Neurosis – Fires Within Fires (Review)

This is the eleventh album from legendary genre-forgers Neurosis. They play post-metal/progressive sludge/doom/whatever.

The impact of Neurosis on the post-metal/sludge/doom/etc. scene is immense and has been well-documented, of course. Suffice to say that this is an important band producing important music. They always have been and probably, (hopefully), always will be.

That being said, it’s obviously always important to view any release on its own merits, and of course Fires Within Fires has many of these.

Shorter in length than the average Neurosis album, the band offer up 41 minutes of material that seems to somehow distil the essential elements of their 30 year history without repeating any of it and still managing to sound fresh, vital and essential.

The build/release post-metal mechanic that they pioneered and refined is displayed well, along with their effortless mastery of light and shade. Atmosphere is used as a weapon by Neurosis, and this album is armed to the teeth.

The songs on Fires Within Fires show Neurosis continuing to produce the kind of music that most bands can only dream of. Multi-faceted and richly textured, there’s a wealth to explore and discover on this release, with so much depth that you could easily lose yourself in it.

Each song has its own character and personality, holistically fitting into the whole album well and flowing naturally from piece to piece. It’s interesting how their songwriting manages to sound both naturally effortless and as if every detail has received minute attention to it. Either way, the results speak for themselves and Fires Within Fires is an extremely enjoyable work of art.

The relatively short length of the album actually works in its favour too, as it’s quick and easy to just start playing it again after it has finished. The material is all top-notch, so the replay value is very high indeed.

Neurosis return, with the fires within burning bright.

An essential listen.