Put on your fusion hat, leave all that prog and metal stuff behind, and take a walk along a path less traveled.
Cerebus Effect is an all-instrumental progressive fusion outfit lingering in the suburbs of Baltimore, waiting to be discovered. Their angry jazzy fusion covers an interesting spectrum of sounds, and although their newer album is more recent and a live recording, these 2 CDs have almost nothing in common. The first album is principally a guitar / bass / drums affair, while the live gig is rich in keyboards, its setlist includes none of the songs from the studio record, and it comes across as a more lively, unstoppable bundle of energy that jams on and on and on and drags you along with it.
The sound quality on Live At Orion is very good for a live recording, but the clarity doesn't compare with Dark Matter – also, incidentally, recorded at Orion Studios. Favorite tracks are the last two pieces on the studio CD, both of which run a dark, brooding bass loop, which the others hook into with interesting improvisations that showcase these artists' musicianship.
Cerebus Effect presents a cerebrally challenging mix of jazz and intense fusion. It blends melody with orchestrated dissonance; aggression with dark moments; and drum-tight sections with finely coordinated jamming with odd time signatures, complex ideas and challenging harmonies. The heavy chops and pneumatic-drill riffs occasionally take a back seat to ambient sections, and all the while, in every song, on both CDs, that bass line bounces along like the indomitable energizer bunny. For all the virtuoso guitar performances you'll hear on the first spin, this music lives on the drum and the bass lines.
Still got yer fusion hat on? Well you haven't had it on long because these two CDs combined last less than an hour. So when you come back from that walk along the road less traveled, go to CD-baby and buy both CDs. Because even though both are criminally short, these two CDs combined cost somewhat less than the last Alan Holdsworth or Planet X CD you bought.
Track Listing:
Dark Matter
1. Eight Against Nine
2. Another World
3. Ghandi Chops
4. A New Thing
5. Sleepy Hollow
6. Calamityville
Live At Orion
1. W
2. Illusions
3. Improv in 7
4. Symposium
5. Proxima's Extinguish
6. Fanfare
7. Afterthoughts in 6
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