The vocals howl as just an angry human layer, leaving the guitar playing as the most interesting thing about what is going on with the first song from this Chicago-based sludge band. The mournful clean guitar sections that are picked off give it more of its own identity, whereas the heavier sections are more conforming to the genre status quo It gets the job done, but over the course of this album, they are going to need to prove they have more sonic color to display to bring a greater range of dynamics. They bring more drive to the charge of "Bodies Dragged to Sunlight".
The new Neurosis album is a blessing and a cure for the subgenre. It does bring the genre into the spotlight, but it also raises the bar so high that simply chugging a wall of sound along as you bark just does not cut it anymore. People are prone to say that music is not a competition, but it is. There are only so many hours in a day to listen to it, so if you have two hous to spend, which album are you going to choose? The only thing they're doing differently on this track that differs from the first song is less nuanced guitar playing and more aggression; it might as well be the same vocal track.
"Slow Death Chant" has a more memorable riff leading the way as it weaves around the pound of the drums with an angular slither.. The vocals also have more purpose, making this the album's best song thus far. It does not remake the wheel but uses what they have wisely. There are guitar melodies in the fuzzed-out rumble of chugged guitars which add something to the mix.. The 13-minute "An Ocean of Broken Hope" finds the first minute droning as fat as it could have been trimmed before the song really starts. This more melodic nuance is something the previous songs could have used as well.
If this is your first time reading this blog you might think "Oh he just doesn't like heavy music as he wants all this melody." well you might want to click through and see what a fan of genres like grindcore and crust I am, so heavy is not the problem I expect the same level of songwriting na matter the genre it just needs to happene in the appropriate context. The vocals have more purpose in their roar, though at four minutes into the song I cannot conceive how they are going to occupy the next nine minutes. They jam out on this verse riff for some time and slowly build it. At the right minute mark, it ebbs down a bit to a more post-rock vibe, though not as minimalist. A burly bass line leads them into a more harrowing build. This does get tempered with sonic nuance that adds more hook.
The title track closes the album. It opens with a strum of a cleaner guitar tone; it carries a bit of a jangle as a calm before the storm as they kick into the chug. Their drummer is more dynamic than most drummers of the genre. It has almost a Tool-like groove jsut without the meticously palm muted picking. The vocals come roaring out of reverb.. It works off a powerful throb, but not the most dynamic moment moment but it is effective. This album sounds good, but they are pretty basic when it comes to sludge, so I will give this an 8.5, as fans of the genre will dig this album.
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