, punch-to-the-gut metal band. 11 months on and they’ve finally released the full debut EP that we’ve been waiting for…

…There no mistaking the powerhouse raging unclean vocals from Nick Lamote as the first verse of “Herd” comes in but it’s his clean vocal range that is the thing which captures the imagination. Dries Van Belle produces his fair share of sinister Metalcore riffs into the verse but the soaring chorus, which falls into a gap between In Flames and Killswitch Engage is a nice touch. Indeed the lead parts that cut between the verse and chorus echo the sentiment of the later. Shifting the gears up a couple of notches with adrenaline fueled opening to “Enraged Despair” which keeps that headbangable stomp of staccato riffs in the bridge while also having a life of it’s own with some more classical Metalcore era moments. As you can probably tell the lyrics are raw in places but stand up in perfectly sing-a-longable fashion. “The Stray” benefits from having some brilliant tribal percussive moments from Delbecke while also seeing Lamote produce a couple of Ronnie James Dio higher resonance clean moments that turn heads. You might not have thought that a man with a depth of growl on show in the latter part of the track would be capable of such highs and yet, there it is. Taveirne adds a ground shaking bass drop which is like a bomb going off and turns the track on it’s head. Last but by no means least, “Odium” gets a piano underpinning in the opening 60 seconds or so while an argument plays out in the distance. The tidal wave of riffs then crashes upon the shores with total annihilation the outcome for those that Lamote wants to suffer the wrath of his words with lines like “You turned to stone that wanted to brake these bones A broken home, burned into flames“. A longer track at just over 6 minutes, it’s held down well by the band as they break up the flow with some nuanced programming, vocal and guitar change ups with Lamote left breathless and upset by the closing bars. Fist clenched in defiance, Sentre are here to stay [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Herd
2. Enraged Despair
3. The Stray
4. Odium

“Sentre” by Sentre is out now and available over at Spotify