Review Summary: Neurosis take a more focused approach on Enemy of the Sun than Souls at Zero with a thick wall of sludge.
Chapter 4: Cold Ascending
Neurosis had just surprised their audience with the massive, epic
Souls at Zero. Although, they started as a hardcore punk outfit similar to Black Flag or Amebix. When they released their second album The Word as Law, there was a bit of a shift into darker, heavier, more experimental territory. With Souls at Zero though, they laid the foundation for what some call "Post-Metal". On
Enemy of the Sun Neurosis go even heavier and more intense than
Souls at Zero. On this album they focus more on the Sludge aspect of their sound and less of the Industrial, Post-Metal kind of side. Here, they sound more like EyeHateGod than they did earlier, with a thicker wall of sludge, less pain, and more about long songs.
Neurosis had basically made what sounded like a much heavier and darker version of Pink Floyd with
Souls At Zero, and this album is somewhat similar in approach. It opens with Lost, which is an emotional and incredibly dark song that sucks you into the album. Samples are spread throughout this album, in fact Lost opens with about a minute long sample from the movie
The Sheltering Sky. The sudden change from Lost into Raze the Stray is also noteworthy as one of the only noticeable shifts between songs. The Arabian style of singing is a very interesting texture to add, especially considering the sudden contrast in dynamics into a loud, hateful wall of sound.
This album, although more focused, is also very experimental in certain spots. I mentioned the intro to Raze the Stray, but there is also the opening to the title track, which is very creepy and strange. To me, it evokes images of a dark, empty field. The weirdest track though by far is Cleanse. This song is basically marching percussion that fades into experimental ambience and noise. Also, this lasts for 15 minutes! If you made it all the way through from the beginning though, this is an interesting conclusion to the already massive album. But, there is a weak side to the album.
The biggest weakness on this album for me is that musically, it gets repetitive sometimes.
Souls at Zero didn't flow quite as well, but it still had an incredibly unique and diverse sound. This album isn't as diverse as the others in the Neurosis catalog, but it is still rather unique. I like the fact that it flows incredibly well, but some might complain that Cleanse is useless. Although, that could count out a lot of people because Neurosis takes time to enjoy anyway. I enjoy it, but it doesn't have to be there. So basically, the only gripe is that it is somewhat repetitive musically.
So, in conclusion
Enemy of the Sun is a very solid release from an amazing band. This isn't by any means a misstep, but it is just slightly weaker than
Souls at Zero and especially
Through Silver in Blood. This album is more about the sludgy, heavy side of their sound and less about the creepy, dark atmosphere. It contains some of their best songwriting such as Lost, Enemy of the Sun, and The Time of the Beasts. So overall, a solid record from the band, but they've done better.
