CD, Crunch Pod, 2007
www.cervelloelettronico.com
Cervello Elettronico’s official debut (after stacks of self-released EPs and demos), “Negate the Instigator”, is… nice. It seems, even after repeated listenings, that the record, uncomfortable with its identity, invents a new genre for itself – easy-listening industrial.
It is still well-constructed, with interesting treatments and effects throughout, cleverly arranged and possessed of fairly crunchy percussive work. However, flat master equalization loses much of its possible impact in a miasma of distorted bass. That said, it is a great record to put on in the background, to distract one hemisphere of the brain while the other engages itself in work, or reading, or some other mental pursuit. While the majority of songs fizz and pop discordantly with little to no discernible characteristics to set one apart from the other, the title track does deserve special mention: this is one killer track, showcasing all that is good about the industrial genre – driving rhythm, evolving drum lines, with catchy sequences and loops building upon each other in layer after layer of bone-jarring mechanical kicks. If only the remainder were half as powerful as this cut, the album would be amazing. Even beginning the record on this track, rather than leaving it lost at number five, would make the whole far more memorable.
Overall, then, it is a pity that Cervello Elettronico don’t live up to their impressive résumé (like opening shows for acts like Terrorfakt and Manufactura). Instead, we have an album that isn’t hard enough to be Industrial, not vocal enough for EBM and not nearly dancey enough for Techno; it flits precariously between genres, never coming to terms with itself and delivering the aural blows it has the potential to.
[5/10]
— David vander Merwe