Mega Drive (not the beloved SEGA console) has given us more Dark Synth action with his new release Neuroframe. Our love for Mega Drive’s music is much like their love to add distortion onto everywhere – it’s priceless. We listened to Neuroframe and have offered our verdict of this full length album we have been waiting to hear from Mega Drive.

Extraction kicks off the album with a typical epic introduction with distorted eerie piano work before a sharp tempo increase. Wire Rot thugs it’s way through the speakers with it’s hectic intensity and pure aggression. Outer Recall slows things down and gives off 90s SEGA vibes you’d hear in a 2D action side scroller. Silencer relaxes the tone with filtered guitar work and some distorted bass adding to that which is a strange but successful combination. Loaded is a clear shot straight through the heart of your audio output and is the more progressive out of the songs. Modifier continues the previous vibes of calming yet distorted instrumental madness that only Mega Drive seems to get away with. Digital Veils wipes away the distortion and brings an unexpected Labrynth feel to the instrumental.

Informant forms a picture of an 80’s action stealth mission even with it’s chugging heavy bass being the main appeal. Dot Site Hack brings another smooth synthwave banger just like Digital Veils. Corrupter, just like Loaded, delivers a track which feels like it matches the song title perfectly. Gutter Punk brings a welcoming The Prodigy blended with some sweet chiptune making us want to go to a rave with nothing but a musician and LSDJ on Game Boy Colour. Primer resolves the album back to it’s 90s SEGA game vibes which is what we all live for really. Optical Ghost Patterns is a tremendous feel good track that we love it because it should feel out of place, but it doesn’t. The title track concludes the album with a thumping, eerie roar of an outro that really demands an encore.

Mega Drive has mostly stuck to their guns with another Darksynth masterpiece to add to their ever growing impressive discography. You do have some songs that have decided to ditch the distortion and it has surprisingly worked. Mega Drive probably doesn’t realise that Neuroframe is an excellent album that mixes heavy fuelled punch anything in the face anthems to head nodding bops that pump you up for live music. Neuroframe is a terrific album that experiments with different instrumental sounds and emotions whilst maintaining Mega Drive’s signature dark synth sound.

– Matthew Clewley
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