Review Summary: Neurosis delve even deeper into the symphonic element of their sound whilst keeping the heavy riffs, resulting in their most diverse record to date.
Chapter 6: The Doorway
Certain bands choose to stay in one place and not really evolve, such as AC/DC or Kiss. While bands like these may have some odd surprises in their wide catalogs, not too many bands have as much diversity in their discography as the mighty Neurosis. From the energetic and raw debut
Pain of Mind, to the massive and dark
Through Silver in Blood, to the symphonic ambience of
A Sun That Never Sets, or the pure heaviness of
Given to the Rising. While these could all be considered surprises in their evolution to a certain extent, between each and every one of them has been a bridge. Today’s stepping stone is
Times of Grace, which could be described as the bridge between
Through Silver in Blood and
A Sun That Never Sets.
Through Silver in Blood was a masterpiece of heaviness with ambience and noise clashing into each other.
A Sun That Never Sets on the other hand was less immediate and was a bit on the lighter side. Both of these sides collide together in what could be considered Neurosis’s most diverse record. It has the skull crushing riffs, as well as a symphonic side. Most of their past material had some symphonic element to it, but they push it further on this release than they have before. This is best accentuated on songs such as Descent, Away , and The Road to Sovereignty . As I said, there is a very large factor of heavy riffs added into this album, which is to be found on songs such as The Doorway, Under the Surface, and End of the Harvest.
As a whole, the record flows incredibly well. Even though most tracks don’t actually fade into each other, it almost feels as if they do. Certain elements of the album drone on and on, such as the ending of The Doorway or the quieter moments of The Last You’ll Know. Most fans of the band have come to enjoy things like this, but it could potentially turn others off if they aren’t as attentive. If you enjoy the droning of bands such as Swans though, you will probably enjoy this element. Neurosis have already been known to play like this, but you have to be in the right state to truly get it. Conceptually, there isn’t anything specific that really runs throughout the album both lyrically and musically, although the atmosphere tends to stay very dark and bleak. To some, this might seem repetitive, but Neurosis have taken a step into more symphonic territory this time.
So as you can see, Neurosis have taken another step forward into the softer element of their sound. This doesn’t mean they are more accessible or anything like that, but they’ve chosen a bit more of quiet yet chaotic sound this time around. The songs are still long and winding, but with more drones, ambience, and strings. If you’re a fan of both sludge metal and Swans, this is the perfect Neurosis record for you. As a starting point for the band, this might be a rather poor beginning due to the droning nature of most of the songs, which will require some patience at first.
Times of Grace is not an immediate record, it takes a few listens to truly reward. Although, this is already a common factor for post-metal in general. So overall, this is one of Neurosis’s most diverse records, as well as a preview for what was to come.
