| CD REVIEW Incoming Cerebral Overdrive |
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Band : Incoming Cerebral Overdrive Dubbed ICO from henceforth in this review, this band (founded during 2002 in the Tuscany town Pistoia) released a self-produced 3-track demo (recorded, mixed & mastered at the renowned Ravenna based Fear Studio) in 2003 which saw ‘em break through in the local club circuit and media rather quickly, partly due (certainly) to a very favourable review in the Italian version of Metal Hammer (top demo at time of review). A next recording project would be somewhat “bigger” in aspirations. Following a line-up change at the bass in August 2006 (which saw Alessio Corsini join singer Samuele Storai, guitarist Maurizio Tuci, guitar/ synthesizer player Stefano Tocci, and drummer Filippo Baldi), the band re-entered Fear Studio to record the 9 tracks that would make up the Cerebral HeArt album, sent the tapes (…or data files, whatever) to the US to be mixed by Kurt Ballou (Converge guitarist) at his Salem, MA based Godcity Studios, and then off to WestWestSide Music Studios in New York, where the famed Alan Douches mastered the album! Mind you, all of which was financed by the band itself, since they didn’t ave a label to back ‘em yet. While in waiting to get back the finished product, I.C.O. struck a promotion deal with Alkemist Fanatix in order to get gigs organized outside as well as inside Italy. During February 2008, the band then sign a deal with Italian Myphonic Records label, who release Cerebral HeArt (with a worldwide distribution through Plasic Head Distribution) on April 15. Evidently (seen the people involved), the album gained the band interest from all over Europe. Hardly had the band’s debut full-length seen it’s “official” release, and the band had almost finished writing the material for a new album, which they started to record (this time at Pisa’s Westlink Studios) in early August 2008 with Ale Paolucci (known from his work with the likes of Raw Power and Rebel Devil, to name but a few). By mid September, the mixing by Ale Sporcelli was done, mastering in October. A label for the album’s release was found in March 2009, when the band signed to Malleus Roc Art Lab’s label Supernatural Cat. Well, and here it is, finally! As they say, a good listener only needs alf an ear, and those into the knowhow may have understood that I.C.O. muddles in Avant-Garde Hardcore. Other categorizations are Math Rock, and some journalists (whom apparently have no idea what they’re talking about, and therefore take the “easy road”) occasionally even called it Metalcore. So the singer goes through several modes of singing, from screamed to shouted Hardcore-styled stuff to actual squeals, to semi-whispers and gargled meanderings (for lack of a better way to describe it – check the second half of the track “Science”), and you dó get those short passages (occasionally very short) of synth use (the longest is a piano keyboard passage in album opening track “Reflections”; there’s the short bit of organ opening “Magic” and in the same song you get a Sci-Fi synth passage halfway through and a short piano keyboard bit towards the ending; in the calmer passage halfway through “Sound” you get a couple of synth beeps; “Colours” has a short bit of spooky synth…again in the calmer passage of the song; and eventually the album closing semi-instrumental – only some squealed screams, no lyrics, staring ¾ into the song – also has a few synth notes about one minute into the track), and there is the occasional use of elements from other music genres…most notable the Southern touch that enters “Science” halfway through the track! But this is as far removed from Metalcore as Siberia from Buenos Aires…by train and boat over Europe and North America!!! Then again, it IS possible that the debut album had a slightly different musical direction, as in the bio inserted with out promo copy of the new album we can read the following citation: “Now it’s time for Controverso…the next evolution in ICO’s destructive lineage. Controversorepresents a new impulse of uncontrollable nature. Constructed of 8 tracks, the album evolves through a concious musical growing, breathing with the innovative soul of Avant-Garde music. Originating from the Mastodonic approach of the riff, wholly rooted in a Hardcore attitude, and overall developing in something rather unique and multiform, their furious dynamics, searing vocals, ‘70s Italian Prog remeniscence, and Psychedelic aesthetic show ICO’s will to experiment on continuously mutating song stuctures.” Well, they have my blessing, for I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having to listen to this album. It is definitely riveting, needing of the listener’s attention at the first couple of times one hears the album, and in the process só grows on that person, that one tends to not wanting to go on without the album in one’s possession! I’ll personally even go further, and order the deluxe edition of the album (which not only contains the CD but also a 10-inch vinyl version of the album…I know, I àm a vinyl freak! – and lasting only 33 ½ minutes, there’s really no need for a 12-inch) next time I pass in the record store! You can check out the band’s music (besides 3 tracks off the new album there’s also 4 off the debut album for you to enjoy) at myspace.com/incomingcerebraloverdrive. Also available are 3 videos (one more, a studio report, at the band’s own website – link at their MySpace page) 98/100 Tony. |