Neurosis

Apocalyptic, devastatingly loud, and uncompromising to the extreme, Neurosis loom over the evolution of avant-garde metal in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The original quartet emerged from the Bay Area’s hardcore punk scene in the mid-’80s before charting a maverick course through the fringes of sludge metal, industrial, and experimental noise. Neurosis would eventually be hailed as pioneers of the post-metal movement, but in the ’90s the marriage of sprawling compositions, tranced-out grooves, and suffocating atmosphere captured on 1993’s Enemy of the Sun and 1996’s Through Silver In Blood was too singular and ahead of its time for easy categorization. It was a time of boundary-breaking creativity for the group, who were also creating dark ambient under the moniker Tribes of Neurot. By the 2000s, Neurosis were a metal institution. In addition to running Neurot Recordings, whose catalog reflects the band’s exploratory attitude, they have continued to push their sound forward on albums like 2007’s Given to the Rising, a majestic example of their famously swelling dynamics, and 2012’s Honor Found In Decay, which doubles down on their commitment to rendering bleakness as exquisite beauty.