Neurosis | |
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![]() Neurosis at Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2009 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Oakland, California, U.S. |
Genres |
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Years active | 1985–2019 (on hiatus) |
Labels | |
Spinoffs | Tribes of Neurot |
Members |
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Past members |
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Website | neurosis |
Neurosis is an American post-metal band from Oakland, California. It was formed in 1985 by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and drummer Jason Roeder, initially as a crust punk band. Chad Salter joined as a second guitarist and appeared on the band's 1987 debut Pain of Mind and then Steve Von Till replaced him in 1989. The following year, the lineup further expanded to include a keyboardist and a visual artist. Beginning with their third album Souls at Zero (1992), Neurosis transformed their hardcore sound by incorporating diverse influences including doom metal and industrial music, becoming a major force in the emergence of the post-metal and sludge metal genres.
The band's lineup stabilized in 1995 with the addition of Noah Landis, who replaced Simon McIlroy on keyboards and electronics. That same year they formed the experimental music group Tribes of Neurot and in 1999 the record label Neurot Recordings. This line-up remained stable until 2019, when the band parted ways with Kelly after discovering his history of domestic violence against his family, though this would not come to light until August 2022 out of respect for the privacy of Kelly's family members. The band has been on hiatus since then, and there is currently no information on whether or not the band will continue or disband.
Neurosis have garnered critical recognition over the course of their 11 studio albums. The BBC credited them with taking "heavy music to previously unimaginable spaces ... [and shaping] metal's definitive response to the 21st century." [1]
In late 1985, Scott Kelly, Dave Edwardson, and Jason Roeder, formerly members of Violent Coercion, founded Neurosis as a hardcore punk outfit, inspired also by British crust punk in the vein of Amebix. [2]
In 1986, Chad Salter was added on second guitar and vocals. There have only been a few changes in the lineup of Neurosis' musicians since band's inception. In 1989 guitarist/vocalist Chad Salter was replaced by Steve Von Till, who previously played in bands Transgressor, Peace Test and Tribe of Resistance, and in 1990, Simon McIlroy joined the band as a synthesizer/sampler with Adam Kendall as visual artist (Adam and Simon have been friends since they were teenagers and they were doing a lot of experimental music together before). [3] In 1995, Noah Landis, a childhood friend of Dave Edwardson, replaced Simon McIlroy as keyboardist. [4]
With The Word as Law , Neurosis began to transition [5] from the rapid-fire hardcore punk of Pain of Mind to the more experimental sound of Souls at Zero , which featured slower tempos, unorthodox song structures, and guest performers on instruments like trumpet, violin and flute. The album would ultimately prove critical in the development of the post-metal genre [6] and atmospheric sludge metal. Neurosis' signature sound came into full force with Enemy of the Sun , with The Quietus observing that "at the time few could have predicted this black hole of agonizingly precise metal riffs, unnerving backmasking, industrial folkisms and extensive sampling". [5]
In 1996, Neurosis attracted mainstream attention with its Relapse Records debut, Through Silver in Blood and subsequent tour with Pantera. [4] [7] In 1999, Neurosis released Times of Grace, which was designed to be played synchronously with Grace , an album released by Neurosis' ambient side project, Tribes of Neurot.
In the early 2000s, the band founded their own independent record label, Neurot Recordings, which, in addition to releasing material from Neurosis and its associated projects, signed several other artists. [8]
Beginning with A Sun That Never Sets , Neurosis began incorporating clean vocals and acoustic instrumentation with a growing folk music influence, more noted presence of classical string instruments (which had been used sparsely since Souls At Zero) as well as slower tempos and a more contemplative sound. Allmusic described this change as an "aesthetic sea change". [9] 2004's The Eye of Every Storm expanded upon this change by incorporating more ambient textures into the mix and presenting a softer post-rock oriented sound.
The band released their ninth studio album Given to the Rising on May 8, 2007, through Neurot Records. [10] On this album Neurosis re-incorporated a more aggressive approach into their music once again, and the album was well received by critics. [11]
The band entered the studio in December 2011 to record the follow-up to Given to the Rising. The new album, entitled Honor Found in Decay , was released in late October 2012. [12]
The band performed at Roadburn 2016, with Brooklyn Vegan's Ian Cory writing that "once the house lights came up it was hard to justify watching anything else." [13] This was part of their series of shows performed in celebration of their 30th anniversary as a band. [14]
On May 5, 2016, relapse Records confirmed they were reissuing A Sun That Never Sets and The Eye of Every Storm on vinyl on June 17 with new artwork. [15] [16]
On August 1, 2016, the band released a teaser trailer for their upcoming album online. [17] Their eleventh studio album, titled Fires Within Fires , was released on September 23, 2016. [18]
Following a Facebook post confessing to allegations of abuse towards his wife and family, Scott Kelly retired from music and public life in August 2022. [19]
According to a statement released by the band's Facebook page the next day, Kelly had been quietly expelled from the group in 2019 when his bandmates discovered the extent of his abuse and domestic violence. [20] The band never made any prior formal announcements regarding this "out of respect for [Kelly's] wife's direct request for privacy, and to honor the family's wish not to let their experience become gossip in a music magazine." In the post, the band condemned Kelly's abuse and described being filled with "disgust and disappointment" towards "a man who we once called Brother". There is currently no announcement or info on whether or not the band will continue or disband, as "in due course, when it's appropriate, we will provide more information about our future musical endeavors, but that time is not now." [20]
In January 2025, drummer Jason Roeder announced on his social media pages that he would no longer be touring and he intended to sell most, if not all, of his musical equipment. [21] In a follow-up post, Roeder denied he was retiring from music altogether, and further stated: "As far as Neurosis goes - I don't know. The remaining members are truly amazing people and with or without me I am sure they will continue to do mind-blowing work, whatever form it takes." [22]
From 1990 to 1993, Adam G. Kendall was recruited to create visuals and perform live with the band. Following his departure from touring, Pete Inc. took over the job, although Kendall continued to contribute visuals for the band until as late as 1997. [23] Kendall also shot the footage for the "Locust Star" video.
Josh Graham took over live visuals in early 2000 as Pete wasn't "cutting the mustard" (in the words of Steve Von Till), and created album artwork for 2004's The Eye of Every Storm, 2007's Given to the Rising, and 2012's Honor Found in Decay, as well as re-designs for the reissues of Souls at Zero and Enemy of the Sun. [24] Graham and Neurosis amicably parted ways in late November 2012 via an announcement on the band website. [25] He was not replaced and the band ceased to use live visual media.
Often experimental and psychedelic in nature, Neurosis' visual media have added to the reputation of their live performances. Many of the visuals for their tours supporting Through Silver in Blood are taken from Ken Russell's film Altered States . Other images are included in the enhanced portion of the Sovereign EP, and on the A Sun That Never Sets DVD video release. The majority of the DVD release was directed by Graham, with an additional video by Chad Rullman.
Neurosis formed as a hardcore punk band, performing a blend of hardcore and heavy metal inspired by British punk [26] and described as crust punk [27] or crossover. [1] Already their second album The Word as Law (1990) incorporated avant-garde music and sludge metal, [28] a genre marrying the ferocity of hardcore and the deep heaviness of doom metal. Thereafter, the band developed an original sound. Greg Moffitt of the BBC wrote that through a "process of evolution and refinement" beginning with their third album Souls at Zero (1992) and culminating in their fifth, Through Silver in Blood (1996), they "[took] heavy music to previously unimaginable spaces and, in the process, shape[d] what has thus far been metal's definitive response to the 21st century." [1]
The style Neurosis pioneered has been named post-metal, [29] an "expansive, progressive and often apocalyptic" sound, [1] "adding alien sounds, oddball instrumentation and atmospheric depth to [the] viscerally crushing approach" of sludge metal. [27] Their sound has also been described as experimental [30] /avant-garde metal, [26] doom metal, [26] [31] post-hardcore, [32] industrial metal, [33] drone metal, [32] stoner metal, [31] psychedelic metal, [34] progressive metal, [35] alternative metal, [36] art metal, [37] and extreme metal, [26] and as employing elements of folk. [26] [35] Steve Huey of AllMusic called it sludge infused with industrial, metal, and alternative rock, [38] while Kory Grow of Rolling Stone called it a mix of "metal, punk, sludge and avant-garde experiments." [39]
When asked what the band's influences are in a 2000 interview, Scott Kelly stated: "Mainly ourselves at this point, but our foundation ranges through Black Flag, Pink Floyd, Die Kreuzen, Amebix, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, The Melvins, Celtic Frost and, of course, Hank Williams." [23] In other interviews, members of the band also listed Throbbing Gristle, Joy Division, Black Sabbath, Crass, Voivod, Loop, Godflesh, Swans, and Townes Van Zandt as influences. [40] [41] [42] [43] In 2007, Steve Von Till stated that lyrically he and Kelly are inspired by literature, alluding to writers such as Cormac McCarthy, Jack London, and Paul Bowles. [44]
In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, the band cited the British Anarcho-punk bands of the early 80s "rife with bitterness, rage and fear, but also possessed of a desire to experiment with punk rock’s parameters, be they sonic, visual or ideological" as being a collective influence, including Flux of Pink Indians, Oi Polloi, Icons of Filth, Amebix, Discharge, Subhumans, Rudimentary Peni, Crass and Chumbawamba. Other artists of other genres were also mentioned such as Killing Joke [45] Swans, Skullflower, Hawkwind and Townes Van Zandt. [46]
Some commentators note that both sonically and lyrically, Neurosis convey an intense emotional-spiritual effect. [41] There is a mythical aspect to their imagery or a ritual aspect to their performance. Brandon Geist of Revolver relates that "Kelly and Von Till ... speak about their band in bold, quasi-religious, 'honor and glory'–type language. Words like commitment, sacrifice, surrender, and spirit come up a lot." [47]
Many bands and artists have cited Neurosis as an important inspiration, including Converge, [48] Slipknot, [49] Agalloch, [50] Yob, [51] Isis, [52] Mastodon, [53] Amenra, [54] Kylesa, [55] Pelican, [56] Wolves in the Throne Room, [57] [58] Cobalt, [59] Withered, [60] Baroness, [61] Oathbreaker, [62] Chelsea Wolfe, [63] [64] Pallbearer, [65] and Full of Hell. [66] Their influence echoes through acts that have defined the post-metal genre, such as Isis, Boris, Agalloch, Amenra, Pelican, and Deafheaven. [67] [68]
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Sludge metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that combines elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. The genre generally includes slow tempos, tuned down guitars and nihilistic lyrics discussing poverty, drug addiction and pollution.
Scott Michael Kelly is an American retired musician. He was one of three founding members of California experimental metal band Neurosis, in which he was the band's lead vocalist and guitarist from its formation until his firing in 2019. Kelly retired from music in 2022 after admitting to many years of physically abusing his family.
Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way similar to the predecessor genres post-rock and post-hardcore, post-metal offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music, and often shoegaze and art rock. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums, while any vocals are often but not always screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.
Pain of Mind is the debut studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis, originally released through Alchemy Records in 1987. It was later reissued by Alternative Tentacles in 1994 and by Neurot Recordings in 2000; the 2000 reissue contains a special bonus disc that includes live tracks, live radio tracks, and demo tracks. Pennsylvanian politician R. Budd Dwyer is pictured on the front cover of the 1994 vinyl release, moments before he committed suicide during a televised press conference in 1987.
The Word as Law is the second studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis. It was released in 1990 through Lookout! Records, originally on LP only. In 1991, the album was released on CD with several re-recorded tracks from previous releases as bonus material.
Souls at Zero is the third studio album by the American post-metal band Neurosis. It was released in 1992 by the Alternative Tentacles record label. Their first album with Simon Mcllroy, Souls at Zero marked a shift in the band's style, moving away from the fast-paced hardcore punk influences of their early work towards slower tempos and greater experimentation. With this change, Souls at Zero was one of the first post-metal albums, if not the first.
Enemy of the Sun is the fourth studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis. It was originally released on Alternative Tentacles in 1993 and later reissued on Neurot Recordings in 1999. The album was reissued with new cover artwork on April 20, 2010. On February 14, 2012, a fully remastered version was released on vinyl via Relapse Records.
Through Silver in Blood is the fifth studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis, released on April 2, 1996 through Relapse Records. The album was reissued in July 2009 on the band's own label, Neurot Recordings. Since its release, Through Silver in Blood has been recognized not only as the band's critical and popular peak, but as one of the sources of post-metal and as one of the best metal albums of all time.
Times of Grace is the sixth studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis, released on May 4, 1999 through Relapse Records. It continued the band's development of the post-metal genre and demonstrates gothic rock and progressive rock influences. This album and Grace, an ambient companion by the band's alter-ego Tribes of Neurot, are designed to play alongside each other. Times of Grace marked the beginning of the band's long lasting working relationship with recording engineer Steve Albini.
A Sun That Never Sets is the seventh studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis, released in 2001. The album was awarded #18 on Decibel Magazine's top 100 metal albums of the decade. The band later released a DVD of a full-length film, which the album accompanies.
Neurosis & Jarboe is a collaboration between American post-metal band Neurosis and singer-songwriter Jarboe formerly of Swans. It was released on November 4, 2003 by Neurot Recordings. On August 2, 2019, the album was re-released on Neurot Recordings. The 2019 version was remastered by Bob Weston with new artwork by Aaron Turner.
The Eye of Every Storm is the eighth studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis.
Given to the Rising is the ninth studio album by American band post-metal band Neurosis, released on June 5, 2007. The album is available in a standard jewel case, a limited-edition digipak, and a limited-edition double LP, all with the same track list. Decibel Magazine listed Given to the Rising as the 76th-best metal album of the decade. A DVD documentary is also available from Neurot Records. The artwork for the album, designed by Josh Graham, is a mixture of photos from Heroes Square in Budapest and drawings inspired by the place. Coincidentally, singer/guitarist Steve Von Till and Josh Graham had separately thought of the idea of using Heroes Square as the artwork for the album.
Sovereign is an EP by Californian band Neurosis. As with the previous album, Times of Grace it was recorded by Steve Albini at Electric Audio in Chicago, Illinois. The CD contains a mixed-media CD-Rom portion featuring visuals and music reminiscent of their live shows and their work under the Tribes of Neurot moniker. In 2011 Neurot Recordings released a reissue that includes bonus track "Misgiven".
U.S. Christmas is a psychedelic rock band from Marion, North Carolina, founded in 2002. After Neurosis guitarist/vocalist Scott Kelly heard their debut album Salt The Wound, he signed the band to Neurot Recordings, the label he owns with fellow Neurosis members. Their sound features elements of Americana, sludge metal, psychedelic rock, space rock and folk.
Jason Roeder is the drummer of the Oakland-based metal bands Neurosis and Sleep.
Amenra is a Belgian post-metal band from Kortrijk. It was formed in 1999 by vocalist Colin H. van Eeckhout and guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove, who now perform alongside drummer Bjorn Lebon, guitarist Lennart Bossu and bassist Tim De Gieter. Among a number of other works, they have released six studio albums in the Mass series, the latest of them through Neurot Recordings. The band's sixth album De Doorn debuted at No. 3 in Belgium.
Full of Hell is an American grindcore band from Ocean City, Maryland, and Central Pennsylvania, that formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Relapse Records and have released six studio albums – Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011), Rudiments of Mutilation (2013), Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017), Weeping Choir (2019), Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021), and Coagulated Bliss (2024) – as well as several EPs and splits. In addition to studio albums, they've released five collaboration albums – Full of Hell & Merzbow (2014) with Japanese noise artist Merzbow, One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache (2016) and Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (2017) with sludge metal band the Body, Suffocating Hallucination with doom metal band Primitive Man in March 2023 and When No Birds Sang with shoegaze band Nothing in December 2023.
Fires Within Fires is the eleventh studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis. The album was released on September 23, 2016, via the band's own record label, Neurot Recordings. Recording began on December 27, 2015, at Electrical Audio Studio; the album was produced by Steve Albini and the cover art created by Thomas Hooper. Like Neurosis' previous albums, Fires Within Fires combines "elements from the post-metal genre they co-created [with] elements of industrial, doom, punk and folk". This is the band's final album with founding member Scott Kelly who was fired in 2019 due to domestic abuse allegations, which he officially confirmed to be true and announced his withdrawal from the public eye in August 2022.
Locust Star is a split EP between Oakland bands Neurosis and Tribes of Neurot released in 1996 through Relapse Records as a CD and a promo. Unlike most split releases, both groups involved with this EP are composed of the same members.
Souls At Zero was a game-changing album, not just for Neurosis but for the entire metal genre. It's one of the records where the rules were changed and a new order established
There is an aggression here that seems to have been kept in restraint for a few years and has returned now to claim its proper place.
alt-metal is a far-reaching term that has been used to describe everyone from Hammerlock to Neurosis to Ministry to Limp Bizkit