Death Metal seems to be a well that will never run dry. The more bands experiment frontiers, the more the genre offers. The musical possibilities seem to be endless, and in the same way for those who try to build something new, or for those who just want to play on a traditional way. In this last group you'll find the French quintet FRAKASM, a true tormentor of years and necks. And as a first visit, they bring "Centuries of Decline", a blood puke of the purest Death Metal.

They aren't inventing a new method; they are just playing a traditional form of Death Metal with all those elements that we already know. Of course, they follow the steps of bands like DEICIDE, DEATH, and many others, bearing a very good technique in each instrument (as well as they use melodic guitar solos), very good guttural grunts and nasty screams. It's nothing new, but good and personal.

Sebastien Gossaert (who did the recording and mixing) and Alexi Kevork (on the mastering) made a good work. Their efforts to make a sound quality that could fit on the band's musical work resulted in a form of sound that is aggressive and brutal, but clear and modern in a way that you won't be able to classify their music as "moldy" or "out of date". No, it seems to be alive and ferocious! The artwork created by Headsplit Design shows the musical convictions of the quintet: the compromise to the Old School teachings.

On their eight songs, the quintet unleashes a violent storm of Death Metal brutality. All of the being very good, but the extreme tunes of bass guitar and drums on "Reaper's Return", the outstanding crushing attack of guitar riffs and solos on the slow-paced tempos of "Cerebral Torture", the catchy massacre of guitars and vocals on "Hirosaki", the excruciating and solid music violence that is heard on "Inferi Gloria", and the raw energy that flows from "In the Womb" can be said as their best moments on the album.

The album is very good, but I believe that they can do better.