Birmingham-based band CEREBRAL FIX are releasing their 3rd LP late October. Called Bastards, it's their second LP through Roadrunner. Describing themselves as an accessible metal mix with influences of hardcore and thrash, Simon Forrest (vocals) and Frank Healy (bass) both agree the band has to get off their collective butts and promote it this time around.
"We have to do Europe," says Simon. "I mean we have three LPs and we haven't even touched it, except for three days in Holland when our SADUS support slot fell through. We've got to get off our backsides and promote ourselves. We have a chance to do the TYPE O NEGATIVE tour therem so it's up to us."
Frank agrees:
"We've never been hard working. Sort of a 'sod it all' attitude all the time. When we are recording we bang it out, and that's it. On our new LP we left the mistakes. You can't keep on doing it again and again. We have never done anything more than four times. If you can't get it in four then there isn't a point. We're definitely not a perfectionist band. Our laid back attitude seems to work, so I'm worried about working harder. It may ruin the magic of it."
When their first LP Life Sucks, came out, Cerebral Fix was a prominent member on the Midlands hardcore scene. Tower of Spite, their first Roadrunner release changed all that.
"As soon as Tower of Spite came out we lost the hardcore group, it's true," Simon recalls. "We never saw them. Just new faces; metal heads, death metal fans. But now there is more old people coming back into it, as a lot of the hardcore crowd went into the death metal underground. That's one of our problems, we have hardcore roots, feelings and attitude, but we can't call ourselves anything specific. Bastards is an even more accessible LP."
Frank adds:
"We've been classed as a death metal band before. I can sort of see why on some songs, but we have a groove. We make sure there is a groove going on, not two million time changes. Even METALLICA has a groove. There is a lot going on, but in the background you can always hear it."
Although they are sometimes classed as a death metal band, and sharing a label with DEICIDE and OBITUARY may lead people to make this connection, Cerebral Fix deny they are death metal.
"I'm into the scene," Simon enthuses, "but it's not the concept of Cerebral Fix. We don't regard ourselves as death metal. Roadrunner wanted us to record at Morrisound Studios, but we said 'no,' we have our own identity. That's why we brought Paul Johnson in. What's the point of going to Florida when we can do it up the road?""With death metal," he continues, "we've witnessed kids with inverted crosses, into the devil. But they don't really understand what goes with the image, child abuse and stuff, the dark side. That's what our song 'Ritual Abuse' is about."
Frank Laughs:
"I reckon if Mr Beelzebub was in their cupboard at night and popped his head out, they would have second thoughts! Bastards is depressing and melancholy. But we show the other side of the Devil too. More people die from religious battles in the name of God than anything. Christianity is big bucks now, Rod Stewart doesn't pull as many people as Billy Graham."
The LP has 10 tracks, the CD however has a bonus three tracks: a cover of GBH's "No Survivors," "Maim to Beg," an old FIX song they decided to clean from the closet, and Smash It Up" the DAMNED classic with WOLFBANE's Blaze Bayley as guest vocalist.
"A lot of breaking out was to do with Wolfsbane," Frank explains. "It just goes to show how broad minded Blaze is, he has 100% faith in Cerebral Fix. 'Smash It Up" was a fun thing to do to lighten up the atmosphere. Bayley was hilarious, he is Mr Heavy Metal himself."
Soon to come out on the road to support Bastards, Fix are already working on new material, says Frank:
"We want to do a mini LP in January, and then in June 92 hopefully our next LP. Right now things are just flowing."
Simon interrupts:
"But right now we have to get out there and make it all work."
Marion Garden
Riff Raff
November 1991
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