Not too long ago, I started writing about the different Ozzfest performances and one of those was by the band Neurosis. After being bugged by certain people and their aforementioned performance, I decided to put them on the Chopping Block for a review. Let’s take a look…….
Pain Of Mind- going into this band, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, with a name like Neurosis, it’s not really a surprise that this would be a hardcore punk album. Now I do know that this band is famous for their slower, doomy, epic songs but on here you will find none of that. I will say though that this is a pretty good start and I’ll give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Black, Training, Bury What’s Dead
The Word As Law- with this one, you can kind of hear what would be their sound going forward. This is still a punk album but they’re clearly moving away from that sound. This is what I would call a “preview album” meaning this kind of sets up what comes next. Again it’s a good album but one I probably wouldn’t revisit anytime soon. I’ll give it 7/10
Standouts: Blisters, To What End?, Double Edged Sword
Souls At Zero- now we are completely done with the punk sound and they’ve gone for more of a slower, mid-tempo, darker sound. Lead vocalist Scott Kelly has said “We stepped into the studio with the intention of doing whatever the hell we wanted. We had material and weren’t sure it would be an album. I remember stepping outside on the street at 7 a.m. and standing there with Steve (Von Till) and Jason (Roeder) and saying: ‘Fuck, this is an album. This is a statement.’” As confusing as I’m sure it was for fans at the time, it actually feels like the next step and I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Flight, To Crawl Under One’s Skin, Souls At Zero
Enemy Of The Sun- it almost feels like this band had leftover material from the last album and this is what we got. It’s not that this is a bad album but it feels kind of disjointed and uneven. Now I’ll admit, when I first heard this album, I wasn’t a fan however, that changed on the second listen. One thing I will say is that this is the album that really cemented their sound going forward. A great album and I’ll give it 8.5/10
Standouts: Lost, Cold Ascending, Cleanse
Through Silver In Blood- this is it…… the one that got me into the band. Their performance of “Locust Star” at Ozzfest 1996 is what finally made me go “ok time to put them on the Chopping Block. But aside from that performance, the rest of the album is quite good. It’s very Sabbath sounding and much like Souls At Zero, is pretty dark. Honestly, if I were to start with any of their albums, I’d say pick this one. I’ll give it 10/10
Standouts: Locust Star, Through Silver In Blood, Eye
Times Of Grace- whereas the last three albums were more dark with big heavy riffs, this one takes those elements and adds in a bit of ambiance as well as goth and prog. What makes this cool is that there is a side project called Tribes Of Neurot and they put out an album called Grace. What does this have to do with anything?? Well this album and Grace are meant to be played alongside each other. Things like that make for a really cool listening experience. I’ll give this album another 10/10
Standouts: Under The Doorway, Belief, Exist
A Sun That Never Sets- this one is a lot different than I would’ve thought. It doesn’t really have harsh vocals and overall is a lot more relaxed and calm than their other albums. In addition to clean vocals, there are also folk and acoustic elements as well as classical string arrangements. Overall, it’s a really dynamic, calm, and atmospheric kind of album. I have no choice but to give this album 10/10
Standouts: The Tide, Resound, Stones From The Sky
The Eye Of Every Storm- I feel like if you take the folk elements off the last record, then this is pretty much what you would get. It’s not that I don’t like this album but it definitely felt like it dragged. I will say that this is one of those albums that you could put on in the background while you’re doing stuff or even before you go to bed. It’s one of those albums that’s good but not great and for that I’m giving it 7/10
Standouts: A Season In The Sky, No River To Take Me Home, Left To Wander
Given To The Rising- musically this one is a lot heavier and it sort of has the same heaviness that was on Times Of Grace. Clearly they were trying to go back to that sound and this was one of those albums that I enjoyed the second time around. This is definitely one of those albums that grows on you the more you hear it so if you’re like me, you’ll need to listen to it a few times. I’ll give this 8/10
Standouts: To The Wind, Given To The Rising, Water Is Not Enough
Honor Found In Decay- you can tell that they sort of picked up where the last album left off. I don’t know this one really didn’t grab my ear as much as other albums have but I still enjoyed this one. When asked what drives their sound, Steve Von Till has been quoted as saying “We don’t rely solely on our strengths, which is obviously the heavy riff. We know how to bludgeon that to death, so we’ve spent decades exploring other territories and finding new ways to be heavy and new ways to integrate the things we love about music—harmony, dissonance, and the way they interplay, and distortion and beauty and how they intertwine. Then we try to weave it all together into some tapestry that becomes bigger than the simple sums of its parts, and becomes transcendent.” Overall, this one is just ok and I’m giving it 8/10
Standouts: We All Rage In Gold, Casting Of The Ages, Raise The Dawn
Fires Within Fires- I think the biggest thing about this album is that it’s their shortest album yet. Now that’s to say that you still don’t get the full epicness and proper listening experience but it just shows how talented these guys are. What I like most about this album is that you get punk, folk, industrial, and doom which goes back to their earlier sound. This would also be the last album for 10 years as well as the last album to have founding member Scott Kelly. I’m giving this one 9/10
Standouts: Bending Light, Broken Ground, A Shadow Memory
An Undying Love For A Burning World- well on March 20, 2026, Neurosis just put out a new album. No announcement, no press release, nothing. Now this would be the first without Scott Kelly and the first with former Isis singer Aaron Turner (which now makes this band NeurIsis) and I must say he fits in perfectly. His vocals are absolutely killer and he brings a new energy to the band. If I hadn’t heard any of the other albums and I started with this, then this would be the one to win me over!! This is one of those albums where it doesn’t pick up where they left off but rather feels more like the next chapter. I’ll give this one 9.5/10
Standouts: Mirror Deep, Untethered, In The Waiting Hours
When you listen to a band like this, you can hear the influence that they have had on so many other bands!! Each album sort takes you on a journey and that makes for a great listening experience. Now I will say that this is not an easy band to get into and you really have to be in the right headspace to listen but once you do…..get ready. This is also a band I would not recommend listening on a long drive. Whether or not I’d see them live is a different matter. I’m sure I will but I have no doubt that being planted would make the experience a lot different. All kidding aside, this is a great band with very influential albums.
Final Grade: A-
Album Rankings:
- Through Silver In Blood
- A Sun That Never Sets
- Times Of Grace
- An Undying Love For A Burning World
- Souls At Zero
- Fires Within Fires
- Pain Of Mind
- Enemy Of The Sun
- Honor Found In Decay
- Given To The Rising
- The Word As Law
- The Eye Of Every Storm
Sinister Reviews 