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Neuroma > Extremophile > Reviews
Neuroma - Extremophile

Death Metal Noodle Soup - 90%

Roffle_the_Thrashard, June 5th, 2015

Dark humor, guts 'n' gore, and a fun mix of creepy song titles awaits you in Neuroma's first full-length collection of brutal as all get out death metal. Despite the mention of humor, the album is a force to reckoned with. It is unforgiving and never relents from reducing the poor soul listening to it to a pulp. The bass and guitar work was mind numbing, the vocals were a throaty assault on the ears and the drumming was driving and busy. Busy is the right word to describe Extremophile because no matter what part of a song is playing, there is always a band member pushing the envelope on a musical level.

There is quite a bit to be said about Extremophile's production and the atmosphere it produces. The drum kit appears to sound even more abrasive than it probably is, but I liked that. It matched the guitars very well. All of Matt Jones' and Paul Charnock's notes across the fretboard were captured and spat back out in a deadly duel attack of noise. Check out their riffing and shredding in "Centapaedophile." It's definitely their best in this record. However, bassist Joe Mortimer got the short end of the stick when it comes to Extremophile's production. I guess I'll never understand why people like producer Chris Fielding here, have to drown out the bass tones. Mortimer's musical presence could be felt, but no actual notes could be heard most of the time. Overall, the production was pretty good, however it contained some flaws.

Extremophile contains almost no solos. Is this a problem? Nope. The blistering passages laid down by the guitarists here leaves nearly no need for any solos at all. "Centipaedophile," my favorite song of the album, is just dripping of weird and wonky licks that will stun you. Just when you are becoming overwhelmed by the tremolo barrage, a huge breakdown comes next and brings back the simpler riffs that Neuroma has to offer. And I'll say it again: that breakdown is huge. This song along with tracks like "Quadraspaz" and "(O)beast" show off the amazing tightness between Jones', Charnock's, and Mortimer's playing.

Speaking of tight, super drummer Harry Kokelaar is an example of this word. From his ability to plow through off kilter tempos, to his machinegun like double bass drumming, and to his odd chokes and fills, he does everything. He is an absolute bulldozer behind his kit. The aspect of his drumming that stands out to me the most is his ability to accent the vocals of Gregg Cowell. His blast beats are also not too shabby. Some drummers of the death metal subgenre have a knack for getting of tempo when playing them but not Kokelaar. He is just a well rounded, beastly drummer. Gregg Cowell's vocals, although powerful, lack a good range. His vocal demonstrations in Extremophile mainly consist of growls with a gurgle and growls without them. There is not much to say about him because he wasn't too memorable.

So what are my complaints? Other than sections like the opening riff of the cleverly titled "Columbine Harvester," the breakdown of "Centapaedophile," or the slow, simple chorus of "Killed to Bits," there isn't really anything that is catchy or that you can truly bang your head to here. But at least that lack of catchiness is due to the complexity if the album. The amount of intros from various movies used at the beginning of and in the transitions in this record was annoying. There should have been only one or two in total. This album was just like Hirax's El Rostro de la Muerte in that aspect. The bass clarity and the lack of vocal variation were the other problems I had with Extremophile, but they are discussed above.

To sum this up, I will be returning to this album quite often. Its complicated nature makes it magnetic and leaves me dumbfounded. Extremophile is an example of what happens when you turn the brutal-meter to eleven and play your instruments like a bunch of psychopaths while throwing in some guttural vocals for flair.

Driving, brutal UK death metal debut - 70%

Lane, February 7th, 2012

Wow! 'Extremophile' is beautifully packaged! That is if you enjoy about really old shool autopsy pathology schoolbooks and morbid old drawings. The first impression is always important, even though the music does the talking. I expected grindcore, because of the graphics and the band's name. However, Liverpudlians Neuroma play brutal and technically competent death metal. I'm more at home with it.

And what a driving force does it embody! While the band are brutal and precise, they also possess frenzied groove. Neuroma's take on death metal consists of US style action, but Carcass and Cancer influences are obvious, if not well-trodden. Some riffs feel "jokey", some gory. Neuroma aren't "music institute technical", but bloody able no matter how you look at it. However, the compositions themselves aren't very catchy, at least not during the first few spins anyways. The compositions include twists and turns, but the band never seems to drift into erroneous paths, at least not for a long time. Mainly, the pace is on the faster side, but at times it's time for slamming.

The guitars are everywhere for the most of time! There's a lot of lead guitar work to be heard, even all kinds of small snippets every now and then. The rhythm guitar tone is a bit tame; it simply does not bite and render a listener, even though there is nought fault in playing. Surely, when listening to this with headphones help to dig out all those smaller details, which are aplenty. The fantastic drums too are everywhere, but at least they pack a good amount of punch, both in playing and soundwise. I should add, that the bass is somewhat insignificant in the mix, even though it's there. The vocals are mainly low growling, and spat with enmity. Carcass-esque stertors bring in some nice variety, among other things one can hear on death metal records.

But the catchiness does not lay in a riff alone, now does it? No it does not. The lyrics are one of the more interesting bit about the album. The song titles have some humour in them, but the lyrical world of Neuroma is a true treasure trove! It is filled with both true and imaginary sick stories. Misogynist killers, paedophiles, a guy hunting cyclists with his car to ram 'em, school shootings, dubious foodstuffs... But I ensure you, these guys know how to tell a sick and funny stories with style. When the lyrics read "dog noises", the vocalist barks. That's the humour you'll find here. Here's a verse from 'Semi-Skinned Milf': "Now then Auntie Margerie, one thing I have yearned to see. It may come as quite a shock. Your skinned corpse on my cock." Yeah, there're loads of sexual disorder and gore, but also some takings of an attitude. There are samples, but quite infrequently and when happening, short yet effective.

With 'Extremophile', Neuroma show how to devastate. Playingwise, that is. There are other traits, too, lifting the band above the grey masses and masses of death metal bands, but I crave for a tad catchier music, or should I put it, more compelling. There's hoping, then.

(originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com)