Track Listing
1. Suspended in light 2. The doorway 3. Under the surface 4. The last you'll know 5. Belief 6. Exist 7. End of the harvest 8. Descent 9. Away 10. Times of grace 11. The road to sovereignty Year: 1999 Label: Relapse - Official Site |
Neurosis - 'Times of grace' - By W. Spurrier
Neurosis are band who've sucessfully thrown their fans curveball after curveball with each new release. With Steve Albini on board for this we expected something different, but this... Their main aim was to unclutter their sound, have a more natural feel to the music. After the avalanch-like 'Through silver..' they came up with a simpler, stripped down sound. They remorphed again into a more subtle, more acoustic band. Yet again as a listener you're challenged, but this time I personally don't feel as if I get the challenge. You see as a grower of an album, once songs like 'Belief' and 'Times of grace' edge their subtly venomous vibe into your mind, you're left unimpressed by some of the instrumentals in between them. Previously on 'Through silver..' bagpipes on songs like 'Purify' had been an effective weapon. On their own on 'Descent' though they sound ineffective, and even worse, slightly cliched. But what are a few minor sins between friends? The power in the album is still evident in songs such as 'Belief' and 'The doorway'. Like 'Souls at zero' seven years previously, this album becomes a platform for Neurosis to follow a new more stripped down path in their career. Metal Obsessive Grade: 56% |