Disco de Neurosis: “Live at Roadburn 2007”

Neurosis is captured here from Roadburn in 2007, the annual Dutch metal fest. They had just released GIVEN TO THE RISING, and of course they led with the title track of that excellent album. The sound is superb, all 78-plus minutes. There are no liner notes, just the awesome graphics of Josh Graham.

Neurosis is the sound of the apocalypse, filled with awe and dread and respect for life in the midst of a world gone mad. Here is the sequence, with four songs from GIVEN TO THE RISING (GTTR), three from THE EYE OF EVERY STORM (TEOES), and one each from A SUN THAT NEVER SETS (ASTNS) and TIMES OF GRACE (TOG):

Given to the Rising (GTTR)

Burn (TEOES)

A Season In the Sky (TEOES)

At the End of the Road (GTTR)

Crawl Back In (ASTNS)

Distill (GTTR)

Water Is Not Enough (GTTR)

Left to Wander (TEOES)

The Doorway (TOG)

You might expect a live performance to emphasize louder, faster material, but this is very much the sound of their last four albums, including the slower, sparser songs. Creative use of synthesizers is featured along with guitars, bass and drums.

But this is more than simply duplication of the recordings. Neurosis sounds wilder and more psychedelic than on record, with plenty of distortion and feedback in several intense passages.

Their new studio album is due out later this year, and I'm looking forward to hearing their latest!