artificialbox
damon r.
Emeritus

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Approval 100%

Soundoffs 57
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Last Active 04-02-13 8:02 am
Joined 05-17-11

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 Lists
11.04.25 i made a zine ♦06.13.25 do you like violence? ♦
05.29.25 Where do you draw the circle?03.28.25 can u suggest me something
03.22.25 my dad's musical takes03.01.25 medicating my neurosis
01.31.25 i'm 30 now12.08.24 a very artificial 2024 ♦
11.24.24 breaking my opeth virginity10.19.24 My top 60 albums of all time
08.07.24 review/writing questions ♦06.04.24 brutal dm por favor??
05.04.24 albums that shaped my youth04.27.24 Artificialbox's Record Collection ♦
01.20.24 Thursday Retrospective01.14.24 A VERY ARTIFICIAL 2023
12.02.23 re-discovering the waterfront01.27.13 100

medicating my neurosis

Same idea as my Opeth list. I have picked Neurosis as my next subject for a full discog run because they meet the criteria of being a band with a large, celebrated discography that I have always been interested in but always found intimidating to approach. So instead of just picking their most popular album and calling myself a Neurosis fan, I'll be going in chronological order and detailing my thoughts.
1Neurosis
Pain Of Mind

I find Pain Of Mind to be both surprising and not. A lot of great metal bands started out in punk, but not a lot of them kept the same name and lineup deep into their evolution. Pain Of Mind is pretty run-of-the-mill for a west coast hardcore album from '87. I could name a handful of bands from the same area and decade who were doing hardcore way better than this, but also just as many who were doing it worse. Because of that, Pain Of Mind is almost the definition of average, but I can't help but appreciate its charm. There are some pretty based political lyrics on here at least. I especially love the message of humanity in the face of division that Stalemate conveys ("I clutch my gun in despair, we look each other in the eyes, then we both realize that our roles are the same, I put down my gun and he walks away"), hell I might even consider covering that one with my punk band.
2Neurosis
The Word As Law

Still hardcore, just way fucking better. It almost seems like Neurosis were following the path of Black Flag in their early years, and this is their "My War" moment. The songs are longer and more thoughtfully structured. Like you can tell they quickly outgrew the punk ethos of recording every single song that they could slap together in a single jam session. They really spent their time honing these tracks in. They are definitely a bit sludgier, and the dual vocal dynamic sounds great, but the thing that sticks out the most about this record is how leveled up the rhythm section is, especially the bass. There are some seriously ripping bass lines on this bad boy. This whole album honestly rips and I can see myself returning to it over Pain Of Mind if I ever wanted a dose of punk Neurosis. "To What End?" is probably my favourite track here. Honestly wish I would have listened to this record 10 years ago.
3Neurosis
Souls At Zero

Mixed feelings about this one. I respect Souls At Zero as a landmark post-metal release in the same way I respect cavemen for carving weapons out of wood and stone. Smart, but crude. Unfortunately, just like a weapon made of wood and stone, it is prone to failure under stress. The band dived off the deep end into even slower and darker territory here, and it works to varying degrees of success, but it feels like they sacrificed interesting song structures in exchange for atmosphere. The guitar tones do sound fucking awesome at least, but boy does this thing drag, and I don't find the atmosphere nearly engulfing enough to justify some of the more threadbare stretches of repetition. "Flight" is obviously a huge highlight here, and I would have loved to see more folky experimentation. Loved the end of "Stripped" for the same reason. All in all there are some small moments of brilliance on here that get lost in a sea of mechanical trudging. Makes for a great blueprint.
4Neurosis
Enemy Of The Sun

Now we’re cooking. I think my main problem with Souls At Zero is that the atmosphere felt quite empty. Enemy of the Sun addresses that issue. There is just more going on in the background of these songs to make the atmosphere feel more oppressive. More samples, synths, weird experimental textures. My jaw dropped when the violin came in on the opening track, and the piano adds so much value to “Raze the Stray”. These elements just feel like they are better woven into the whole experience instead of being contained to just a track here and there. The song structures feel tighter and more focused, the tension is more palpable and actually pays off with some pretty grand moments (like way “Cold Ascending” creeps its way with unsettling dissonance into a hardcore explosion that flows straight into “Lexicon”). I think if it weren’t for “Cleave” this album would have a slightly higher average, but at least it’s interesting. I might not listen to it every time I put on the record though.
5Neurosis
Through Silver In Blood

Oddly enough this album seems to take a step back into Souls territory with a more stripped back approach to songwriting — less busy and immediate (certainly no mid-tempo hardcore influence like Enemy had, this album is slow and trudging all the way through), a renewed focus on droning stretches of industrial rage, but this time they manage to keep my attention a little more. Maybe it's because underneath that rage I can sense real emotion, and there are some seriously sullen moments on this album to back that up. Unlike Enemy, which came out swinging with a violins and piano in the first two tracks, Through Silver In Blood takes a bit longer to reveal it's sleeve of tricks, but my god the peak is so intense. When those bagpipes finally come in during "Purify" it completely transforms an otherwise punishing repetition into something serene, like finally reaching enlightenment through immense pain, and then the whole stretch from there to "Aeon" in just full of astonishing grief. Woof.
6Neurosis
Times Of Grace

Well I think I found my favourite Neurosis album so far. Times of Grace is such a fitting name for an album that feels like such a huge weight off of the shoulders after the last three dark and challenging records. This is still a heavy album, on par with TSIB in a lot of ways, the band just tweaked their sonic identity here for a slightly softer footprint. The guitar tones are so much warmer, the atmosphere is less industrial and sharp, the quiet parts are more silvery and floaty. Maybe I'm just a weakling that doesn't favour scary harsh music but this is the first Neurosis album since Word As Law that I've been able to leave on repeat without feeling like I need to jump off a bridge, and I love it for that. Awesome to hear them leaning more into the bagpipe on this record also, it adds such a unique taste to their music. Whole album is amazing but special shout out to "Away", the longest and slowest burning track on the album, but one that always leaves me breathless by the end.
7Neurosis/Tribes of Neurot
Times of Grace/Grace

Pretty fun way to listen to Times of Grace. Definitely creates a much more dense atmosphere that I can appreciate. I can see why people say the best way to listen to this is by playing each album on separate devices. When they are mixed together into one file it feels a little flat and cluttered, but still cool. I'll have to try it the other way some time.
8Neurosis
Sovereign

Hilarious how a Neurosis "EP" is still 39 minutes long (including the bonus track, which really shouldn't be skipped). Its relative brevity gains instant brownie points from me though. Sovereign seems like a very natural extension of Times Of Grace in terms of its sonic palette. The guitars are still warm with a huge headroom for a hefty, well rounded clean tones with a punchy low end that make the guitars sound massive without relying solely on distortion. The industrial influence is virtually extinct by now and replaced with an emphasis on plodding post-rock/funeral doom jams. This really is Neurosis at their doomiest. Most of the band's output so far has been frontloaded with a lot of heavier tracks with a natural lull going from the middle into the back half of the record, but Sovereign opens with a meditative slow burn and kind of just stays in that zone of misery for the whole ride, but the production is so crushing that it's hard not to become entranced. Absolutely ace material.
9Neurosis
A Sun That Never Sets

What an interesting record. I have some reservations about it, but my feelings are overall quite positive. ASTNS just feels like a completely different beast in the scope of Neurosis' discography thus far — a rebirth, if you will. It almost feels like their biggest leap since Souls At Zero, albeit the changes are much less obvious, at least in the instrumental department. Vocally speaking, Kelly's shift toward a more melodic delivery is very obvious and has an enormous impact on the overall vibe of this album. It kind of caught me off guard. I really loved the way clean singing had been used sparingly on previous Neurosis records. It was always fairly subdued but effective at providing a contrast to the billowing anger that they consumed most of their sound. But damn, I absolutely did not expect them to go all in on it here. Unfortunately, the whole gravelly blues vocal delivery doesn't usually land with me. It's just a little melodramatic at times, let's be honest.
10Neurosis
A Sun That Never Sets

That, however, is really the only thing that initially disappointed me about this record, and it's something that kind of stopped bothering me after a few listens, once I started to pay more attention to what this record achieves instrumentally. In that regard, it's absolutely incredible. I think the band sound their most self-realized and free here, the mix between between loud and quiet is less of a dichotomy and more of a blend into something that I lack the words to describe. It's still heavy as fuck, absolutely tragic, but also beautiful and comforting at the same time. Like falling into a bed of serrated rose petals but completely numbed by opium. It took hearing "Crawl Back In" and "Watchfire" before fully realizing the gravity of the album and starting to appreciate what it does differently. Those two tracks leading into the hypnotic death toll of "Resound" just gave me goosebumps and really elevated the record. Still not my favourite but maybe the most potential for growth.
11Neurosis and Jarboe
Neurosis and Jarboe

Interesting little detour. This being sandwiched in between A Sun That Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm almost makes it feel like a little "back to roots" moment in the way that this is the most unsettling album Neurosis made after Enemy of the Sun. This album veers more into drone and noise rock and sees the band really focusing on the textural aspects of their music, but because it lacks memorable melodies or any sense of emotional anchor, it sort of falls flat for me. The whole thing is just so drab. I don't know anything about Jarboe, so forgive me for my insolence, but I really don't get the appeal of her voice. I get that this isn't supposed to be a pleasant album, and they definitely succeeded in making something that is not fun to listen to. So congrats I guess. I still enjoyed some of Neurosis' musicianship though, I thought "His Last Words", "Recieve" and "In Harm's Way" all offered up something interesting, but interesting is not enough to carry an album imo.
12Neurosis
The Eye Of Every Storm

Neurosis have completed their transmogrification into a heavy post-rock band, and I fucking love it. Definitely rivals ToG for my favourite. It's pretty rare to find a band that can shift so far from the sonic textures of their establishing works while retaining the core principals of their identity like this. TEoES is still crushing and meditative as always, but Neurosis finally parts the clouds a little bit to create their most atmospheric work yet. It takes the melodic sensibilities of ASTNS and thrusts them to new heights and even proper crescendos. I mean, "Burn" is probably the closest Neurosis' music has ever come to sounding hopeful. In that way, TEoES almost feels like a victory lap. Like we finally scaled the mountain, weathered the storm, met the wise old hermit who appears in flashes of lightning and received our destiny from a burning bush. If this was their last album, it would probably be one of the greatest discog caps of all time.
13Neurosis
The Eye Of Every Storm

The new style of singing that I was initially hesitant about on ASTNS is totally not an issue here, in fact I think they fit the vibe of this album even better. It's actually impressive how well Neurosis translates the concept of the album into sound here, whether it's literal storm samples, wispy synthesizers, or the highly saturated yet somewhat soft distortion of the guitars, everything about the production is so dialed in. Every song on this one is so distinct and moody. I especially love the yawning chorus in the title track and the pure emotional pull of "Shelter", but holy shit those fucking massive crumbling walls of guitar in "Bridges" going straight into the melancholic acoustic guitar and cello of the closing track is such a breathtaking duo omfg, I had to pick my jaw off the floor the first time I heard it and every time since. This honestly might be an insta 5.
14Neurosis
Given To The Rising

I love when bands do this. Instead of continuing to up the ante after possibly their most epic (in the purest sense of the word) concept album, Neurosis took what they learned from the process and returned to the basics—loud fucking riffs. Given To The Rising is still atmospheric, as you would expect, but it's less engulfing and more refined into concentrated moments, like static decay at the end of "Fear and Sickness", or the chilling ambient/spoken word interludes, "Shadow" and "Nine". There are still some pretty post-rock riffs here and there, but this is Neurosis at their most stoner rock, almost as if it was recorded after Times of Grace but with the unsettling atmospheric sensibilities of their spin-off collab with Jarboe. So yeah, it's less ambitious and grandiose than TEoES, but their songwriting was so tight at this point in their career that they could have done absolutely anything and it would have stood toe to toe with their best imo.
15Neurosis
Honor Found In Decay

Well, this the first time I've felt like Neurosis was stagnating. A bit surprising since the gap between this and GTTR was the longest in their career, but hey, even Neurosis resting on their laurels is still pretty damn good. It's clear from the primal mythology theme of the album art that is meant to be a continuation from where they left off, which means it picks back up on that heavy stoner doom/post-rock sound. I feel like the scope of the production and ambiance was really toned back here as well. Neurosis records prior to this sounded so expansive and layered and downright weird at times, but Honor Found In Decay feels very tight and focused, really just letting the riffs speak for themselves. Again, not a bad thing. The songwriting here is still excellent, and the album is unique in its sense of loneliness. The quieter folk influence on tracks like "At The Well" and "Casting of the Ages" especially bring a sense of desolation to the record. Not bad for such a late career album.
16Neurosis
Fires Within Fires

Neurosis try to inject a bit of weirdness back into what would end up being their last album, but I'm not sure that it's enough to save them from the clear lack of motivation to push boundaries that their final two albums represent. I guess Scott Kelly was too busy being a cowardice piece of shit at this point to come up with good ideas. Woops. Fires Within Fires pulls from a lot of different eras of the band, but it lacks an inspired concept to really drive it all home, and ends up feeling like more of a mishmash of retreaded paths. This is also their shortest since Word As Law, which is probably for the best, I'm not sure they had enough real gas to expand this to an hour even if they wanted to. Despite its slightly more creative sonic palette, Fires Within Fires stands pretty squarely with Honor Found In Decay as a "serviceable but not amazing" album.
17Neurosis
Fires Within Fires

The production feels expanded upon again at least. "Fire Is the End Lesson" especially displays a psychedelic unease that almost feels like an extension of ASTNS, just without the emotional punch that album carried. This record as a whole feels pretty limp, lacking in emotion or even rewarding pay-offs. That being said, it's still an enjoyable album for invested fans. I could imagine people at this point just being happy to get another Neurosis album. "Broken Ground" is probably my favourite track here just for the way it pushes that hushed charcoal western vibe even further than their last two albums did, and mixes it with some classic Neurosis power. The closer "Reach" is also a pretty solid track, it at least finished the album off with a proper bang. So, overall a bit of a disappointing end to the discography, but hey, almost no band makes it this far without fading out.
18Phoebe Bridgers
Punisher

Total track plays: 582
Most played album: A Sun That Never Sets
Personal favourite: The Eye of Every Storm

Another discog run down. This one was a wild ride. Once again, I don’t feel like I can justify ending these discog runs with a ranking. Even though I listened to all of these albums a handful of times each, there is still so much to digest, especially in some of their earlier material. Really glad I went through this one though. Was exhausting but rewarding. I get a lot of value out of studying the discographies of these classic influential bands even though it takes up all my time and mental bandwidth for the duration.

Feel free to leave suggestions for my next one, doesn’t have to be metal!
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