SENMUTH — Neocortex (review)

SENMUTH — Neocortex album cover Album · 2009 · Industrial Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
Conor Fynes
'Neocortex' - Senmuth (4/10)

Another album that shows Senmuth experimenting with some more European folk music under the banner of industrial metal. To those yet unaware of this man's music, Senmuth is an artist that has crossed over a very wide range of music, from the light nuances of electronic ambient, to dark ethnic world music, to the crushing distortion of the heavier metal music for which he is known best. With 'Neocortex', we are taken back a few years to the style Senmuth used most when this prolific experimental project was still in it's infancy. Industrial metal with hints of ethnic music is the order of the day here, and while the album here is spiced up by a couple of very fun covers, the music here shows that Senmuth's typical industrial metal has been stretched a bit too far.

It's difficult to speak of 'Neocortex' on it's own, for besides the two cover songs here, there is nothing new to Senmuth. Simple guitar work with plenty of distortion makes up the main body of music, along with the weird, distinctive and slightly annoying singing ability of lead man Valery Av. When held up against other albums of similar sound however, there is less of a Middle-Eastern/Egyptian sound to the music, instead opting for some fresher accordions and pianos to lead things. Barring that, the music reprises what was done years before with albums like 'Cognitive Discord.'

Without a doubt, the three final songs of 'Neocortex' are the highlight of the album, and ultimately the work's saving graces. As for the two covers, it's pretty impressive on it's own that Senmuth would have the gall to follow up a Bangles cover with a song originally penned by black metal innovators Mercyful Fate. Both covers are very fun to listen to despite their vast differences, and the puns Senmuth throws into the music makes for a very tongue-in- cheek vibe (the singer pronounces the Mercyful Fate song 'Come To The Senmuth'). Unfortunately, the melody and complexity of the covers (especially 'Come To The Sabbath') make the original numbers pale in comparison.

'Neocortex' certainly has some strength to it, but nothing of note; it has nothing of it's own to sport, instead choosing to dine on the style of previous albums, seemingly note-for-note. With the exception of the two fun covers here, there isn't much to 'Neocortex'.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Rot Stink Rip Death Metal
TOMBSTONER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Human Rosin Melodic Metalcore
HATE BREEDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Through The Hell Hardcore Punk
ENEMY 906
Buy this album from MMA partners
Lightmatter: Rebirth Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Eye Of Horus (Lightmatter EP Pt. 2) Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 4 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 5 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed