Nervecide is the brainchild of Italian do-it-yourselfer Giorgio Benedetti. He handles everything on this album, from the vocals all the way down to the drum programming. It’s a solid album, made more impressive by the fact it’s all done by one person. Following the intro, you get a blast-beat-backed stop-start riff, and this album brings a nice bit of punch to get things started. It clocks in at over 40 minutes, with a good bit of that time taken up by instrumentals and noise tracks.

After listening to the whole album, though, it’s safe to say that this LP suffers from a sense of identity crisis: it’s not nearly technical enough to be a tech death album, nor slammy/brutal enough to be considered a slam death album; what you have is something more towards the middle. You get some decent riffs in “Fracturing Impulse”, hefty chunk grooves in “Introvert Autopsy” and “Impermanence Pt. 01”, but nothing that really stands out. The programmed drums give the music an overly clinical feel, which is good or bad based on your tastes. The low-end is thankfully there, with the bass guitar audible and the kick drums adding a tasty bit of thump.

This might remind you in part of another “Cide” album, the brilliant Sophicide album that was also a one-man project. But as previously mentioned, this album is nowhere near Sophicide’s equal in the guitar skill category. Benedetti keeps a solid death growl throughout, one that doesn’t grate but never really expands much. Check it out if you’re a death metal fan, and it’s also available for a free download.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments