Sovereign (Reissue)

Album review

Neurosis' first release on their own label, Neurot, is one of those things that falls between album and EP: four songs that add up to 32 minutes. Produced by Steve Albini, the usual approach is to start with low, gloomy riffs, sometimes bass-heavy and sometimes synthesizer flutters, then build to crescendos of roiling noise rock as sandpaper-textured vocals bellow hard-to-comprehend lyrics. Whether you can comprehend the words or not, you can bet they're not on the sunny side; angst and desperation are the defining moods. Just suppose, for the sake of argument, that this style was a radical break from rock traditions when it first became common in indie rock in the 1980s. Even if so, it's a vision that is not just no longer fresh -- within the context of Neurosis' 15-year career (at the time of this release), or within indie rock as a whole -- but is itself a tradition, and one that isn't as shocking or innovative as it seems to think it is. It's primarily a release for the converted fan, and therefore it makes sense that there are extras that devotees will most appreciate: a CD-ROM multimedia section with impressive (and grim) superimposed film clips, and access to a members-only part of Neurosis' official website, through which bonus tracks can be downloaded.

© Richie Unterberger /TiVo