Entry 756 - Neurosis - The Eye of Every Storm

Style: Post-hardcore, post-metal, ambient, tribal influences

Primary Emotions/Themes: The musical equivalent of sitting in a gentle rainstorm that will sometimes pick up the intensity of a monsoon

Thoughts: I remember quite a bit of controversy around this album when it first came out. More than one person online was disappointment that Neurosis had "gone soft" or become less heavy with this album. I picked it up expecting to be completely underwhelmed, but found that I quite liked the change in direction. 

Where there was once the unbridled rage of nature, now there is a calm brook. Where there was once an unstoppable force demolishing everything that stands in its path, there is now a sleeping giant. Neurosis, the behemoth has slowed down and found peace. 

Not that peace was ever absent from their music in the past, it was just never the main focus. The Eye of Every Storm changes that. It flips Neurosis sound on it's head. Instead of the majority of the music being heavy and in your face, now the majority is quieter and more contemplative. 

The vocals, while still aggressive, have more melody to them than they have had in the past. The music while still having tinges of distortion, will often pull back from the full on distortion to more of an overdriven sound. The band leaves both the fully aggressive vocals and guitar distortion for the major climaxes of songs. 

I find that the more I listen to the Eye of Every Storm the more I love it. Not every song is as strong as I would like it to be, but when the band hits with this sound it's among the best they have ever been. The title track and Bridges are especially powerful. Those two songs alone make the album worth owning. 

Neurosis have never been a band to stay with one sound for an extended period of time. Ever since Enemy of the Sun they have found their core, but they have experimented with what that means with every album since. The Eye of Every Storm explores that more contemplative side of their tribal influenced post metal sound, and I find that I enjoy this sound more than most. In fact I think this album in particular may be in my top three from the band - with some of it being among the best that they have ever written.

Written April 2nd 2024