CEREBRUM is a band I come across for the very first time in my life. I recently found them on Myspace and happened to listen to one or two songs from them and less than a month later, fate led their new album right into my hands. Their music is kind of weird and unique, since it is something not many bands play nowadays. Or should I say, dare to play?

The band was formed in 2002 by Jim Touras, Mike Papadopoulos and ex CIRCLE OF ZAPHYAN singer Apollon Zygomalas (what a fucking great band this was). With session drumming by the well known George Kollias of NILE, who had also played the drums for CIRCLE OF ZAPHYAN, I expected to listen to something similar, which means mid tempo Death Metal that was close to bands like BOLT THROWER etc...

The fact is that the band's debut album Spectral Extravagance, which is being released through the Czech Lacerated Enemy Records is a Death Metal album, but not a mid tempo and definitely not a simple one! The song structures are much more complex, since the band has chosen a more technical path. And do not even dare to think of bands like NECROPHAGIST etc. We are talking about totally old school technical Death Metal here! The heavy and polished, yet dry sound gives an extra old school feeling to the album, while Apollon's vocals remind you of great singers of the past! CEREBRUM come out of nowhere and present a tight as fuck result with well worked songs, a wide variety of sounds in their music and influences that range from PESTILENCE and DEATH to CYNIC and ATHEIST.

Relentless fast outbreaks are accompanied by mid tempo groovy breaks and melodic cuts with even clean guitars, to create an album that will definitely please fans of this sound. Surely not the best Death Metal album I have ever heard, but a more than decent work that shows a band with potential.