CEREBRAL FIX — Disaster of Reality (review)

CEREBRAL FIX — Disaster of Reality album cover Album · 2016 · Crossover Thrash Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Disaster of Reality" is the 5th full-length studio album by UK thrash metal act Cerebral Fix. The album was released through Xtreem Music in September 2016. It´s the successor to "Death Erotica" from 1992, so it´s been 24 years since the release of the predecessor. Cerebral Fix formed in 1986 and released four studio albums in the years between 1988 and 1992, after which they disbanded (in 1993). Cerebral Fix reunited in 2006 but only guitarists Tony Warburton and Gregg Fellows remain from the lineup who recorded "Death Erotica (1992)", but drummer Andy Baker is no stranger to Cerebral Fix either as he played with the band from 1989 to 1990 and recorded two studio albums in those years. New in the lineup are Nigel Joiner (bass, backing vocals), Neil Hadden (lead vocals), and Chris Doss (guitars, backing vocals). Cerebral Fix disbanded again in 2017.

Stylistically the material on "Disaster of Reality" is a bit of a mess...or at least very inconsistent in style and quality. The album opens with "Justify", which is a heavy thrash metal track similar in style to the material on the three doomy thrash metal albums Cerebral Fix released between 1990 and 1992, but then already on the second track of the album "Mosh Injury", the band moves into hardcore punk/crossover thrash metal territory much closer in style to their hardcore punk/crossover thrash metal oriented debut album "Life Sucks... and Then You Die! (1988)". The hardcore punk/crossover thrash metal connection is further strengthened by the inclusion of two cover songs by Discharge and The Exploited.

The quality of the material is a bit up and down. It´s all well performed, and "Disaster of Reality" also features a powerful and well sounding production job, but the inconsistency of the material and the fact that I wouldn´t have guessed it was Cerebral Fix playing if I didn´t know beforehand what I was listening to, aren´t exactly positives when evaluating the album. The lyrics range from serious to silly (yeah both "Mosh Injury" and "Skate Fear" are pretty silly) but that´s not really strange on a hardcore punk/crossover thrash metal release. Upon conclusion "Disaster of Reality" isn´t exactly the comeback album I had hoped for from Cerebral Fix. It´s not that their early 90s doomy thrash metal phase was anything particularly exciting, but at least they had a relatively distinct sound in those days, which they don´t on this release. "Disaster of Reality" is not an all bad release, and there are redeeming features present, which makes it enjoyable enough while it plays, but it´s certainly not an excellent release either, and it´s just as soon forgotten when it ends playing. A 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.
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