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Italy was practically absent from the metal scene a few years ago, but since the mid-90s a good number of them finally came out of their hiding place.

Centurion is one of those, and "Arise Of The Empire" is their debut album.  I don't normally comment of an album's production but this one leaves a lot to be desired.  Were it not for the lousy production, I would have given the album a rating of 4.  I had to listen to the album a good number of times before I could go past that and actually appreciate the material.

It doesn't take long to notice that Centurion's major influence comes from Judas Priest.  The singer for one sounds as a cross between Rob Halford and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear.)  He does a decent job throughout the album, although in some sounds it felt like he did not much control over his pitch of voice, making some parts pretty annoying.

The Judas Priest influence also shows on the actual music, where I almost felt I was listening to a "pre-Turbo" Priest album.  I say almost because while the musicians have talent, they're definitely not up to par with the Priest.  Well, maybe the comparison is unfair.  Doesn't matter, this is a good metal album to listen to. Recommended.