The Centre of Gravity
Leave the Past Behind

May 2001
Released: 2000, Independent
Rating: 2.0/5
Reviewer: Joe

The Centre of Gravity are certainly a band with eclectic tastes. Hailing from Russia, this six piece group incorporate all sorts of influences into their music, from the psychedelic rock sounds of the 1960's to lounge piano to death growls... They definitely defy categorization. But if I were forced to describe the sound of The Centre of Gravity, I would probably say that they are a jazzy Pink Floyd for goths with split operatic female/death vocals.



The cassette begins with the title track, which is a song divided into five parts. Part one is a little deceptive as it’s somewhat heavy with the death vox at the forefront. As the album progresses, the music gets much mellower with lots of lounge-like piano, "trippy" bass lines, psychedelic guitar noodling, and the death vox take a backseat to the female vocals. Strange stuff, indeed...



I honestly don’t know what else to say about The Centre of Gravity’s music other than it’s a blend of genres that I would never have dreamt of mixing. It’s almost too damn eclectic for it’s own good... Way too artsy-fartsy for the average Metal fan, although I could see The Centre of Gravity possibly being a hit on college radio (based on my own college experience, a lot of students tend to listen to some weird stuff...), but other than that, I don’t know if they’ll ever find a very big audience. And then again, it’s entirely possible that LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND is a work of genius and I just don’t "get it"...



I’m confused... I need to lie down for a while.



For more info, visit: http://members.fortunecity.com/cgravity