NEUROSIS — Through Silver In Blood (review)

NEUROSIS — Through Silver In Blood album cover Album · 1996 · Atmospheric Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
The Angry Scotsman
Even with the alternative metal scene in full blossom during the mid 90's, this album stands out from the rest.

Featuring lengthy songs, with slow building structures, an emphasis on atmosphere over musical skill, lots of strange noises coming from guitar, (as well as keyboard!) and highly atypical metal drumming, this album invented the genre of post-metal.

Everything mentioned has gone on to become a bit of a staple, and while the sound was shaped and cemented into what we know today by Isis' "Oceanic" this is the album that started it all. Indeed, Aaron Turner of Isis cited Neurosis as an influence and coincidence he formed Isis the year after this albums release?

The title track starts with an industrial intro and some pounding drums. The gentle sounds of bass and guitar are introduced as another guitar starts fading in. If you are looking for speed or crunchy riffs look elsewhere. Droning riffs plod along for some time as the drumming grows more powerful, leading to a more riffy section with the continuous tribal drumming pummeling along and some strained vocals coming in. They sound a bit like the sludge metal mold.

The twin droning guitar attack drones on and on as everything does with it, leading with a loud summit filled with strange and scratchy noises, then one long outro.

A short interlude gives you a break from what just happened. The same basic notions continue on for the whole album, though the songs do all sound a bit different, even though are similar in style.

Purify is an especially long song with a somewhat peak and valley feel, while Aeon is epic in its own way. Both featuring very gradual crescendo's to a powerful climax. Really the entire songs are designed as a buildup.

The finale, Enclosure in Blood, has the most difficult scale of them all building up to a loud, powerful finale that is not much "more" than the rest of the song. The vocals are as emotional as they are dirty.

This may sound like much, and it is. Upon first listen, I had to turn this album off. I never heard something so boring, and overall unpleasant. This is one of the more challenging metal albums out there, but give it time.

This album is without doubt a challenge, and dirty. No clean vocals here, just a harsh tortured yelling. While there is some nuanced songwriting, (and quite nice) there's not much and no classic ambient sections. This is a heavy, sludgy monolith of an album.

The vocals are not too good, and the songs can be quite much to digest. This is a boom or bust album. Even as it grew on me it can be a bit much in its dirty grandiosity. VERY difficult album but also very good if you can handle it.

Three and a Half Stars
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