» Obscura Lusitania [13/02/06] www.obscuralusitania.com PRIMORDIAL [IRL] + DECAPITATED [POL] + THE FIRSTBORN + SHADOWSPHERE + NEUROTIC + OPUS DRACONIS Dark Music for The New Millenium Fest, Almada, Portugal - [13/05/2005] [...] Five minutes to 10 PM, and it was time for NEUROTIC, a band from Algarve, the southern part of Portugal. Apart from a somewhat shy presence on stage, this was a fine display of good Death Metal with more modern influences. As for their style, they remind me of FEAR FACTORY. Sometimes their sound can also reach some Hardcore influences, but also some more brutal ones. The performance was a bit short (little more than 20 minutes), but the reactions in the audience were quite nice, bringing the audience more close to the stage. They played six songs from their debut album, "The Rebirth of Sin", released in 2004. With was a good sample of nice Death Metal, well played, with some passages somewhat more technical, but always maintaining an attractive structure in the songs. Every musician was at good level, but an highlight goes to Ângelo (guitar) and Ino (bass), for their clean skills. Marco, on the drums, does an average job, while João (vocals) still needs some work and a bit more strength on the growls. [...] NOTE: Full review at Obscura Lusitania
» Back to the Grave [30/03/04] www.grave.kom.pt CHAOTIC BREED + NEUROTIC + NEGATIVE GAIN + MORBIUS Zum Zum Bar Porto, Portugal March 13, 2004 Through the years, Zum Zum Bar ["also a concert venue"] has changed name at least 3 times - in the process having once been called "Moda Bar" and then reverting to the old name. After a couple of years in business hiatus, the bar is back in active and has already hosted a number of metal and punk concerts. Tonight's concert was significant on a number of levels: a) this was MORBIUS's first concert in 6 months of live inactivity; b) this was NEGATIVE GAIN's first live performance as NG; c) this was NEUROTIC's debut in the North of Portugal [the band come from the Algharb - South of Portugal] and d) this was most likely one of CHAOTIC BREED's first live acts. The billboard was itself enough to attract many old - and newcomers, and it did. The venue was rather full [150 people?] and the fact that ROTTING CHRIST were playing in another Portuguese city did not prevent the bands from having a solid audience. In direct or indirect relation to this event were the 90 minutes it took for the inaugural notes to be heard. [...] Typical of this event, however, was the short intervals between concerts - which was surprisingly good! 10-15 minutes later, the Algharbian NEUROTIC took to the stage and initiated their discharge of metal power. With two author edition releases on the way, NEUROTIC are not exactly what I would call an unknown band. But the fact is they were not playing home and most people did not know them at all. Their latest offering, The Rebirth of Sin, shows a mature band with good knowledge on the production and playing skills. Instrumentally, the band are very interesting and come up with a number of NEVERMORE-inspired atmospheres, but in my utterly honest opinion [and this should be regarded as constructive criticism], the voice is the only flaw to the album and the band as a whole. Personally, I am not that much into not clearly defined, in the throaty middle term vocals, but anyways I would say an innovating harsh voice or deep DM grunted vocals would probably suit NEUROTIC best. And probably help turning the songs less tedious. Then again, it is only a personal opinion. On stage, the bassist Ino is an evil-looker who bangs constantly at the rhythm of the music, and that is to say a lot. The guitarist comes up with very nice ideas and rhythms and the drummer blasts occasionally. It was visible though that the band were clearly tired - no wonder, the fact that they did play was a major act of courage, having travelled 10 hours on the bus from Lagos to Oporto [we are talking about more than 600 km here]. Generally speaking, the sound, though far from being perfect, was perceptible still. And this was a major surprise, as the PA was by far not adequate for a venue of such dimension. Amongst the many songs of their performance, NEUROTIC played tracks from Rebirth of Sin [Dark Light, Deformed, Cannibalistic, Wicked God, New Human Machine, Prayers of Sin and Ohropax], they also played AT THE GATES' Blinded by Fear, which should be known to most of you and a couple of new ones. Live they did not manage to play up to their level in the CD, but it happens to many other acts. It was nevertheless pretty good to see them live. [...] NOTE: Full review at Back to the Grave