Few traditional metal acts have taken the underground by storm in the past decade like Century has. It was just a little under two years ago that they released their acclaimed debut full length, The Conquest of Time, and played the 2023 edition of Texas’ biggest metal party, Hell’s Heroes. In an age where the collective attention span towards new music is about on par with that of a gnat, Century was band whose name was uttered in headbanger circles for the rest of 2023, and well into 2024 for that matter. Well everyone, our new favorite Swedish duo have given us reason to keep their name in our mouths in 2025 with the release of their sophomore follow up, Sign of the Storm.
Just like Conquest before it, Sign of the Storm draws heavily from the well of early Swedish metal and the NWOBHM at its creative peak, fusing the two rough and ready approaches to craft an album that’s yet again all killer, no filler. If there is a major difference between the two albums, it’s that Sign is the more sonically concise affair. Whereas Conquest boasted outliers that flirted with ’80s USPM and early prog metal, and a couple barn burners bordering on speed metal, Sign is an all out traditional metal fiesta with only sporadic USPM nuances and, surprise, a pair of full blown speed metal neck-snappers to boot.
Wasting no time at all, Century comes storming out the gate with the rip-roaring “Sacrifice”: An incredible show of melodic speed metal force in the vein of Satan. I’ve long said that a strong opener goes a long way, and this is a prime example of such, setting the stage for a gloriously old school outing. Overtly hook-centric anthems like “Children of the Past” and “Fly Away” sound like lost Heavy load album cuts circa ’82, while the riff bonanzas of the short and sweet “Necromancer” and gallop-heavy title track boast the attitude of Angel Witch and Diamond Head.
The only real power metal and/or “epic” moments to be found are “The Chains of Hell”, with its battle-ready Warlord-esque march, and “Fallen Hero”, which definitely comes off as far too adventurous to be merely heavy metal. Think the valorous moments of Heavy Load’s catalog that’d help shape the euro power metal scene. Perhaps the most wild moment of Sign comes in the form of its instrumental closer, “Sorceress”. These days, one can’t help but harbor suspicion towards instrumentals on metal albums. Many would be right to dismiss them as glorified album fillers. In the case of “Sorceress”, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Century unleashes a Killers era Maiden jam that stands as tall as the 9 other cuts that make up Sign.
Century have done it again, stripping traditional metal to its bare essentials and crafting a tour de force of an album. Although the style itself is “nothing new”, the songs are guaranteed to stick with you for years to come, oozing with the genuine spirit of those ancient days that continue to be romanticized by those who lived it and those who were yet to be born (i.e. yours truly). I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll compare and contrast Sign and its predecessor the way I do Iron Maiden and Killers. Until then, I implore you to crank this firecracker of an album up loud!
9 out of 10
Label: Electric Assault Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Heavy Load, Satan, Kerrigan