Cerebus Effect has been fortunate enough to receive a fair amount of recognition throughout
the progressive-rock and fusion communities. Often we are interviewed and reviewed by the
numerous organizations working to inform the public about new and interesting bands and
other music resources. Below, you can read a few reviews focusing on the recordings
and performances of Cerebus Effect
"Cerebus Effect grabs you by the neck from the first note and doesn't let go until the very last… Highlights abound… I have three letters for this scorcher of an album: WOW. If you like high-intensity, no-holds-barred, no-compromises (or apologies) prog and fusion, then you need to obtain a copy of Acts of Deception immediately if not sooner. Highly recommended." ProGGnosis
"Cerebus Effect's music is in fact cerebral and challenging – it's aggressive and intriguing… at all times the four members of Cerebus Effect are playing their instruments in such a way that they all sound independent of each other but somehow are part of a cohesive whole." Rough Edge
"On this album the listener gets a large diversity of styles, varying from Canterbury to Zeuhl and from old-fashioned symfo to even a little progressive metal. Roughly the music can be defined as a mixture of Canterbury progrock/fusion with zeuhl in the best Magma tradition with some very strong King Crimson similarities." Progwereld
"Cerebus Effect have certainly packed a lot into their debut album and it should appeal to a broad cross section of music fans, particularly those who favour the heavier end of the progressive spectrum." Dutch Progressive Rock Page
"There are enough bands that impress with technical skills while making for a fatiguing listen, but Cerebus Effect blend in enough structure and symphonic textures to make this an album to return to."
Kinesis Progressive Rock CDs
"OK, well, musicianship is, technically, a 6 (out of 6)...It's almost like watching Rain Man do math."
- Chris Sessions, Metal Reviews
"...great ambience, daring and complex ideas presented with confidence and enthusiasm."
- Morgan Whitehead, President, Objective Music Records
"Think equal parts Allan Holdsworth with some angry guitar leads and heavily flavored by Zappa"
- Luis Nasser, Prog4you
"Capping off the evening was the Baltimore area's own Cerebus Effect, whose metallic, jackhammer riffing bore scant resemblance to the more recent proceedings. Played in entirety was their new CD Dark Matter, plus a considerable bit of acrobatic jamming. Normally, a guitar-bass-drums power trio, the guys added a keyboardist recently. Unfortunately, his place in the the mix was pretty non-existent. Guitarist Joe Walker combined flashes of brilliance with moments of uncertainty (his monitor seemed to be on the fritz). Kudos to the rhythm section of Mike Galway (bass) and Patrick Gaffney (drums), whose muscular, breakneck, joined-at-the-hip attack struck home with this attendee. Even the moon came back out to witness Cerebus' crunch-with-brains performance!
- John Patrick, live reviews in Progression Magazine
Dark Matter 2002; Out of Phase Records Style: Fusion/progressive metal
Sound: 3 Composition: 3 Musicianmanship: 3 Performance: 3 Total Rating : 12 out of 16
Cerebus Effect is an adventurous trio from Baltimore, MD that plays instrumental rock falling somewhere between fusion and
metal - technically precise, but more aggressive than laidback. Bassist Mike Galway, leader and founder of Uncle Gut and co-
creator of Dysfunctional Family, anchors a rhythmic attack propelled by the hyperactive drumming of Patrick Gaffney.
The real discovery here is guitarist Joseph Walker, whose fluid style suggests a livelier Allan Holdsworth. Check out his playing
on tracks like "Gandhi Chops" or "Callamityville", and you'll hear an instrumentalist trying to escape the envelope. Judging by the
material found on Dark Matter, Cerebus Effect likes playing in the shadows. Recorded at Baltimore's Orions Sound Studios, the
compositions can hardly be considered cheery, but sheer energy lifts this music from becoming overly oppressive.
At six tracks and less than 28 minutes, this CD is criminally short but as a sampler of what Cerebus Effect is capable, it's an excellent snapshot of a band interested in exploring both the harmonic and the dissonant.
- Mark Newman, Reviews in Progression Magazine
"...the first one (Live at Orion) containing a great jazz-rock variant on UK mark II, with thundering keyboards in Eddie Jobson's style, the second one (Dark Matter) more in the vein of Bill Connors' and Allan Holdsworth's more aggressive work, played in a more progressive-rock environment (like a couple of other modern American bands like Bill Phol, Quazi, Scott McGill and Whoopgnash do). ...both albums contain some great playing...the basis to become a big hitter is surely there, especially when Joseph Walker can combine his qualities on guitars and kayboards."
- Rene Yedema the the Dutch progressive rock magazine iO Pages
CEREBUS EFFECT Dark Matter CD 02 (Out Of Phase, US)
Here's an interesting one from right in my back yard, courtesy of Mike Galway (bass and also a member of Uncle Gut). What we have here is a 6 track CD EP by this trio completed by Joseph Walker (guitar) & Patrick Gaffney (drums). It slides from track to instrumental track, balancing either the heavier end of the spectrum like Eight Against Nine, with its Crimson-ish crush or jazzier explorations like Another World. Even more interesting are the closing 2 numbers, Sleepy Hollow and Calamityville, each veiled in dark, forboding tones that are different as they are captivating. Two things I like through the entire process here are the production and the writing style. While a lot of things that garner the name "prog" are (to me, anyway), over-produced and insanely incomprehensible, that's not the case here. First off, the recording is quite raw & sparse, giving Walker's guitar (on which he rips, but with definite NON-neo-classical style) a cool, cavern-type tone. Secondly, the songwriting here, while at times a bit complex, rarely goes down off-putting blind alleys. Excellent stuff, and I'd really like to hear more from these guys.
- Chaos Realm
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