Neurosis - An Undying Love for a Burning World
Synonymous with the term post-metal, Neurosis are the doyens who helped create the sub-genre. Emerging decades ago as crusted noisecore, they photosynthesised slowly into a more epic, cinematic and inherently apocalyptic proposition. Latterly, this sound evolved to incorporate primitive leanings of tribal, hallucinatory and wildly experimental aspects as well as off-shooting into potty ambient experiments with various collaborations and side-projects. Their influence is massive but nobody expected this surprise release.
An Undying Love for a Burning World has similar production values as the sound Neurosis has used since the early 2000s in that it’s sludgy and organic, with an almost alt-rock / underground grunge / noise punk feel but much heavier and psychological. At times, it has echoes of their early acerbic noise punk circa Souls at Zero (1992). Less visible is the cinematic, sprawling epic scale of their Through Silver in Blood (1996) era while the primitive ritualistic elements are occasional and implied rather than explicit.
The first proper track, Mirror Deep, is ugly, dissonant and jarringly hypnotic. It has a rawer feel than some of the band’s recent work. This is an aspect that re-appears sporadically, a rockier, riffier approach – to be sure this a minority influence, but conspicuous enough. The dirty, dissonant riffing on Seething and Scattered could almost be a desert rock jam that was put through a poison cloud air fryer. One of the true hallmarks of Neurosis, though, is their thunderous Hadean vistas and First Red Rays is pounding, concussive primordial violence. This and the likes of the pained, sedimentological crawl of In the Waiting Hours could accompany the beginning of the world. Decades into their career, Neurosis remain heavier than a planet except this time they somehow leaving the sense of achieving the same impact with less.
An Undying Love for a Burning World creeps and lurches tectonically from slow to mid pace throughout the record. The guitar sound is brash, sludgy and dissonant creating waves of noise that is the foundation of post-rock/metal. This is backed with quasi-tribal percussion and bass patterns of primeval pummeling and weird, psychedelic electronic loops and layering. Aside from the world-forming bombast there are segments of hush; trippy intervals of spellbinding pauses and tension that crackle with unnerving bloops, creaks and droning. At one stage in the many sections of the sprawling concluding track, Last Light, they even indulge in a brief gospel choir breakout. These are unhurried lulls but always triangulate towards another oncoming squall of apocalyptic noise. Neurosis manage to fit a lot into their music. It’s a nightmarish meditation, like slow-motion footage of an environmental apocalypse swallowing the earth.