Artist: Neurosis
Album: The Eye of Every Storm
Genre: Progressive Sludge Metal
Released: June 29th, 2004
Band Line-Up
Scott Kelly - Guitars/Vocals
Steve Von Till - Guitars/Vocals
Dave Edwarson - Bass
Noah Landis - Keyboards/Samples
Jason Roeder - Drums
Overall / First Impression
This album immediately struck me as a somewhat mellow album I can play when I feel like just sitting back and grooving on something. There are heavy moments, for sure, but this is not an aggressive album. The music is kept slow and dark the whole way through. It's sludge, but it's a very progressive sort of sludge - the distorted guitars often break into and out of quieter guitar passages and segments consisting of just the vocals over ambient noises. Most of the transitions are done well, which is important. Solid songwriting here. It brought Tiamat's Wildhoney to mind (read: it would be fantastic music to get high and relax to), but it's much more sombre music than that. I can find no faults with the basic construction of the music, but because of the speed at which it proceeds and develops I found it somewhat difficult to concentrate on, and some of the longer ambient sections were a bit overdone and could have used either some work or some trimming. My qualms with the album are small, and there is amazing stuff at work here, so I expect this album will muscle its way into my rotation whenever I'm in the mood for something cool and relaxing. I think it will stay there, too, because it has enough depth and intricacy to it to keep one coming back. I can only suggest you stay away if you're looking for something that keeps a faster pace or have a short attention span.
Overall - 4/5
Track by Track
1. Burn - 07:07
The songwriting shows off its dynamics right away with this first track, with several switches from heavy to ambient. The vocal perfomance here is decent - it's not a bad rasp, but it feels just a bit forced to me. A sizeable song, but nothing was worn out. Whenever the guitars kicked in again, the music had changed enough to keep it interesting but it kept with a theme. - 3/5
2. No River to Take Me Home - 8:43
This track is one of the crowning moments of the album. Excellent riffs, excellent interludes, and the vocals go with it all perfectly. The only nitpick I could find was the slight uneven feel I got in tone from the downshifts from the heavy segments to the lighter interludes, but that only manages to make for about 6 bad seconds out of a great 8+ minute song. - 5/5
3. The Eye of Every Storm - 11:56
As opposed to the first track, I absolutely love the vocals on this one. There isn't much guitar work in this track. It's a wee bit experimental, with some distinctly non-metal sounds being incorporated (bells!). There is an ambient section in the middle of the track that I think it goes on a little longer than it needs to, but it's an excellent track otherwise. - 4/5
4. Left to Wander - 8:10
This track starts off looking like it is going to be an especially heavy one, and for the most part it is, except for a few little interludes that I think the song would actually be better without. They just don't seem to flow together with the heavy segments as well as is done on other songs on the album. One those bits pass, the song is a sludge masterpiece. Well, it's not totally sludge - they throw in some simple piano and some interesting drumming to keep up their progressive style. - 4/5
5. Shelter - 05:17
The shortest song on the album, and by the time it really picks up it's already half over. The beginning drags on a little long, but at about two and a half minutes in the track becomes mellow gold, and it peaks during the heavy last minute or so. No vocals on this track. - 3/5
6. A Season in the Sky - 09:50
This track keeps it ambient at first, and focused mainly on the vocals. The lyrics caught my attention, but such a long stretch of ambience was driving my attention away at the same time. Halfway in the song turns sludge on us and it's an excellent ride from there. - 3/5
7. Bridges - 11:35
Probably the most experimental track on the album. Ambience, vocals, static, a throbbing drum beat, and even some horns are to be heard in the first half. When guitar work finally appears, it's incredibly distorted and heavy. The cuts between these segments and quiet segments are instant and surprising, but work perfectly. This is the most 'out there' song on the album, and one of the best, too. - 5/5
8. I Can See You - 06:09
This song begins totally calm, with soft vocals and an acoustic (or what could be) guitar line, and what I think are violins in the background. The feel is the same the whole way through, but the electric guitars come back for the second half to put their spin on the mood set by the beginning. A powerful song, and an excellent choice for the closing track. - 5/5
