Across a 30-year career, post-metal titans Neurosis have been among the most influential bands in the consistent progression of heavy music. So why change the template?
Forming as a hardcore band in mid-80s Oakland, California, Neurosis would soon metamorphose into pioneers of doom.
With their 1992 release Souls at Zero the band created an album many cite as the starting point for the post-metal genre, though it was 1993’s Enemy of the Sun where they established their trademark blend of industrial soundscapes, deathly folk trip-outs and thrash roots. With 1996’s Through Silver and Blood and 1999’s Times of Grace Neurosis created their two seminal moments, and they’ve maintained a lofty status over four subsequent releases.
Their influence in post-metal spheres cannot be underestimated; the indelible mark Neurosis have left on kindred spirits Isis, the wider industrial experimentations of Justin Broadrick, and, more recently, the surging dynamics of last year’s revelation Deafheaven is enduringly evident. When we speak to vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly, he’s quick to stress the role of tireless collaboration in allowing himself and his bandmates to fulfill their collective destiny. “We just had our heads down, grinding away. There’s never been a time for us to look up and see what we’ve done. We know the sum of our parts is greater than the five of us individually. There has always been more at work here than just us. We felt it from the very beginning.”