Band: Nervecell
Title: Psychogenocide
Label: Lifeforce Records
Distribution: Lifeforce Records
Release date: May 2nd 2011
Review: CD

Nervecell hail from the United Arab Emirates, getting ‘famous’ after the Human Chaos EP in 2004, which led to a tour around the world (with Bolt Thrower / Power Quest’s Gavin Ward as live session drummer), performing with acts like Machine Head, Cradle Of Filth, Immortal, Sepultura, Motörhead and many more, and playing live on renowned festivals all over Mater Terra.
In 2009, the band released Preaching Venom (review posted on December 3rd 2009), enormously appreciated by the international press and audience (I could appreciate this album as well, by the way, for its professional approach and the members’ persuasion), and the sophomore recording, Psychogenocide, goes on in the very same vein.
Forty five minutes of old styled Death Metal and modernised Groove / Thrash Metal, clearly inspired by the North-American and West-European scene(s), with keywords like ‘intense’, ‘brutal’, ‘energetic’ and ‘merciless’ – characterisations that overpower the evident and predictable aspects of this band’s music. This lack of identity is a pity, yet not completely incomprehensible knowing this band resides on the Arab peninsula. Yet on the other hand, the quality of composing and performing is all right, and so certainly is the sound / production: massive and monumental.
Even though both melodies and tempo vary a lot, the focus lies on high-speed power. Psychogenocide however includes lots of calmer moments as well (read: slower, (semi-) acoustic, Arab / Oriental elements, etc.), yet most of the time the likes of Canada’s and USA’s Death Supremacy defines the whole Nervecell-package.
This band really intends to put Arabian Metal on the metallic map and if there’s one band that might succeed, it will be this one.

Note: with guest vocals of Nile’s Karl Sanders.

80/100

Ivan Tibos.