Search - Neurosis :: Sovereign

An Awesome Achievement In Multimedia - Musically & Visually

Ken | Youngsville, LA USA | 10/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As the title could conceivably suggest, this EP is a statement of the all-powerful and autonomous nature of Neurosis, as well as the all-powerful and autonomous spirit of Mother Nature that Neurosis so vividly portrays in everything they create - musically as well as visually. The four tracks here are of such magnitude that they require the same concentration and respect that all of their full length releases demand; indeed, while "Sovereign" exists as an EP, its importance and value within the scope of the band's career is tremendous. Ultimately, this CD is a vital key in understanding the way Neurosis enigmatically comprehends and portrays the universe in which we exist.
Musically, "Sovereign" logically continues the same path that Neurosis set upon with "Times Of Grace" before it. The band's new evolutionary direction, signaled by their newfound experimentation with cyclical, emotional dynamics of soft/hard, quiet/loud on "...Grace" continues here. I , for one, was relieved that Neurosis forged ahead with developing emotional structures and textures on this EP as well as on the follow-up, "A Sun That Never Sets". But while they endeavored to continue utilizing these elements throughout the EP, there are definite signs of sonic mutation and evolution - so much so that you know it's Neurosis, but you have no cue as to what technique they'll use to address your unconscious mind next. Just like the seasons, each movement has an effect on the following one, whether it's subtle or dramatic. And even when the symphonic cycles repeat themselves, they somehow take on different symbolic meanings.
Fortunately, "Sovereign" reinforced the successful relationship between Neurosis and the famed Steve Albini, who was the first engineer to finally give the band the colossal sound production they've always deserved. Albini continued to give them the ability to convincingly incorporate the tense and menacing dynamics they began experimenting with on "... Grace" while still maintaining the aggressive tribal atmosphere necessary to let their intense, monstrous, and primal "wall of sound" blast wide open. There is no point in which this effect becomes any clearer than in "An Offering", a track that offers tension and dread as it slowly draws you into a lurking, calm-before-the-storm drone... until it climactically transforms itself into a beast of sheer aggression and intensity - more so than any other Neurosis track in recent memory, in fact.
In addition to the audio material on this disk, there is a personal computer program which heralds the band's first attempt at incorporating multimedia into their packaging. Considering the scope and nature of what Neurosis tries to accomplish with everything they do, this program is a perfect accompaniment to the music. When you load and run the Neurosis file, you are instantly carried into an otherworldly place where you can explore icons (some obvious, some not) that change the breathtaking psychedelic scenery that somehow magically fits their sound (and all else they do) so well. With the philosophy of the band becoming more and more of a tangible reality as technology permits, this is likely not the last we'll see of this sort of experimentation with multimedia. The thing is, Neurosis was obviously never meant to be solely a musical entity. Their aim is just too epic and grand for that. Their tribe is expanding into other avenues of creativity in order to fulfill their ultimate objective of becoming a completely unique and autonomous artistic entity. As they successfully showed us with "Sovereign", they are determined to encompass every artistic avenue necessary to embrace the essence of humanity... past, present, and future.
And once again, like with all Neurosis and Tribes Of Neurot releases, if you allow yourself to experience the music rather than simply listen to it - you will most definitely be a changed person."

Good hold over till "sun"

Ken | 05/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved "Sovereign." The band is back into that experimenation phase (did it ever go away?) with trying new vocal layering, clean guitars, etc. Sovereign is the best song, followed by prayer. I saw the band with Amber Asylum in Portland Oregon about a month ago, they played this whole album, which is even better live, as well as two new tracks, which were long and epic. The more neurosis changes the more they stay the same. But I can't wait for the new album, it will blow anything out there away."

Welcome to the future

Adam R Martray | Alexandria, Virginia United States | 05/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As far as the music goes, it's not Neurosis' best, but it's only an EP so what do you expect? That being said, this is still Neurosis and even their worst stuff slaughters any mainstream want-to-be-heavy garbage out there. The best part of this EP is the multimedia bonus. EVERY band should do this...imagine, music and visual art on one little piece of plastic. Hopefully other bands will be influenced by Neurosis and multimedia will become the future of music. There's a lot of depth in the multimedia options here and it takes a lot of time to dig through it all but it is amazing. If you're new to Neurosis I wouldn't start here (I'd say start at "Through Silver In Blood")but this is a must have for Neurosis and multimedia fans alike."