Musical Review : Neurosis - Times Of Grace (1999 / Post-Métal / Sludge)
What a difficult exercise to write a review on this album, as my knowledge of Metal and its extended universe is quite limited. Not being however hermetic to this genre and having listened in the past to productions oriented in this type of music but always with a foot in the indie rock (Quiksand, Helmet, Kylesa, Melvins and many others...), I had limited myself to great classics such as Black Sabbath or Motorhead. However, it is under the impulse and recommendations of Elaine, an expert in the field and who hides under the pseudonym @philodendron, that I launched into the experimentation and listening of this work. What can I say if it is not that I did not emerge unscathed and that under its generic name of metal album, there is a musical gem that is resolutely sensory.
A constantly evolving career
I had already heard about Neurosis during my youth and that before exercising their art in the metal register, they contributed to deliver some lp oriented Punk-Hardcore/Crossover. Small protégés of Jello Biafra who saw in them a strong potential, the group was the spearhead of the label Alternative Tentacles during the first part of the 90s. Gradually moving towards a harder and heavier sound, thus moving away from their first productions, Neurosis decided to find an artistic development by trying to cross the rhythmic and sonic limits of the metal, in order to infuse it with a heavy atmospheric atmosphere. Of course, Sludge (a sub branch of metal whose principle is to reduce rhythmics as much as possible and to be inspired by doom-metal as well as hardcore for its sound) has not invented anything in terms of creativity.
However, Neurosis has a unique feature, allowing it to generate a clean and distinctly recognizable melodic atmosphere when listening. In short, these artists have succeeded in taking over a genre and infusing it with a layer of experimentation by adding a distinctive atmosphere. Of course, this distinctive sound comes from a set of inspirations that each member has added by broadening the field of acoustic possibilities, notably through the use of samplers, synths and other electronic effects associated with guitars. All these parameters give a notion of progression and evolution in their various compositions. We would like to refer to this as Metal-prog but some have decided otherwise and have added the name Post-metal to describe this debauchery of inventiveness.
Conceptual album produced by Steve Albini !
You will have noticed that Neurosis is a genre in its own right. After this somewhat succinct and not very exhaustive description of this group, we will finally be able to get to the heart of the matter and get to the critique of this album, released in May 1999. Nevertheless, I must make a slight aside before describing my feelings. Because an album like this is not a very classic production. Thought of as a conceptual work, just like the career of this group, Times Of Grace is the result of hard work in the search to cross the limits of a musical inclination that has already delivered everything. To mark this milestone, the quintuor turned to a providential man who had left his mark on the phonographic industry. This man is the great, illustrious, exceptional Steve Albini.
Surrounded by this legend and his unique expertise, Neurosis offers himself the conception of a timeless and probably unique work through his exemplary mixing, which can be based on unconventional recording methods, sublimated by an unequalled analogical work. When you listen, you will be impressed by the acoustic quality that abounds with a multitude of details, harmony, this powerful and energetic rendering that only Albini has the secret ! In my opinion, Times Of Grace is undoubtedly one of the most elaborate projects by this great man. Dump ProTools in to the toilets and other automatisms that denature the acoustic essence. We work there by ear, with real experienced enthusiasts, lovers of the good old tape and real-time sound recording. Clearly, this is felt when listening and it will not be uncommon to feel each note organically.
As I said earlier, this album is conceptual, not only because of the quality of its compositions and mixing but also because it is not enough on its own. Times Of Grace is an initiatory journey to the depths of her being. To accentuate this journey, Neurosis members have put the double plugs in to enhance the experience, by creating a complementary lp called Tribes Of Neurot / Grace. The idea is to add additional elements that can be combined with the reading of the original album and to make some sensitive changes. To do this, the listener must superimpose Grace over Times Of Grace with a second sound source and thus rediscover a moment of darkness amplified by the ambient aspect of this addition.
A journey to the brink of madness !
Because darkness and oppression are the key words of this album. An introspective dive into the deepest evils of our psyche. What Times Of Grace will provoke, will be a state of slow and abysmal trance. The addition of electronic sounds or brass will accentuate this immersion, we will be propelled by the impacts of percussive drums that will resonate within your very mind, like whips on its skin. Here, no virtuosities in the string parts, however this one will reside in the phonic structure which harmonizes perfectly, giving a difficult, suffocating side. It is difficult to breathe so much the tumult of the guitars hovers over you, while the organs on the title The Last You'll Know, will give you the impression of being buried alive, crumbling under the weight of guilt, of the darkness of your deeply hidden being. Then comes melancholy, hatred, disgust. Steve Von Till's voice, sometimes calm and sometimes powerful, will push you to express your emotions, to scream what you feel.
From this journey will come absolution, because Times Of Grace, as the name suggests, will push you into your entrenchments, until you find inner peace, magnified by the eponymous title. Apocalyptic riffs and deadly choruses that will leave you no escape, except to find the way out with the last track on the list. You are now free of a weight that is far too heavy to carry and that you have endured for nearly an hour. An intense and immersive musical experience. Taking drugs while listening to this disc can be a potential danger to your own mental health, but in any case it can only amplify this stay in the shadow of your own personality. However, we can only salute the artistic performance of such a work which will delight all budding music lovers, as each track is a small auditory pleasure, in this very special register. A masterpiece of the kind that will put your senses to the test if you are not prepared for it !