Review Summary: It may be one of the more overlooked releases in Neurosis' catalog, but "Sovereign" remains an absolutely essential listen for both newcomers and longtime fans of the band.
Sovereign is quite possibly, with the exception of their early crust punk output, the most overlooked release in the extensive catalog of Oakland, California-based atmospheric sludge kings
Neurosis. One can be certain that this unfortunate fact is no fault of the EP, and is likely due to its placement between two of the band's most praised albums rather than any lack of quality, for
Sovereign has quality in abundance. Serving as a sort of a bridge between the pummeling sludge of
Times of Grace and the highly atmospheric folk-influenced onslaught of
A Sun That Never Sets, this release is just as unique, well-written, and engaging as anything else in
Neurosis' discography. It may be only four tracks long, but it still contains nearly everything that has made them one of the most celebrated metal acts of the past two decades.
Sovereign's status as a bridge between
Times of Grace and
A Sun That Never Sets is most prominently exemplified by its opening track, 'Prayer.' For anyone who is familiar with the latter of the two albums this EP is sandwiched between, it will become immediately apparent that 'Prayer,' with its nearly chanted vocals and tribal rhythms, is a precursor or alternate version of that album's 'From Where its Roots Run.' Even though it is nevertheless a strong track, this fact may instill apprehension in the listener that the rest of the EP will involve similar retreads, yet
Sovereign's remaining three tracks are completely unique to this release. 'An Offering' is a relatively experimental cut that is driven by a slow, doom-ish pace and an immense climax, while 'Flood,' the EP's shortest cut, consists of droning ambiance accenting a repetitive, tribal percussion line, bringing to mind a shortened, less intense, and, frankly, less interesting 'Cleanse' (from
Enemy of the Sun). While these first three tracks are all worthy of listen on varying levels, they lack the quality of the songs on
Neurosis' full-lengths, sometimes sounding like throwaways from
Times of Grace and warm-ups for
A Sun That Never Sets.
However,
Neurosis save the best for last. The title track, a thirteen-minute behemoth of everything that
Neurosis are exceptional at, is one of the most crushing songs of their career. While
Sovereign's previous tracks seem like relative throwaways between the two albums that, respectively, precede and succeed it, 'Sovereign' is a much more natural bridge between the two, containing both the intensity of
Times of Grace and the atmosphere of
A Sun That Never Sets. These two influences coalesce to create an absolutely gargantuan exercise that displays, yet again, why
Neurosis stand heads and shoulders over their peers. It also manages to save
Sovereign from being the throwaway release that it could have easily become, turning it into an absolutely essential, if not slightly inconsistent, piece of the
Neurosis catalog.
