Neurosis, A Sun That Never Sets

Neurosis, A Sun That Never Sets (2001-Relapse Records)

So you think this is a metal album right? Well ok it could be to most people but it really is not metal. This band really started as a punk band. Over time the albums came out and the style changed. That is what a band should do so now album number seven is here.

The start of this album can be considered quite mellow or slow. But the contents are far from that, very well thought out and also constructed with amazing direction to consider pace and dynamics.

Big shout out to Steve Von Till on the vocals here. Amazing work and on track two "The Tide" he shows how it can be done. Nice slow speaking parts but with his voice showing the story. Acoustic guitars and violin build this into a stunning wall of noise. it is so easy to get lost in the first few tracks and even consider this album to being linked to heavy metal. You really do not notice the guitars here like on a typical metal outfit. That is why the album is chosen to be here. The textures and guitar sound are less than riffs but more harmonics. Amazing stuff, I don't know if it is just trained ears that hear this but it is a real treat to my ear drums.

At the time of the albums release the band were on a high commercially with the previous albums Through Silver and Blood and Times of Grace gaining positive reviews across the music industry and opening the band up to so many other fans (like me). So the next album could be expected to be the same but not so and this reviewer can still remember the day he got this on CD. One of those rare album where you go right back in for a listen. When on the bus I was not bothered about the congestion when I had this in the cd player. "From the Hill" has all the contents of the more noisy dynamics from the first track but slowed down. Nothing is rushed here and it again shows how good the band are at feeling what they want to do.

The title track helps give some melodic feel into the longest track here "Falling Unknown" reminds me of very early Cheap Trick mixed with an evil Thin Lizzy helping King Crimson tune up. A kind of rock start to the song thunders into more sound scape that build and build up. You never really care if it gets to the top and could be considered a little to long, but a band in this good shape has to be recorded.

The album has been listed in a folk metal category for the elements it contains. Very unusual to have violins and viola on a metal album but this really does help this album out in making it bigger. Also this was the first album the band made that had clean vocals, with the vocals rarely moving from the slow spoken style.

From this album on the Sludge metal seem to evolve into a very large part of metal music. Neurosis may not have ever wanted to be on MTV but some bands after them were very much helped by the contents of this album. This shows you do not need to sell out by becoming more pop or more radio friendly. Why not use popular art instead.

A Sun That Never Sets is available easily via Neurot Recordings

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