ALBUMS WE WISH HAD MADE THE LIST: NEUROSIS – THE EYE OF EVERY STORM
Friday, July 10th, 2009 at 4:30pm by David Bee Roth
Neurosis, The Eye of Every Storm (Relapse, 2004)
Scott Kelly – Guitars/Vocals
Steve Von Till – Guitars/Vocals
Dave Edwardson – Bass/Keyboards/Synths
Noah Landis – Organ/Piano/Samples
Jason Roeder – Drums
Produced by Steve Albini and Neurosis
Part of the difficulty of trying to come up with nominations for the best albums of the 21st century is trying hard to remember when the fuck your favorite albums even came out. A lot of the albums I voted for were released before I’d ever even heard of the bands who wrote them and sometimes before I was even into metal at all (the three Staind albums under lock and key in my attic will forever haunt all of my cred). The millennial cut-off point meant that any of my instinctive choices that come into my head whenever the words “Best Metal Albums” pop up weren’t even close to matching the criteria (Dissection’s Storm of the Light’s Bane). Some of my favorite bands released good albums in the 21st century but certainly didn’t come close to releasing the “best” ones (Emperor’s Prometheus) and even though I wanted to include them just to be represented, I couldn’t justify it.
It would be criminal, however, not to at least mention Neurosis considering the debt that Mastodon (who snatched the #19, #13 and #1 spots on the list) and a slew of others owe this band. Even though the fan census favorite album is ineligible (1999’s Times of Grace), even though their newer releases don’t have the far reaching influence of their 90’s work, and even though I am now sure that I was the only person to vote for this album, I urge each and everyone of you to take a first or second glance at the underrated glory of The Eye Of Every Storm.
Neurosis has gone through immense changes through over twenty years of creativity, but the common link between most of it has been the aggressive use of dissonance. Listening to a release like Through Silver In Blood is a challenge the first times through just because of its density and the relentless heaviness. Figuring out what’s going on is downright uncomfortable. So with that kind of legacy and reputation, it’s amazing that the same group of musicians could release something as accessible as this one.
Neurosis really took the time to tread new ground on this release, taking the listener through psychedelic textures and exploring the space between notes. Songs like “Left to Wander” are so stripped down they’re naked. It’s amazing to think that it was mostly recorded live in the studio with super producer Steve Albini at the helm, and the type of restraint it requires for a room full of metal musicians to play so little. The result is trippy and moving. “Bridges” experiments with cascading drone guitars, and in “A Season in the Sky” the lyrics lead the song with an apocalyptic vision:
There was another bridge on fire
And the last wrecks were counted
The sky opened and the blood flowed
A distant cancerous season was upon me
I had a hook in my back and a light to guide me
My words were useless again
The title track is pretty clever, too. Sure, it’s structured somewhat predictably with a big throbbing ambient keyboard at the center of it, but the edges aren’t destructive and heavy, they’re mournful and folkish instead. There’s even a wordless sing-along chorus. The contrasts between quiet parts and loud parts are integral in post-metal, but while most bands trudge through excruciating build-ups and decays, the changes on this album are deliberate and sudden. The climax usually takes you by surprise and it’s usually near the end. Every features something different from the last and each one is instantly memorable.
Often times I find that I love when a really artsy band puts out an album of equal parts quality and accessibility. Not because it’s less challenging, but because it’s more easily enjoyed. It’s as if the band just gave out a big thank you to all its fans by releasing something they can understand right away, something they can even sing along to and feel a part of. The Eye of Every Storm isn’t a Neurosis sell-out album, but it’s one more people can relate to. All the passion and sorrow that streams from Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till’s voices (sounding alike yet distinct, like they were brothers) really has the potential to be moving and intimate. The finale “I Can See You” makes this literal, playing off the album title and stirring up a storm inside of you.
-DBR
A Sun That Never Sets. That’s the Neurosis album that should be on the list. Sheer perfection.
i feel like i’d like neurosis, a lot, but i just don’t know what a good point is to dive into their discography. should i go pick this up, or is there another neurosis album that’s better for a n00b like myself? thanks
Start with Enemy of the Sun, then move forward in chronological order of each album release.
Through Silver in Blood and and Times of Grace are good starting points. But really, apart from the early hardcore stuff, their album to album progressions aren’t as radical as someone like Mastodon. You’ll get a good sense of their sound from most any of the middle to late period stuff. I got The Sun That Never Sets first and fell in love with them immediately. It is a bit more restrained than others, but still incredibly heavy and atmospheric.
Hmm dude I’d suggest you start with their latest, Given to the Rising, as it’s equal parts heavy and melodic, then I’d buy/download/whatever Souls at Zero, as it’s their most melodic thing ever (it’s full of pentatonic-y stuff) and if you like what you hear you can move chronologically forward from then on. Or if you like hardcore punk, you can start off by taking a listen to their debut Pain of Mind (that’s how I started)
I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY AGREE WITH YOU PANCHO
I enjoyed listening to Mastodon until I realized they were a watered down Neurosis. Now the only Mastodon songs I like listening to are the ones that they got Scott Kelly to sing on.
That is just inane.
There’s a definite Neurosis imprint in Mastodon’s music (Neurosis is where Mastodon get their “hugeness” from IMHO) but I wouldn’t go so far as to say Mastodon represent a watering-down of Neurosis’ ideas. What Mastodon do is trade off Neurosis’ atmospheric texturing, melodies and dynamics for technique, riffs riFFS RIFFS and their own brand of dynamics. Since I’m in the mood for classic rock analogies, I’d say Neurosis represent the Pink Floyd (Pink Floyd weren’t exactly the most virtuosic players now where they?)of “progressive sludge metal” and Mastodon the Led Zeppelin of this genre I just pulled out my ass cause I’m spontaneous like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5LcMAlR7nc&feature=related
No Shit.
Amen, brother. My-oh-my… this “wish we had made the list” list is shaping up to be a lot more respectable than the actual aborted version.
I’m surprised Rothsicle picked this one over Given to the Rising, which I think holds up to any of Neurosis’s 90s output. Perhaps it was just too recent to sink in hard enough? General consensus I’ve seen (and share) is that A Sun that Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm are the nadir of the band’s career. Still, I’m glad they’re represented on the post-list list somewhere.
Hell yeah I’m feeling the ‘Given to the Rising’ love (raises pimp cup). IMHO though, The Eye of Every Storm is a strong, albeit different chapter in the ongoing saga of soul-crushing heaviness that is Neurosis.
I know I’m in the minority, but I just can’t understand why. I find Given to the Rising and A Sun that Never Sets both to be very uneven. Do love the visuals on the ASTNS dvd though.
This disc is awesome from start to finish.
Good call, I really like this album. Maybe not 21 best of 21st century great, but very good.
i discovered neurosis only after i got into DEP and isis back in ‘04.
the track “a season in the sky” was my favorite neurosis song before “water is not enough”. the first time i “got” the song, i remember i was really high at that time and just listening to the atmosphere and focusing on the lyrics while everything was unfolding inside my head. just epic.
those two tracks are still my favorite stoner songs.
anyway, yeah, good pick.
Ever listen to times of grace and grace by tribes of neurot at the same time? I haven’t been able to find grace so i have yet to do it :(. If anyone has please tell me what it’s like
I have and its very neat. It adds and extra dimension to the album.
There’s a combined version doing the rounds on blogs, if you’re feeling downloady.
“Times Of Grace” should have been on this list.
A great album, and certainly one of Neurosis’ best.
Wouldn’t qualify, it came out in ‘99.
One of my favorite albums ever its pretty hard to fault.
Though I’m a little more partial to Given to the Rising due to its raw and aggressive nature, The Eye of Every Storm just has this haunting quality throughout the entire disc that leaves a lasting impression with you. A Sun That Never Sets does seem a little uneven, but it starts and ends with amazing strength (The Tide & Stones from the Sky).
Hell, everything from Souls at Zero on is outstanding in its own way.
First time I heard it I was dissapointed, but now I love it, and its one of my favorites. The subtlety and craft in this album is incredible. The great thing about Neurosis is that with each record they put out since Souls At Zero, you can tell that – at the moment they were recording, this is exactly where they want to be and how they want to sound. There is nothing accidental about their sound at all. A totally unique and highly underrated band.
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