Neurosis – An Undying Love for a Burning World (Review)

This is the twelfth album from US sludge/post-metal band Neurosis.

Ten years since 2016’s Fires Within Fires, nobody was expecting the return of Neurosis this month. Armed with the formidable talents of Aaron Turner, (Isis/Old Man Gloom/Sumac) on guitar and vocals, this new Neurosis album is as remarkable as it is surprising.

Across 64 minutes of music Neurosis ably demonstrate exactly why they are as notable as they are. An Undying Love for a Burning World provides the listener with something that fills a gap in the contemporary musical landscape that you may not have even known needed filling. There are many imitators, but only one Neurosis.

An Undying Love for a Burning World brings together whole swathes of past Neurosis sounds and elements, but not only these. This album travels many of the band’s well-known landscapes, but also pushes into new ones. Aaron Turner pours his own influences into the music’s melting pot, enriching the Neurosis sound, rather than diluting it.

The music is heavy in both sonic and emotive terms. The songs are mood-focused, first and foremost. They spend their time building, releasing, and crafting immersive atmosphere, with the band using songwriting as a tool of cleansing expression. Around all of this are built musical structures that are memorable over time. Although not quite catchy, not at first, it soon becomes apparent that An Undying Love for a Burning World does not lack for its own individual version of hooks.

A novel’s worth of musical ideas have gone into the making of these eight tracks. Bits and pieces of sludge, post-metal, electronics, ambience, post-rock, doom, prog, and a host of others have been carefully gathered and skilfully woven together into the vast tapestry that is An Undying Love for a Burning World. It is diverse and multifaceted, and contains so many strong moments it’s almost hard to credit. This album acts as a living, breathing reminder of how special and brilliant Neurosis are. Hyperbole maybe, but if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck…

An exceedingly rare indication of how exceptional this album is comes early on, from the short intro track. Rather than the utterly pointless filler that 99.999% of all such tracks are, it actually does some meaningful work in service of the record. Who knew such a thing was actually still possible?

After a decade away, this is a reimagined Neurosis, made vital by catharsis and driven by creative energies. Reimagined, yet achingly familiar at the same time. Existing Neurosis fans will love this album, both its ties to the past and its confident strides forward. New Neurosis fans will love it to, forging a connection that will stretch back into the band’s rich back catalogue and hopefully into future output too. That this record will be featured heavily on many best of lists later on in the year seems inevitable. Until then, it’s time to feast on this immense musical opus. It is, hype aside, really that good.

Essential listening.