Every so often you witness a band with an almost indefinable quality, it’s a group radiating a certain chutzpah like they know they’re onto a good thing, and Tortured Demon are one such band. Since bursting out of Oldham in 2018, they’ve already released two critically-acclaimed albums and have created a buzz with their energetic live show, and now Milton Keynes gets a chance to experience some of that magic. Opening track ‘Rise Of The Lifeless’ soon gets the follicles flying (always a good gauge of a support band) and things rarely let up over the next 40-minutes. Both familiar and fresh, there’s enough variety on display to ensure things never become staid as the band unleash ‘Disfavour’ and ‘The Invasion’ in quick succession. Tortured Demon make a tight unit and play with real exactitude (plus touring guitarist Rory Marsland-Smith gets bonus points for an Exodus t-shirt and an impressive moustache) that ensures closing track ‘A Knee To The Face Of Corruption’ connects as such. World domination beckons.

I first saw Xentrix just down the road at the Woughton Centre venue way back in 1989, and it’s hard to believe that they’re now celebrating their 35th anniversary, but that’s what this tour is billed as, so it must be so. Yet, looking around at tonight’s crowd it is heartening that the band continue to attract fresh blood amongst the original fans and that renders tonight’s set as totally relevant, and not just an exercise in nostalgia. Of course, there’s been a few changes in the Xentrix camp over the years (most notably the arrival bassist Chris Shires in 2013 and vocalist/guitarist Jay Walsh in 2017), yet the ferocity with which they unleash set opener ‘No Compromise’ suggests they haven’t missed a beat. It’s raw and uncompromising, and exactly how my addled memory recalls that gig in 1989. Musical chemistry can be a strange thing, it’s a science that defies logic and has more to do with luck than formula, but the admixture that comprises this incarnation of the band is fizzing nicely. Drummer Dennis Gasser is a powerhouse and his unflappability makes all the time changes look deceptively simple while guitarist Kristian Havard, despite having an injured arm, unleashes a string of impressive solos. It’s on cuts such as ‘Bad Blood’ where the twin guitar attack really comes into its own and reveals the technical edge which always set Xentrix apart from their peers.

Xentrix albums are still a regular feature on my turntable, but until I heard all these tracks collected in one 17-song set, I never realised what a strong discography they had. They begin by playing the Shattered Existence album in full before hitting us with a selection of fan favourites, thus we’re treated to ‘The Alter Of Nothing’, a groove-laden ‘Bury The Pain’ and a frenetic ‘Black Embrace’. Songs from the Kin album and ‘Ghostbusters’ single are conspicuous by their absence (some would say quite justly), but set closer ‘Questions’ ensures that this gig is all killer and no filler. Here’s to the next 35 years!

Xentrix Set List:

1. No Compromise
2. Balance Of Power
3. Crimes
4. Back In The Real World
5. Dark Enemy
6. Bad Blood
7. Reasons For Destruction
8. Position Of Security
9. Heaven Cent
10. Behind The Walls Of Treachery
11. Reckless With A Smile
12. For Whose Advantage?
13. The Alter Of Nothing
14. Bury The Pain
15. Black Embrace
16. Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead
17. Questions

Tortured Demon Set List:

1. Rise Of The Lifeless
2. Virtual Death
3. Conflict Of Interest
4. Disfavour
5. The Invasion
6. In Desperation’s Grip
7. Global Threat
8. A Knee To The Face Of Corruption