Cerebral Fix
Encyclopedia
Cerebral Fix are an English
thrash
/death metal
band formed in Birmingham in 1986. They became members of the UK thrash metal
and death metal
scenes through four albums, three of which were on major labels before finally disbanding in 1993. In 2006, the band announced its reformation.
After successful demos in 1987, entitled We Need Therapy and Product of Disgust, the band secured a record deal with independent London
-based label, Vinyl Solution
. Paul Adams then left the band and formed a band called Reprisal, which later went on to become Benediction
. His replacement was Steve Watson, and the band entered the Loco Studio in Usk
, South Wales
to record their first album, Life Sucks... And Then You Die!
, which was released in 1988.
The band promoted this album by touring the UK with bands such as Bolt Thrower
, Deviated Instinct
, Doom, Electro Hippies
, Hellbastard
, and Hard-Ons
– all fairly prominent members of the emerging death metal
, crust punk
, and hardcore punk
scenes. The album gained further exposure by having several tracks played on BBC Radio 1
's John Peel
show – Peel himself being somewhat of a champion for eclectic music styles.
and a compilation album which was never released. Adrian Jones and Steve Watson left the band and ex-Sacrilege
members, Frank Healy
and Andy Baker, joined the band which then went on to record a new demo, entitled Tower of Spite. The demo eventually resulted in them winning a contract with Roadrunner Records
– a well-known record label specialising in heavy metal
and especially the popular thrash metal
sub-genre. To announce the deal, Roadrunner Records
set up a supporting slot for the band with Sepultura
at The Marquee Club
in London
. Tony Warburton played a cover version
of a Discharge
song with the main act.
In 1990, the album Tower of Spite
was released. It was recorded at Rhythm Studios in Leamington Spa
with Paul Johnson producing. This set-up continued for all the band's albums to date. To support the album, the band toured with Napalm Death
after which Andy Baker decided to retire. Kev Frost, formerly of Metal Messiah, joined the band and they went on to tour Holland
.
, was released – again on Roadrunner Records
, and with guest vocals by Blaze Bayley
. A tour with American death metal
band, Obituary
, followed.
In 1992, the band's fourth and final album to date, Death Erotica
was released – this time on Music For Nations
and were joined by members of Napalm Death
and Pop Will Eat Itself
from nearby Birmingham
, who supplied guest vocals on various tracks.
To support the album, the band toured with doom metal
band, Paradise Lost
. However, shortly after, Frank Healy
and Gregg Fellows left the band – the former to play with Benediction
. For the European leg of the tour with Cancer
, the band enlisted the services of Discharge
bass player, Jake Morgan, and original Cerebral Fix member, Steve Watson who took up guitar duties this time round. Returning to the UK for another tour, Gregg Fellows rejoined the band and Nicholas Barker
of Dimmu Borgir
and Cradle of Filth
temporarily filled in on drums. The band split, however, in 1993.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
/death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band formed in Birmingham in 1986. They became members of the UK thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
scenes through four albums, three of which were on major labels before finally disbanding in 1993. In 2006, the band announced its reformation.
1986–1988
The band were initially Simon Forrest on vocals, Gregg Fellows on guitar, Adrian Jones on drums and Paul Adams on bass.After successful demos in 1987, entitled We Need Therapy and Product of Disgust, the band secured a record deal with independent London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based label, Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution
Vinyl Solution was a record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the offshoot of an independent London based record store based at 231 Portobello Road . The label signed many unconventional acts in a number of uncompromising genres, such as skatepunk thrash band The Stupids, Britcore rappers...
. Paul Adams then left the band and formed a band called Reprisal, which later went on to become Benediction
Benediction (band)
Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham, England. They were formed in February 1989.-Biography:The Birmingham-based death metal band Benediction were formed in February 1989 by Paul Adams , Peter Rew , Darren Brookes , and Mark "Barney" Greenway...
. His replacement was Steve Watson, and the band entered the Loco Studio in Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
to record their first album, Life Sucks... And Then You Die!
Life Sucks... And Then You Die!
Life Sucks... And Then You Die! was the debut album by Cerebral Fix – a thrash metal band from Birmingham, England. The band released it in 1988 on the independent record label Vinyl Solution, and followed it in 1990 with an altogether different sounding album, Tower of Spite, following mass...
, which was released in 1988.
The band promoted this album by touring the UK with bands such as Bolt Thrower
Bolt Thrower (band)
Bolt Thrower are a British death metal band from Coventry, England. They formed in 1986 and released their first album with Vinyl Solution in 1988. The band then shifted to a new record label, Earache Records, soon becoming one of the best selling bands on that label. Their current label is Metal...
, Deviated Instinct
Deviated Instinct
Deviated Instinct, formed in 1984, was a pioneering British crust punk / death metal band. Their first EP, Welcome to the Orgy, was released by Peaceville Records, which released the majority of their albums...
, Doom, Electro Hippies
Electro Hippies
Electro Hippies was a crust punk/thrashcore band formed in St Helens/Wigan, United Kingdom, in 1985.Though they were short-lived and underground through their career, their music influenced many future crust, hardcore punk, and grindcore bands. The band relied heavily on low bass end sounds to...
, Hellbastard
Hellbastard
Hellbastard are a thrash metal/crust punk band, formed in 1984/5 in the United Kingdom. Members "Scruff Lewty" and "Scotty" met at a Subhumans gig and soon after formed Hellbastard, which was to be a combination of Crass-like politics and the music of Slayer...
, and Hard-Ons
Hard-Ons
The Hard-Ons are a punk rock band from Sydney, Australia that originally formed in 1981. They have been called Australia's most commercially successful independent band, with over 250,000 total record sales. -1980s: Early days:...
– all fairly prominent members of the emerging death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
, crust punk
Crust punk
Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...
, and hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scenes. The album gained further exposure by having several tracks played on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
show – Peel himself being somewhat of a champion for eclectic music styles.
1989–1990
In 1989, the band recorded two songs for Sounds magazineSounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
and a compilation album which was never released. Adrian Jones and Steve Watson left the band and ex-Sacrilege
Sacrilege (band)
Sacrilege were a female-fronted thrash metal band from the Midlands region of England. Despite having played relatively few gigs during their existence, Sacrilege are today recognised as an important band; both as an influence on later heavy metal and doom metal bands, and as an example of the...
members, Frank Healy
Frank Healy
Frank Healy was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, UK, he is a former Napalm Death guitarist. Healy also was the bass player for Cerebral Fix. He also played bass in the first live Anaal Nathrakh session for the John Peel show. He is currently the bassist in the band Benediction.-References:...
and Andy Baker, joined the band which then went on to record a new demo, entitled Tower of Spite. The demo eventually resulted in them winning a contract with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
– a well-known record label specialising in heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and especially the popular thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
sub-genre. To announce the deal, Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
set up a supporting slot for the band with Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
at The Marquee Club
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Tony Warburton played a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
song with the main act.
In 1990, the album Tower of Spite
Tower of Spite
Tower of Spite is the second album by Cerebral Fix – a thrash metal band from Birmingham, England. It was released in 1990 on Roadrunner Records and follows the independent label release of Life Sucks... And Then You Die! in 1988...
was released. It was recorded at Rhythm Studios in Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
with Paul Johnson producing. This set-up continued for all the band's albums to date. To support the album, the band toured with Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
after which Andy Baker decided to retire. Kev Frost, formerly of Metal Messiah, joined the band and they went on to tour Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
1991–1993
In 1991, the band's third album, BastardsBastards (Cerebral Fix album)
Bastards is the third full-length studio album from English thrash metal band, Cerebral Fix. It is their second on Roadrunner Records and follows Tower of Spite from the previous year....
, was released – again on Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, and with guest vocals by Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley
Blaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
. A tour with American death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band, Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
, followed.
In 1992, the band's fourth and final album to date, Death Erotica
Death Erotica
Death Erotica is the fourth full-length studio album from English thrash metal band, Cerebral Fix. It was released on Music For Nations in 1992 and follows the previous year's album, Bastards. It is their final album to date. Guest musician spots were taken by members of Napalm Death, Pop Will Eat...
was released – this time on Music For Nations
Music For Nations
Music For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
and were joined by members of Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
and Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
from nearby Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, who supplied guest vocals on various tracks.
To support the album, the band toured with doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band, Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
. However, shortly after, Frank Healy
Frank Healy
Frank Healy was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, UK, he is a former Napalm Death guitarist. Healy also was the bass player for Cerebral Fix. He also played bass in the first live Anaal Nathrakh session for the John Peel show. He is currently the bassist in the band Benediction.-References:...
and Gregg Fellows left the band – the former to play with Benediction
Benediction (band)
Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham, England. They were formed in February 1989.-Biography:The Birmingham-based death metal band Benediction were formed in February 1989 by Paul Adams , Peter Rew , Darren Brookes , and Mark "Barney" Greenway...
. For the European leg of the tour with Cancer
Cancer (band)
Cancer was a British death / thrash metal band formed in Ironbridge, Telford, Shropshire in 1988. Over the course of their career they released five full-length albums, including one for the major label East West, breaking up in 2006.-Biography:...
, the band enlisted the services of Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
bass player, Jake Morgan, and original Cerebral Fix member, Steve Watson who took up guitar duties this time round. Returning to the UK for another tour, Gregg Fellows rejoined the band and Nicholas Barker
Nicholas Barker
Nicholas Howard Barker is an extreme metal drummer .- Biography :He was the original drummer for British metal band Cradle of Filth, playing on the first three albums. After leaving in 1999, he joined Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir...
of Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
and Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
temporarily filled in on drums. The band split, however, in 1993.
2006
In 2006, the band – with four original members – announced a re-union and the intention to record again in the near future. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=1021441922008
On May 9, 2008, Cerebral Fix announced via MySpace that Frank Healy had left Cerebral Fix as he was busy with his other band, Benediction. Scott Fairfax was later announced as the bands new bass player on June 24, 2008.2009
Drummer Neil Farrington died in the early hours of 20 December.Current members
- Simon Forrest – vocals
- Gregg Fellows – guitar
- Tony Warburton – guitar
- Neil Farrington (deceased) – drums
- Scott Fairfax - bass
Former members
- Frank HealyFrank HealyFrank Healy was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, UK, he is a former Napalm Death guitarist. Healy also was the bass player for Cerebral Fix. He also played bass in the first live Anaal Nathrakh session for the John Peel show. He is currently the bassist in the band Benediction.-References:...
– bass - Paul Adams – bass
- Steve Watson – bass, guitar
- Jake Morgan – bass (temporary)
- Andy Baker – drums
- Kev Frost – drums
- Adrian Jones – drums
- Nicholas BarkerNicholas BarkerNicholas Howard Barker is an extreme metal drummer .- Biography :He was the original drummer for British metal band Cradle of Filth, playing on the first three albums. After leaving in 1999, he joined Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir...
– drums (temporary)
Discography
- We Need Therapy (1987) Demo
- Product of Disgust (1987) Demo
- Life Sucks... And Then You Die!Life Sucks... And Then You Die!Life Sucks... And Then You Die! was the debut album by Cerebral Fix – a thrash metal band from Birmingham, England. The band released it in 1988 on the independent record label Vinyl Solution, and followed it in 1990 with an altogether different sounding album, Tower of Spite, following mass...
(1988) Vinyl SolutionVinyl SolutionVinyl Solution was a record label of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the offshoot of an independent London based record store based at 231 Portobello Road . The label signed many unconventional acts in a number of uncompromising genres, such as skatepunk thrash band The Stupids, Britcore rappers... - Tower of Spite (1990) Demo
- Tower of SpiteTower of SpiteTower of Spite is the second album by Cerebral Fix – a thrash metal band from Birmingham, England. It was released in 1990 on Roadrunner Records and follows the independent label release of Life Sucks... And Then You Die! in 1988...
(1990) Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... - BastardsBastards (Cerebral Fix album)Bastards is the third full-length studio album from English thrash metal band, Cerebral Fix. It is their second on Roadrunner Records and follows Tower of Spite from the previous year....
(1991) Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... - Death EroticaDeath EroticaDeath Erotica is the fourth full-length studio album from English thrash metal band, Cerebral Fix. It was released on Music For Nations in 1992 and follows the previous year's album, Bastards. It is their final album to date. Guest musician spots were taken by members of Napalm Death, Pop Will Eat...
(1992) Music For NationsMusic For NationsMusic For Nations was a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. They were a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records who in turn is owned by BMG....
/Under One Flag