Album Review: Cerebrum – Iridium (Transcending Obscurity Records)

Greek technical death metal stalwarts Cerebrum will release Iridium on December 21st 2018 via Transcending Obscurity Records. A mind-boggling album of intense and complex death metal music that doesn’t abandon soul and emotive values in favour of technicality.

Get ready for face-blasting heaviness and soul-shredding technicality as Cerebrum take the death metal rule book and set it on fire. Simply by filling the nine tracks that make up Iridium with some of the most scorching riffs, tempo shifts and abrupt changes in directions to put every other band in this sub-genre into retirement.

From Time Reversal through A Face Unknown to Memory Hoax, the opening trio of tracks give so much ferocity and groove. Exciting, fairly unique and very addictive as Cerebrum refuse to take their foot off the pedal for barely a moment. Even when they do, it’s purely to allow another segment of bone-grinding heaviness to step forward.

It’s very hard to tune Cerebrum out as anytime the mind does begin to slip a riff or a guttural roar rings out like an alarm clock and you’re instantly dragged back into the bleak surroundings of the album. The slower melodic short Cognitive Dissonance changes the formula up a little before Astral Oblivion goes all out with the heaviest and fastest track so far. A hellacious offering that all but confirms Cerebrum’s place at the top of the technical death metal pile.

Cerebrum – Iridium Full Track Listing:

1. Time Reversal
2. A Face Unknown
3. Memory Hoax
4. Euphoric Control
5. Gods In Trance
6. Cognitive Dissonance
7. Astral Oblivion
8. Absorbed In Greed
9. Escape To Bliss

You can order the album via Bandcamp and via Transcending Obscurity Records here. Find out more about Cerebrum via Facebook.