Regardless of what we did or did not feel while watching Neurosis at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in January, watching Mastodon in such a small, cool space was pretty awesome (even if the sound wasn’t spectacular… we’ve heard worse).

Now the band has released some footage of the gigs… apparently this is the first in a series of four videos which will be released. Enjoy.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cp22FkcTBIY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

-AR

If Clutch had listened to a few more Neurosis albums in their day they probably would’ve ended up sounding something like Taint. The South Wales three-piece have just released their second full-length Secrets & Lies on Candlelight Records, and though fellow UK tour-mates Clutch might be a good starting reference to describe their furious approach, Taint are considerably more informed by punk and prog influences. Secrets & Lies ends up a slightly uneven effort, though it has plenty of potential and excellent moments making for a decent record.

Click to read more…

Last week the legendary doomsters Neurosis — with Mastodon along in support — performed two headlining shows at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple in New York, the perfect setting for such a cosmic event. The review, by Ben Ratliff, frames the mystique of Neurosis in a meaningful way, juxtaposing the band’s history and legendary/cult status with the sonic and visual elements of the show. But it’s the last paragraph of Ratliff’s review that I find most telling:

Mastodon, whose metal genealogy is easier to discern, doesn’t need to play opening slots at 1,000-seat halls; it’s more popular than that. But its members are full Neurosis supplicants, so such a thing happened. Hearing a metal band operate on Mastodon’s level — all its breakdowns and reconstitutions, suite form and odd time signatures — was nice; hearing it with some houselights on and at lower volume, in full opening-band mode, was even sweeter. It reminded you that even the highly accomplished still have heroes.

Really it’s the first sentence that is the most enlightening, and here’s what I wish to address: neither Axl, Kip or I, all of whom went to the show, are that big on Neurosis. But we were certainly excited to see a band of such cult status and one whose live performances are few and far between, and the $25 was worth the price alone for a Mastodon set in such an intimate setting, even for a truncated setlist. Neurosis sounded great; they were tight, good musicians, the sound was crisp, the performance was engaging, and the visuals were cool. But when all was said and done, none of the three of us walked out wowed or any more interested in Neurosis than we had previously been.

The bottom line: Neurosis is one of those bands that you’re supposed to like if you’re amongst the metal cognoscenti. But by and large, this is what I’ve found: if you grew up more on the punk / hardcore side of things, you absolutely love Neurosis, a band who themselves started out, as the article states, “as a hard-core punk band, making rickety songs in speedy two-beat rhythms.” And if you grew up more on the metal side, as Axl, Kip and myself did, you just aren’t that impressed with them and don’t get what all the fuss is about. In short, if you grew up thinking Iron Maiden is cool, Neurosis probably ain’t for you; if Minor Threat were your heroes, check this band out pronto.

-VN

[Pictures taken by the very talented Jesse Angelo of Crustcake]

…until the very very very fine Crustcake broke the official news that after weeks of rumors, yes, Mastodon are playing support at the “soon-to-be legendary” shows:

“Seeing the elusive Neurosis in a fucking Masonic temple is already promising to be one of the best shows of the new year, but seeing Neurosis AND Mastodon in a fucking Masonic temple?”

Yes. Neurosis. Mastodon. Brooklyn Masonic Temple. And, oh yeah, fucking WINO will be there, too. Awesome. Simply awesome.

Just look at that poster art. I hope I can buy one of those frickin’ things for my wall.

-AR

Holy crapticles. If these rumors are true we’ve definitely got an early entry for “Best Show/Tour of ’08″ on our hands. Crustcake reports that experimental metal pioneers Neurosis will be playing a pair of shows at the 100-year-old Brooklyn Masonic Temple on January 24 and 25. A Storm of Light and U.S. Christmas will support one show each, and both shows will feature a yet-to-be-announced ‘more-famous’ metal band from Atlanta. If I were a betting man I’d choose Mastodon over Stuck Mojo… but hey, you never know what those crazy Neurosis dudes will do next.

In other Neurosis-related news, guitarist Scott Kelly is working on a doom side project called Shrinebuilder with Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius of Om and the legendary Wino (The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand). THIS is going to be fucking awesome.

-VN