Posts Tagged ‘Nervecell’
Bangalore Open Air 2018
It’s been a month since Bangalore Open Air and the line up was stacked with 4 international bands. I managed to get some decent shots of most of the bands that played at the festival.
Kryptos
Immolation
Nervecell
Nervecell are stalwarts of the Middle East metal scene. The UAE based death metal band have released 2 full length albums, toured across Europe and performed alongside legendary metal acts like Metallica and recently Nile.
Next week the band release their third album Past, Present…Torture via Lifeforce Records (US/Europe) and Metal East Records (Middle East). The band have premiered 3 tracks from the album so far, a peek into their heaviest material yet. A few listens of the album was all it took for me to get convinced that Nervecell had topped their previous album Pscyhogencide.
I spoke to guitarist Barney Ribeiro about Past, Present…Torture, death metal in 2017 and also performing in India.
Your third album Past, Present…Torture releases this month. How does it feel now that the album is going to be released?
Nervecell (Barney): Pretty damn good, we were in Lyon, France exactly around this same time last year (July 2016) tracking drums with Kevin. After which we brought the drum tracks back with us to Dubai and immediately went into Haven Studios to track the guitars, bass and vocal tracks. So even though the album is new to the rest of the world, those songs have actually been with us for the better half of the last 2 years that we’ve been working on and crafting. If anything it just amazes me how fast time flies. I’m just really glad we’re finally going to release this thing, the fans have been very patient waiting for new music from us and their going to get what they’ve been waiting for.
The album has a post apocalyptic theme. What was the inspiration behind it?
Nervecell: Honestly it’s something we came up with very gradually as the song titles started to come in one after the other. The music has this post apocalyptic vibe in a lot of the songs and the subject matter of the lyrics that James was singing about too was resonating with us quite a lot during the writing stage, which had to do with past events and the dark ages. There is still so much of untold information out there from the past that people do not necessarily know about, and that is only until recently being brought into the limelight. One would expect we live in a modern civilized world today but the future has so much of unpredictability ahead of us that it will inevitably lead to the fall of the human race. The present basically represents us trying to do our bit and alarm everyone to start taking action before it gets too late, hence why you see the Nervecell Emblem arising from the grounds on the album artwork to resemble a sense of warning and symbolism to act now, so take matters in our own hands so to speak, before it’s too late.
You’ve have upped the ante on the production of the album. Did you try anything different this time around with the recording process?
Nervecell: Thanks! Well we played around with loads of stuff. We’ve always been a band that is heavily involved throughout the entire recording process. I mean we used our own Engl guitar amp heads for starters. Basically what we use live, we wanted the very same sound we deliver live to be used in the studio. So we had Rami and my guitar tones intentionally set out differently in that aspect while recording each of our songs. We also have songs on the album that Rami wrote individually and songs that I wrote individually as well, which is different this time around as we used to always merge our ideas together in our songs on previous releases. There are only 2 songs on this album that the entire band contributed to as a whole. We also wrote almost all the drum parts on this record and got Kevin to basically perform / record our ideas while doing the drum tracking. Unlike the first 2 albums, where we pretty much left Dave Haley with a lot of freedom you can say. So all of that together with that fact that we utilized some atmospheric elements into the songs, very faint stuff but you do here these minor details that add that extra element that helps emphasize the mood of certain tracks. Also we’ve recorded the entire album on a different tuning in comparison to our older releases, which gave a different edge on how our songs sounded this time around. We just went into making this record knowing we wanted a brutal more technical sounding record and to keep it as organic as possible.
Kevin Foley (One life All-in, Benigthed) has recorded the drums on the album. How did he become a part of the album?
Nervecell: Kevin has always been a guy we’ve been very close with. We’ve worked with various drummers over the years but you know not everyone is necessarily the same. Kevin honestly reminds me of us, he’s extremely down to earth, extremely talented, very versatile by the way in his playing style, completely drama free, real fun to hang with and also has loads of recording experience in him as well! I mean there is more to just being a good drummer that we look for when selecting who we want to have be a part of our band and perform on our songs. Chemistry is so very important to me and I make sure there is that chemistry that we get along with all the drummers we work with more than anything else I’d say. He just had it all man and like I said, a very good friend to the band. Don’t forget he’s toured with us all over Asia and Europe for a good 2 to 3 years so all that counts too.
What are your thoughts on the current state of death metal?
Nervecell: It’s coming back like a fucking tsumani, I mean we’ve got all the iconic death metal bands either releasing / released or working on new albums this year like ourselves, it’s ridiculous. Morbid Angel, Deicide, Suffocation, Decapitated, Cannibal Corpse, Broken Hope, Origin, Decrepit Birth, Obituary and a shit load of newer extreme metal bands too of course…I can keep naming them but anyway. I put up a post about this earlier this year on my Facebook stating how if there was anyone out there who claims Death Metal is dead or going nowhere in 2017 can seriously F#*k off! There are a lot more players now in the genre and the competition is getting real hot. I love it because we coming from the Middle East are used to the heat (and by heat I mean more of those who are envious and jealous of others success – especially in this region), so we are sooo super stoked to kick the shit out of all the non-believers with this new record and let the music speak for itself. “Past, Present…Torture” is going to seal the deal that we aren’t stopping anytime soon, and we are going out there proudly representing the Middle East for Extreme Metal in general.
What have you been listening to lately (metal and non-metal)? Are there any acts that have inspired you of late?
Nervecell: Honestly I haven’t been inspired for the last 4 to 5 years musically. Even in Metal there hasn’t really been anything that really does it for me anymore. There is this whole new wave of Death core bands that I just really can’t get into man. I mean I get it, it’s brutal, break-downs, crisp production etc. etc. but they have like 20 laptops on stage playing backing tracks man…I’m sorry I don’t give in to that shit! Part of me liking metal is that raw, unpredictable and spontaneous energy you get when performing live that keeps this genre pure and different from the rest for me personally. I can’t stand these bands with their choreographed performances. I always keep an open ear for new music though, but really if there is anything I’ve been listening to lately it’s just the classic Thrash and Death metal bands I grew up to man. There just don’t make good old-school quality music like that anymore, the closest to that sound I can relate to today is probably Bloodbath, although that last album they did with Nick Holmes was rather disappointing. If I want to just chill and mellow out I’ll pop in some Sithu Aye, Plini, God is an Astronaut, Massive Attack, Anathema, Leprous…and perhaps even some Extol too, another very underrated band.
You’ll did a short tour of India in 2010. What are your memories from then?
Nervecell: I’ll keep this one short. That Blue Frog venue we played in Mumbai, India was one of the best live shows I’ve ever played with Nervecell. Dudes in the crowd went absolute nuts! I have no idea why the hell we haven’t been back there again since… I mean we almost sold out that venue and it was only our first time in Mumbai. Apart from that, we enjoyed the food and came back home to Dubai humbled, cause every time you feel you have something to complain about in your life, one must go visit India, shit will wake you the fuck up there and make you appreciate every little thing you got going. I’m just grateful we got fans there!
You recently performed with Nile in Dubai. How did the show go?
Nervecell: It was excellent, we haven’t played in Dubai for almost 3 years, so it was nice to come back and perform at home again one last time before we release the new album officially. As always there were a lot of new faces in the audience, but that’s something we are used to being based here throughout our entire career. We will probably look at playing Dubai again and other neighboring countries in the Middle East once the new album is released later this month.
Do you have any more shows/tours planned this year?
Nervecell: Nothing as of now, but we sure as hell plan on touring a lot for the better half of next year in support of our new album “Past, Present…Torture”.
Thanks for doing this interview. Do you have any final words?
Nervecell: Well thank you for having me here Peter. Nervecell fans, don’t forget the new album “Past, Present…Torture” comes out on August 25th around the world. Fans in the Middle East can pick it up on shelves post August 25th via Metal East Records and fans from North America / Europe can pick it up from your local music stores via Lifeforce Records. We can’t wait to hear all of your feedback and we definitely look forward to playing in your cities very soon. Cheers!
Nervecell – Human Chaos
Nervecell are the oldest surviving metal band from UAE. I remember reading about them on phride.com when they first started out and since then have bought all their releases and seen them multiple times live. In the past decade, I have seen Nervecell go from a band playing club shows in Dubai to now a band that tours across the world. In 2011, they were named as one of the “Defenders of the faith” by Metal Hammer Magazine.
Nervecell’s first release, the ‘Human Chaos’ EP came out in 2004, I spoke to Barney Ribeiro, guitarist for the band about the EP and the impact it had on the band and the music scene in United Arab Emirates.
Barney Ribeiro (Guitars), James Khazaal (Vocals & Bass) and Rami H. Mustafa (Guitars) (Left to Right)
“It feels great man, I distinctly remember the entire process we went through during the recording stage. At that point back in 2004, we were just another local band based in Dubai that had been around for 4 years playing the average local Dubai gig once every 2 months you know. Looking back now and considering how far the band has come since that EP is completely insane!” said Barney looking back at their first release. “It’s a fact that the “Human Chaos” EP officially put us on the metal map internationally. I remember the guys and I were really stoked by all the reviews we received that year from the EP, it really over exceeded our expectations and motivated us to keep pushing forward.”
The band started in university just like most metal bands in UAE. “I am the only original member from the first Nervecell line-up in 2000. How I met James and Rami was almost meant to be.”said Barney about how the present line up of the band got together. “I remember we needed to record a demo (2 tracks) as a requirement to enter this Battle of the bands contest. So we knew a few friends in AUD (American University in Dubai) where we also used to perform at quite frequently who were going to help us record this demo. So during that recording session a lot of the students who went to university there kept walking in and out of the auditorium where we were recording this demo. Two of those random students walking in and out watching us that day was in fact James and Rami haha…I remember briefly exchanging a few words with them that night. Few months later we ended up becoming close friends and eventually James joined the band as the bass player and Rami soon after as the second guitarist as I was the only guitar player in the band up until 2003.”
In 2004, not many bands from UAE had released an EP or album. “The idea to put out an EP only came about when we noticed the fans at the local gigs we played at started asking us how they could find or buy our music, and that sort of struck an idea with us.” said Barney about how the band decided to record their music. “So while balancing our studies (we were all in university back then) we decided to take the summer of 2004 off and hit the studio to record the “Human Chaos” EP. In our mindset back then we really didn’t have any goals as such to be the “first” or to make or break any records being a Middle East based band. Our progression as a band has always been very gradual with everything we set our minds to. I remember telling ourselves we just wanted to put something out as product and have something to look back at. None of us would ever be able to predict what the future would hold for us that’s for sure…It’s been a hell of a ride man but ZERO REGRETS!”
The EP was written while James and Rami were in UAE and Barney in Canada. “We used to write individually a lot and send each other files over the Internet. It helped stay in touch as friends but also as band members as well.” said Barney describing their writing process while he was away. “I would return home to Dubai every summer though and that was when we would line up shows as well. I mean this was all we ever wanted to do anyway, so it was kind of natural for each of us to write even though we were in different continents for that period of almost 4 years when I was away in Canada.”
‘Human Chaos’ was recorded by Kiran Sequeira at his home studio. “It took about 3 to 4 months actually as far as I remember. The reason it took us so long was very much due to the fact that we were working with Kiran’s schedule. The guy had a full time job so the weekdays were hard to deal with anyway, seeing that he only had so much time for us after his work.” said Barney about how recorded the album. “We would try and get as much done in sessions over the weekends but we couldn’t really get every weekend available either to work with him. Hence the reason why it took us so long again, but oh well you learn to work with what you have and one thing we definitely did not have at that point of time was a huge budget! We pretty much used the money our folks would give us to buy food and other basics while being university students to invest into that EP.”
The recording had it’s share of funny incidents. “There was this one time I was tracking guitars and Kiran’s girlfriend was sitting right behind me on the couch and stretching her hands out while she was totally engrossed watching TV with her headset on.” said Barney looking back at the recording sessions. “So she had no idea her hands were like touching my shoulders or my hair or something while she was stretching, and I of course had my headphones on too as I was recording my guitar tracks. So typically I assumed it was James or Rami trying to distract me or annoy me while here I am totally focusing on nailing my guitar parts for the EP. So basically I ended up abusing the shit out her without even knowing what was actually happening going “Stop…stop touching me you F#^ckin #%^^%%&” haha… It was hilarious because I only later noticed Rami and James sitting down away in the corner totally cracking up watching this whole awkward situation take place.”
The EP got reviews from across the world and opened up quite a few doors for the band. “Absolutely, it was totally overwhelming. We were blown away by the amount of great reviews we received week after week. I mean we sent out a few copies ourselves by mail to magazines and websites, zines etc. but we got reviews from a lot more places than we anticipated via the Internet. It was really motivating for us to be honest because we had no idea the reach we were going to receive beforehand. It was an incredible time for us man.” said Barney about the response they received. “Because of that EP we got the slot to open for the Dubai Desert Rock Festival in 2005 with Sepultura and Machine Head. As well as a tour in Australia as our first official tour ever outside the UAE, followed by a few one-off shows in Egypt (out of all places) and later on our first European Festival appearance too in Tolmin, Slovenia at Metal Camp, which is now called Metal Days Festival. So like I said, it really did open a lot of doors for us, so to say we are happy with the response would be an understatement.”
“I would personally like to re-do some of the drum tracks that were programmed on the EP.” said Barney about things that he would like to change about the release.”I mean for the time, budget constraints and facilities available in Dubai that we had back in 2004 we did the best we could. But yea looking back 10 years later I think that is the one thing I would probably change, at the same time the whole rawness of the EP is what makes it special it its own way I guess.”
Nervecell are currently working on their 3rd album. “You can definitely expect it for a 2016 release, not earlier because there is a lot that goes on before we even set a confirmed release date.” said Barney updating us on the status of the album. “We are writing music as we speak and will continue to do so for the rest of 2015. We also just recently left Lifeforce Records and signed with Unique Leader Records for the new album, so we look forward to putting out our debut with them and we can’t wait until we unleash it onto the rest of the world and see where that takes us next!”
Here is me favourite track from the ‘Human Chaos‘ EP
Nervecell
Nervecell are a death/ thrash metal band based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. They released their second album “Psychogenocide” last year. I reviewed the album here. I interviewed their guitarists, Barney and Rami for theunderground.in before they co-headlined the Deccan Rock Festival in Hyderabad in May last year.
Since this interview, Nervecell have opened for Metallica in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and also toured Europe with Morbid Angel.
Hey guys congrats on the release of your new album “Psychogenocide”. Can you tell us a bit about the album?
Rami: Thank you very much! “Psychogenocide” is set for release in March (Middle East via Spellbind Records) and April/May (Europe & UK via Lifeforce Records). Well I can say it’s a very brutal, thrashy, dark and progressive album. Fans can expect lots of heavy elements and groove with a fair amount of melody and oriental/Middle Eastern touches. There are some new things we tried in this album; we added Arabic singing and instruments. On the intro track “Anemic Assurgency” the “Oud” instrument was used. For the song “Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness”) which also features Karl Sanders on vocals, our vocalist James added some awesome Arabic phrases while Karl did most of the English singing parts. In the song “The Taste of Betrayal” which is an instrumental, we added Arabian/Gulf style percussions! We experimented a little bit on this album and it turned out to sound great yet it’s a full on death/thrash metal! I hope the listeners will enjoy it a lot!
Are there any surprises on the album for those who have been following Nervecell since the release of the “Human Chaos” EP?
Barney: Surprises! Hmmm none that I can think of except for the fact that we have incorporated some G.C.C. traditional Arabic instruments on this new record. We want this album to stand for itself and represent the band for who we are today, a lot of the album deals with what’s going on in our present lives and you best believe its one dark and angry record! I mean “Preaching Venom” was an obvious step up from “Human Chaos” in the song writing and technicality wise, also in the production too of course. I don’t think that we’re the kind of band who experiments to the extent where we let our fans down. We’re a metal band with old school death metal and early thrash metal influences. I guess on “Psychogenocide” the old and the new fans alike will realise that we seem to have developed our own sound as we progress and grow as musicians. I think we’ve accomplished a lot being a Middle East based metal band and the music has and always will speak for itself!
The track “Shunq (To the Despaired…King of Darkness)” is your first track with Arabic lyrics and also features Karl Sanders on guest vocals. Why the use of Arabic on this song? How did you manage to get Karl Sanders to do vocals?
Rami: As we are a Middle Eastern based band and James (our singer) speaks Arabic and he reads lots of Arabic literature and poetry we wanted to try something different and use Arabic language on the album. So the idea around this song came from quoting the well known Arabic writer/poet Hassan Bin Thabit who talks about his struggle with Satan/the devil, which is based on true experiences and stories. James wanted to express his similar feelings towards the devil and the devil’s evil doings towards humanity and used the word “Shunq” which is Arabic for “hang by the neck” to express the disgust towards the devil and how the devil will be judged towards the end of time!
We felt it would be awesome to have someone else sing the English parts of the song and thought Karl Sanders would be a perfect fit! We are big fans of Karl’s music and style that he relates to the Middle East too relatively close to the song’s topic and of course his singing style is perfect for the song! We got in touch with Karl and he accepted to work with us on this song, which is a real honour for us!
How different was the song writing process for this album compared to “Preaching Venom”?
Barney: Well with “Preaching Venom” we wrote that album over the course of 4 years, some of us juggling with our university degrees and jobs etc. For “Psychogenocide” Rami and I were writing the music for the whole of last year in between the tours we were doing in Europe and Asia. A lot of the ideas were shared using the internet for a few months and then we both locked ourselves together in the studio for an entire month and worked on song arrangements and putting the songs together, sharing ideas etc. I’d like to say we learnt a lot too being on the road and being a full time touring band, it made us want to go back and write some new music in fact! I think the time was right and we did a damn well job given the schedule we were dealing with to put this new album out.
The album was recorded by Rami in studios in Dubai, UAE and Doha, Qatar, Any reason behind this?
Rami: For this album we didn’t really want to have someone in specific to engineer the album and since I was able to handle the engineering part, and also learning from my past experiences in the production of past Nervecell albums, I was ready to do it myself. It was a great experience really… little pressure too apart from writing music to work on the production of the album at the same time takes lots of energy and concentration, but I gotta say I’m very happy with the results. Most of the album was recorded in Dubai at Spellbind Studio. We took a couple of days off from the studio travelled to Bahrain to perform a show there and coming back to the studio to continue recording I had to leave back to Qatar, so the whole recording studio with the gear had to be shifted to Qatar as we only had very little time in our schedule. All the gear including the studio was shifted to Qatar. The rest of the band and our manager came down and I had to set up a temp studio at my office. Our manager has done a great job shifting all the gear, gotta say that was a plan B! Mixing and mastering was done at Hertz Studio in Poland.
The artwork for the album by Björn Goosses of Killustrations is pretty interesting. Can you tell us a bit about the concept behind it?
Barney: It’s pretty obvious when you look at it; it represents the state of which we are all living under today. A controlled system set to run under a hidden agenda which most of us humans are completely oblivious to! It’s an angry record and we’re trying to have our say through our music and smarten up the ignorant and naive society we are surrounded by. The world is war and corruption at its worst right now, at least in our neighbouring countries it seems to be the case, its time for people to open their eyes and seek the real truth!
The album will be released by Lifeforce records in Europe and US, how has it been working with them so far?
Rami: So far so good. They’re a good label in Europe and are working on our 2nd album so far. Our other label Spellbind Records in Dubai are pushing the album really good so far and working together with Lifeforce Records to make sure the album have a great impact both in the European and Middle Eastern markets.
What equipment do you guys use to get that crushing sound on your albums and also live?
Rami: We actually used some of the same exact gear we use live on the recording of this album. Barney used LTD guitars, I used B.C. Rich guitars, James used a Spector bass and all 3 of us use EMG pickups and GHS strings. The main guitar sound comes from an ENGL SE head…that was pretty much it.
“Preaching Venom” is currently available in India via CdRack.in. Are there any plans for distribute the new album “Psychogenocide” in India?
Barney: I think it’s a matter of time, we’ve had a few options for the new album to be distributed there but I believe even without a distribution deal there the fans will always find a way to get their hands on the music if they really want it, or we’ll just have to come back and tour India and bring a shit load of merchandise along with us to make up for it…haha
What was your favourite gig on your recent India tour?
Barney: The Mumbai gig at the Blue Frog HANDS DOWN! Bangalore and Hyderabad were both great shows in their own way, especially Hyderabad since not a lot goes down there but those dudes in Mumbai certainly know how to have a f#*king good time in the pits!
Rami: I really enjoyed all the cities, but I gotta say Mumbai had the craziest crowd, so much energy it was so awesome!
You’ve been confirmed as Co-headliners of the Deccan Rock Festival in India. How do you feel playing again in front of an India audience?
Barney: We are going to be touring around Asia starting April 2011 in the Philippines with Anthrax, Death Angel and a few more bands, post that in May we will return to play a show in Sri Lanka before heading out to co headline the Deccan Rock Festival 2011 in Hyderabad, India. We played India last year and we said we would be back just seeing how hardcore the fans there are, it is exciting for us to play India again because we do realize we have an incredible Nervecell army of fans there and we just cannot wait to unleash the new tunes onto them! So that’s going to be one hell of a ride kicking off the “Psychogenocide” touring cycle in Asia first!
Will there be more shows in India?
Barney: Not that I know of…but we sure would do so if we get any offers!
What are your plans for rest of 2011?
Barney: To continue touring in support of the new album “Psychogenocide” going straight into 2012!
Any final words?
Barney: India we really enjoyed playing to you all last year and we sure as hell wanna come back and tear shit with you guys again very soon! Stay Sick…
Rami: Thanks for the support, and do check out our new album ‘Psychogenocide’ once it’s out…we’ll be performing the new songs at Deccan Rock 2011 for our fans in India! Looking forward to be back to India soon!
Heres the video for Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness) featuring Karl Sanders (Nile)
Nervecell – Psychogenocide
Nervecell is the biggest metal band to come out of United Arab Emirates. The release of their debut album, “Preaching Venom” and also their Tours across Europe, Middle East, India and most recently Philippines has got them a fan following from all over the world.
The album starts off with the “Anemic Assurgency”, an Oud instrumental that then gives way to the brutal riffs on “Upon an Epidemic Scheme”. The title track has the band firing on all cylinders, you cannot help but lose control and headbang along to it. “Shunq (To The Despaired…King Of Darkness)” features Karl Sanders (Nile) and is the first extreme metal song with both Arabic and English lyrics. “The Taste of Betrayal” is one of my favourite songs on the album, it really showcases the chops of both Rami and Barney. The vacant drum throne is again filled by Dave Haley (Psycroptic).
Overall this is an angry album, some of the songs reflect the current situation in the Middle East and North Africa. The band has added Arabic elements without taking away the brutality, something that makes them stand out from their peers in the Middle East. Wojtek & Slawek Wieslawscy from Hertz Studios, Poland have done a great job mixing and mastering the album. Björn Goosses (Killustrations) has depicted the concept of the album pretty accurately in the artwork, which is one more reason that you should buy a physical copy of the album.
Keep an eye out on Nervecell as they will only get bigger and stronger in the coming years. Head to the Nervecell Online store and pick up a copy of the album.
More reviews coming up soon.
Nervecell Album launch
As I mentioned earlier, I would be adding write ups about gigs that I attend to this blog. Heres my first one….
Last week I attended 2 gigs by Death metal band Nervecell which were in support of their new album “Psychogenocide” which is now for sale in stores all over United Arab Emirates and the Middle East.
The first one was at Sanctuary, a nightclub at the Atlantis Hotel, which was a bit strange venue for a band like Nervecell. It was an “Invite only” event for the Press and promoters. There were journalists from Metal Hammer and other metal magazines present and also a special guest, Karl Sanders from NILE!!!
After the intro, Nervecell started off their set with “Imprint” off their new album. They played quite a few songs from their new album, the title track “Psychogenocide” sounded crushing. “Human Chaos” was dedicated to their old school fans. They also played “Existence Ceased” and “Demean” from “Preaching Venom”. They ended with everyone’s favourite “Demolition”, which got a small moshpit going.
I was looking forward to them performing “Shunq (To the Despaired…King Of Darkness)” with Karl Sanders. They also did not play my favourite track from “Preaching Venom”, “Vicious Circle of Bloodshed”.
Overall it was a good night despite it being Sunday (the first day of work here). I got Karl Sanders to autograph my cds and also took a couple pictures with him.
The Set list was :
Imprint
Flesh & Memories
All Eyes On Them
Human Chaos
Psychogenocide
Amok Doctrine
Existence Ceased
Upon An Epidemic Scheme
Demean
Demolition
The second gig was at The Fridge , another strange venue for a band like Nervecell. This gig was “All ages” and the album was available for sale a week before its release in stores.
Since it gig was “All ages” there was a very different audience, a younger one. It was also FREE entry. Nervecell’s set did not change a lot from the previous gig and the response they got was awesome. There were a lot of Moshpits. The response from the crowd also helped the band to a much better performance. The tracks from the new album sounded really good especially “All Eyes on Them” which is the first single off the album.
After their set, Nervecell did a signing session and they got mobbed, everyone wanted to get their cds and posters autographed. One guy even got his chappal autographed haha. The guys were really patient and signed it all.
This was one of the best All Ages events I have been to recently. It was great to see the younger audience at the gig, some of the looked around 8 – 10 years to me. I got to catch up with some people that I have not seen in a while, mainly the old school Metalheads from Dubai. I hope more events like this happen soon. Check out some of the pics from there gig taken by my friend Merwyn here.
I’m really glad to see how Nervecell have progressed over the past few years. Their signing to Lifeforce Records and also touring in the past year has given them a HUGE boost. They have identified their sound on “Preaching Venom” and taken it even further on “Psychogenocide”.
Stay tuned for my review of “Psychogenocide” next week.
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