NEUROSIS ODDS AND ENDS UNSURPRISINGLY PROVE TO BE BETTER THAN NO NEUROSIS AT ALL
Neurosis are one of the best metal bands around much in the same way David Lynch is one of the best directors in American cinema: the vast, vast majority of people who encounter his movies, at best, don’t get the big deal. Neurosis aren’t a band that are easy to get into: they don’t have brews-and-BBQ-ready riffs, they’re steeped in noise and occasionally apocalyptic folk, and their M.O. for song lengths is looong. But like all difficult art, if they get their hooks in you, you’re a fan for life. Neurosis are known for harnessing soul-shaking power and crafting it into near-perfect (or, in some case, plain ol’ perfect) albums and increasingly rare-yet-transformative live appearances; their slavishly devoted fan base (which, if you’re remarkably simple and haven’t noticed, this writer is certainly among them) will tell you we’re lucky to exist in a time in which they’re still active and present. Neurot Records (helmed by the band themselves) have two new releases that further illustrate that point: yet another reissue of their classic Enemy of the Sun album and Live at Roadburn 2007, a solid capturing of their headlining set at their curated edition of the eponymous festival. Though neither are particularly essential (unless you haven’t heard Enemy of the Sun yet), they’re still a meaty bone thrown to fans waiting three years for a follow-up to Given to the Rising, surely enough to gnaw on in the meantime.
The Enemy of the Sun reissue doesn’t add much to the initial package, though the package itself is an interesting artifact given the near-twenty years that have followed it. Though the band would perfect what the album was aspiring to do later with Through Silver and Blood, it’s the last record where they were truly heavy. Not that they’re no longer a heavy band, but moreso that they’re focused on tearing down one’s soul rather than writing a subwoofer-destroying riff. This isn’t to say Enemy of the Sun is an elementary album, or even a not-great album. It’s packed with vicious and painfully heavy moments that stand up to the classic material that’s been released in its wake. Still very sample-based (intro track “Burning Flesh in Year of Pig” containing one of the most chilling samples in metal’s history) and anchored by Jason Roeder’s tribal drum work, it’s the sound of an essential band finding their footing and eviscerating whatever they can along the way. Even closing track “Cleanse” is a perfect indicator of what’s to come: a 15 minute (mercifully shaved down from the 26+ minutes on the original release) drum circle coda to the menacing “The Time of the Beasts” feels like like a random left turn and a logical next step simultaneously; the band, incorporating anything they’ve felt like — from noise music to Tom Waits-style folk mindfuckery — throughout their career, have never adhered to the rigid rulebook of metal. This, of course, is what has made their work over the last two-and-a-half decades (!!!) so transformative. And yet, Enemy of the Sun still feels like them experimenting (Nachtmystium feel the same way on Black Meddle Part 2) instead of utilizing their strengths.
Of course, if the Enemy of the Sun reissue is a gleeful reminder of the past, Live at Roadburn 2007 is a victory lap rooted deeply in the present. A decently documented recording of their headlining set, Roadburn captures the all-to-brief occasion of hearing the band in their element. The most interesting portion, of course, is how much they manage to retain in a live setting: their albums have been so densely layered that it’s hard to imagine not losing at least some ingredients when having to recreate it for an audience. Instead, the band sound even MORE expansive: keyboardist/pianist/organist/general shit-stirrer Noah Landis and guitar noise expert Steve von Till finally have room to breathe in the mix, making their presence over Neurosis’ trademark doomsday riffs that much more apparent. It also does longtime producer (er, “engineer”) Steve Albini’s talent at catching bands in their most natural-sounding live environment justice: Neurosis in concert sound remarkably close to how they do on record, with Roeder’s drums pounding raw and viciously under the relentless churning of the band. Of course, this also does Live at Roadburn 2007 a disservice, as most live metal albums do: what exactly could someone who wasn’t at the concert in question get out of this that they couldn’t get out of spending some QT with any of Neurosis’ last 4 albums (the material of which Roadburn consists)? The answer, as usual, is not terribly much. Well, aside from “Distill,” a decent Given to the Rising track that comes to life in a thoroughly emotive performance, its already-epic dynamics magnified a thousand times and engineered to hit you the way latter-day Neurosis should: cutting a hole in the middle of you, prying it open, and fiddling with whatever’s found inside. Otherwise, it’s more impressively recreated than relevatory.
A Neurosis newbie starting with Live at Roadburn 2007 would be like a David Lynch neophyte starting on Fire Walk with Me: it’s beginning with a footnote. But if you’re a fan, it’s, like most live albums, a way to hear your favorite dudes playing your favorite songs (though, admittedly, Roadburn has a setlist made up of downers, even by Neurosis standards) in a slightly different fashion, giving you a window into what your missing if you have to work the night they’re playing in your town. If anything, it’s a decent amuse bouche to the band’s next album, which will hopefully be released in the somewhat near future. But after Given to the Rising, The Eye of Every Storm, and A Sun That Never Sets, Neurosis taking their time to get to another record has proved to be worth the wait. In the meantime, they quietly handle their relationship with their fan base with aplomb and grace. Of course, anyone who’s been paying attention won’t be surprised by this at all. Stay loyal to Neurosis and you will be rewarded.
Enemy of the Sun (2010 reissue)
(4 out of 5 horns)
Live at Roadburn 2007
(3 out of 5 horns)
-SO
