CENTURY was originally conceived in late 2005 as a fleeting creative outlet for front man Carson Slovak to hone his development of both audio engineering and graphic design. Now, three years later, CENTURY has emerged as a full band with three releases under its belt and has proven to be a crushing new force in the world of heavy music. After the massive critical acclaim of 2006’s Faith and Failure, many expectations were focused on CENTURY to outdo its prior effort. But with Black Ocean, the band’s most stylistically cohesive and poignant release to date, the band has taken the next step in its evolution and created a piece of art that will not be soon forgotten.

CENTURY’s work ethic has always epitomized DIY and that mentality is in full effect on Black Ocean. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Slovak at his own studio. Immediately catching the attention of several labels with nothing more than one demo track and subsequent buzz, Prosthetic Records quickly became the natural fit for the band and an ideal venue though which to present their latest opus. The album was also visually interpreted by Slovak, who incorporated a classic Vigenère Cipher into the artwork. Fans can further involve themselves in the world of Black Ocean upon solving the cipher, gaining access to hidden content on the interactive album website blackoceanalbum.com.

Over two years in the making, Black Ocean is both intriguing and unsettling as an album. The music is devastatingly heavy and raw yet does not pull from any of the ephemeral trends suffocating the metal and hardcore scene as of late. The juxtaposition of the album’s dark, horrific concept to the epic and ethereal universe of sonic texture results in an effort that will no doubt secure CENTURY’s foothold in the heavy music community. The only question that remains is if that community is prepared for the sheer, crushing force of sonic annihilation that is CENTURY.