March AOTM #2: An Undying Love for a Burning World by Neurosis

Album of the Month: An Undying Love for a Burning World - Neurosis

I don't normally chose new albums for these AOTM reviews, usually for a lack of personal insight on the album or much to say without the benefit of hindsight. But An Undying Love for a Burning World is different. Neurosis shadow dropped this new record last Friday: no announcement of reunion, no album reveal, no singles, no nothing. The hype that built up in the minute between when I heard about the album that morning and when I started it was stronger and more impressionable than just about any long-term album reveal-to-release cycle I've experienced. Neurosis were-- through a series of unfortunate events-- in the perfect situation to absolutely blow us all away.

After Scott Kelly's firing was made public in 2022 I wasn't hopeful to see anything new out of Neurosis, maybe ever again. The band had been in a rocky position for while due to the band's aging creating a growing distance between one another-- exaggerated by their unusual business strategy. Back in the '90s, shortly after the band started to gain some serious traction, Neurosis collectively made the decision to pursue careers outside of music. The band all had families to take care of and to be there for, which meant playing 200 shows a year and not seeing their family or playing 35 and getting other jobs. So when Scott (the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter) was fired in 2019, one would be forgiven for thinking that that was a wrap on the band.

But for years now fans have been in agreement that if there was anyone who could replace Scott and revive the band, it would be Aaron Turner of Isis and Sumac. In a stroke of amazingly good fortune in what are otherwise beyond tumultuous times, it would seem Neurosis were in agreement with the fans.

This new iteration of the band does everything it needs to revitalize their dwindled inner-flame and to bring in new sounds. Aaron Turner clearly had a strong influence beyond just his own guitar and vocal presence. A track like "First Red Rays", especially its thunderous and effervescent second half, sounds like a genetic blend of Times of Grace era Neurosis with Oceanic/Panopticon era Isis. And gone is the re-tread ground of Fires Within Fires and Honor Found in Decay, replaced with lean and more colourful tracks more familiar to Aaron Turner's projects.

But this isn't to say that the band's iconic sound has been lost in the shuffle-- if anything their sheer weight and unmatched power hasn't sounded so front-facing and vital perhaps since the '90s. Tracks like "Blind" and "Mirror Deep" demonstrate Steve Von Till at his absolute best, on both guitar and vocals. Von Till hasn't lost an ounce of his haunted wail or dissonant, missile-like riffs. Jason Roeder's equally relaxed and monolithic drumming is as mesmerizing as its always been. And somehow Dave Edwardson's vocals are as bestial and deep as they were back in the day.

By far the most outlying element of An Undying Love for a Burning World is its substantial electronic usage and influence. Most songs have sections enhanced by or entirely orchestrated by these bright and viscerally sharp synths-- sometimes building into expansive spacey atmospheres like in "Blind" or the beginning of "Last Light". Other tracks use the electronics as another point of distortion and noise as on the instantly iconic blast-the-doors down intro to "Mirror Deep".

If I have any complaint about this new record it's that it starts to meander and get a little long in the teeth in the second half. The last two tracks total over 27 minutes, and I find that I have hard time fully engaging with those songs. With their length they needed the long build-ups that made "Stones from the Sky" or "The Eye of Every Storm" so effective, and I just haven't felt that. However, I had this same complaint with the latter half of Through Silver in Blood when I first listened to that years back. So I'm hopeful that with time "Last Light" and "In the Waiting Hours" will unravel into the powerful pieces they were meant to be.

I did all my pontificating at the start, so I'll keep these closing thoughts brief. Neurosis have gifted the world not only with a truly amazing record of righteous, environmentally-minded sludge metal-- but also with their newly revitalized future. For years now I've been patiently waiting for Bloodmoon: II from Converge and Chelsea Wolfe due to prevailing rumours that it will also feature Steve Von Till. I had forced all my hope for the continued lineage of Neurosis into so small a space, believing the band all but dead. I could not be happier to be proven wrong, with Neurosis instead retuning like they hadn't missed a step since their '90s to early aughts heyday.

-Paul Taylor

(Assistant News Director at WXOU)