Disco de Neurosis: “Sovereign EP”

As the title could conceivably suggest, this EP is a statement of the all-powerful and autonomous nature of Neurosis, as well as the all-powerful and autonomous spirit of Mother Nature that Neurosis so vividly portrays in everything they create - musically as well as visually. The four tracks here are of such magnitude that they require the same concentration and respect that all of their full length releases demand; indeed, while "Sovereign" exists as an EP, its importance and value within the scope of the band's career is tremendous. Ultimately, this CD is a vital key in understanding the way Neurosis enigmatically comprehends and portrays the universe in which we exist.

Musically, "Sovereign" logically continues the same path that Neurosis set upon with "Times Of Grace" before it. The band's new evolutionary direction, signaled by their newfound experimentation with cyclical, emotional dynamics of soft/hard, quiet/loud on "...Grace" continues here. I , for one, was relieved that Neurosis forged ahead with developing emotional structures and textures on this EP as well as on the follow-up, "A Sun That Never Sets". But while they endeavored to continue utilizing these elements throughout the EP, there are definite signs of sonic mutation and evolution - so much so that you know it's Neurosis, but you have no cue as to what technique they'll use to address your unconscious mind next. Just like the seasons, each movement has an effect on the following one, whether it's subtle or dramatic. And even when the symphonic cycles repeat themselves, they somehow take on different symbolic meanings.

Fortunately, "Sovereign" reinforced the successful relationship between Neurosis and the famed Steve Albini, who was the first engineer to finally give the band the colossal sound production they've always deserved. Albini continued to give them the ability to convincingly incorporate the tense and menacing dynamics they began experimenting with on "... Grace" while still maintaining the aggressive tribal atmosphere necessary to let their intense, monstrous, and primal "wall of sound" blast wide open. There is no point in which this effect becomes any clearer than in "An Offering", a track that offers tension and dread as it slowly draws you into a lurking, calm-before-the-storm drone... until it climactically transforms itself into a beast of sheer aggression and intensity - more so than any other Neurosis track in recent memory, in fact.

In addition to the audio material on this disk, there is a personal computer program which heralds the band's first attempt at incorporating multimedia into their packaging. Considering the scope and nature of what Neurosis tries to accomplish with everything they do, this program is a perfect accompaniment to the music. When you load and run the Neurosis file, you are instantly carried into an otherworldly place where you can explore icons (some obvious, some not) that change the breathtaking psychedelic scenery that somehow magically fits their sound (and all else they do) so well. With the philosophy of the band becoming more and more of a tangible reality as technology permits, this is likely not the last we'll see of this sort of experimentation with multimedia. The thing is, Neurosis was obviously never meant to be solely a musical entity. Their aim is just too epic and grand for that. Their tribe is expanding into other avenues of creativity in order to fulfill their ultimate objective of becoming a completely unique and autonomous artistic entity. As they successfully showed us with "Sovereign", they are determined to encompass every artistic avenue necessary to embrace the essence of humanity... past, present, and future.

And once again, like with all Neurosis and Tribes Of Neurot releases, if you allow yourself to experience the music rather than simply listen to it - you will most definitely be a changed person.

I loved "Sovereign." The band is back into that experimenation phase (did it ever go away?) with trying new vocal layering, clean guitars, etc. Sovereign is the best song, followed by prayer.

I saw the band with Amber Asylum in Portland Oregon about a month ago, they played this whole album, which is even better live, as well as two new tracks, which were long and epic. The more neurosis changes the more they stay the same. But I can't wait for the new album, it will blow anything out there away.

As far as the music goes, it's not Neurosis' best, but it's only an EP so what do you expect? That being said, this is still Neurosis and even their worst stuff slaughters any mainstream want-to-be-heavy garbage out there. The best part of this EP is the multimedia bonus. EVERY band should do this...imagine, music and visual art on one little piece of plastic. Hopefully other bands will be influenced by Neurosis and multimedia will become the future of music. There's a lot of depth in the multimedia options here and it takes a lot of time to dig through it all but it is amazing. If you're new to Neurosis I wouldn't start here (I'd say start at "Through Silver In Blood")but this is a must have for Neurosis and multimedia fans alike.

Having pushed the envelope of metal seemingly to its hilt with _Times of Grace_, Neurosis seems a little at a loss for ideas here. It almost sounds like a collection of rejects from the monumental album that preceded it, especially in the third track, "Flood" which essentially is their drummer banging away a militaristic beat with a few sheets of guitar noise as accompaniment. It just doesn't seem complete, this piece; it seems to be building up to something, and then simply ends.

The opener, however, is excellent and unlike anything on previous Neurosis releases. "Prayer" adopts a guitar-driven minimalism that is both pulling and invigorating, securing it as the standout on this EP.

The second track is perhaps the most awkward. It seems like the band is doing a very bad Black Sabbath impersonation. The guitars plod, Von Till croaks, and the drums have all the charm of a mosquito in your ear. A prime candidate for the skip button if I ever heard one.

The title track, "Sovereign", is the most difficult of the four, being both of substantial length and thickly layered composition, and, like the disc itself, has its own highs and lows. There are moments of awesome beauty in it, particularly toward the end, and there are moments where you're sure the band has gone and recorded a fruitless, wandering jam session of some sort.

Definitely not a safe bet for a first exposure to the band. However, for it's price _Sovereign_ is a very fair purchase, a mixture of highs a lows, probably evidence of Von Till et al trying to flesh out a new sound for their next album.

The unconventional tones imparted throughout this mini-epic have supreme rank and power over all whom dare expose their ears to them. They reign supreme in the Sovereign state of Neurosis. In less than a half hour and over an astounding four songs the pastoral landscape of Neurosis unfolds, moving like a leviathan between ghostly whispers and bombastic explosions. The San Franciscan based tribe rule their own musical domain with idealism and musical ingenuity that defy definition.

Sovereign is the debut release on the group's own Neurot Recordings and introduces a familiar, yet under-explored side of Neurosis' artistic expressions. Although a bit of a departure from the sensory overload and gritty angst that pounded eardrums on previous efforts, this EP showcases the broad range of dynamic articulations the band has to offer both opening them up to a more alternative interpretation while still remaining true-to-form to their earlier efforts. Perplexing the listener with occasionally discordant passages, igniting rhythmic phrases and truly experimental song structures paced against an overall dark veil of undulating musical insanity, Neurosis are a craft as much as they are an avant-garde inspiration. As a rule, but even moreso during Sovereign, they fully encompass both innocent aspiration as well as progressive musical mutilation in such a way to embrace both simplicity and complexity as blood brothers. The analytical criticism that could be created on but just the title track alone would take pages to envelope the musical excess Neurosis have created and would probably never fully do justice to the execution of the piece. Are you prepared to fully submit to the Sovereign state of Neurosis or will the state of medocracity defy your inner child of it's experimentation leaving your conformist body trapped in the world of three chord, one percussive beat psudo-bliss for all eternity?