Oakland post-metal legends Neurosis are back with a new album, new shows, and now with Aaron Turner from Isis. “We need this, perhaps more than ever, and we suspect we are not alone.”
A decade since their latest album, and seven years since they last played live, Oakland post-metal legends Neurosis have returned with a surprise full-length, and live plans for the future.
This afternoon, they dropped An Undying Love For A Burning World in full on DSPs, with the physical release to follow. It's their first activity since 2019, and a rebirth after the firing of frontman Scott Kelly in 2022 following his admission of domestic abuse, after which they effectively split. The revamped version of the band features Aaron Turner of Isis on guitar and vocals.
“We need this, perhaps more than ever, and we suspect we are not alone,” they say. “The trials and tribulations in our personal lives and as a band, combined with simply trying to navigate the insanity of our society, with the stress, anxiety and isolation that come with it can be excruciating. Add to that the existential confusion and sorrow of the climate crisis and the sixth mass extinction. It is enough to cause you to completely lose your mind if you can’t find release or catharsis.
“This strange emotionally charged music has always been our method of trying to survive this and this is what we've always been singing about. When you have spent a lifetime engaged with these energies and utilising this form of expression to purge and purify, it feels detrimental to our well being to let it sit idle and neglected. This was now or never.”
On the addition of Aaron to the ranks – alongside guitarist/singer Steve Von Till, drummer Jason Roeder, bassist Dave Edwardson and keyboard player Noah Landis – the band say that, “He came straight out of the gate contributing, writing and presenting ideas. His energy matches ours perfectly. It’s as if he was always meant to be there.”
“From the moment I first heard Neurosis over 30 years ago, I felt this was the music my heart and mind had been seeking but not yet heard,” adds Aaron. “Now after many years travelling along various musical paths of my own, the singular sound and spirit embodied by Neurosis continues to speak to the depths of my being. It is an honour and a true pleasure to have been welcomed so warmly into a band that not only shaped my perspective on the limitless possibilities of music – but has lived and exemplified the necessity of upholding creative integrity and camaraderie above all else.”
Alongside the new music, Neurosis have also announced their return to the stage at Montana's Fire In The Mountains Festival in July. As well as hosting a bill featuring them as headliners, YOB, Enslaved, Baroness, Full Of Hell and more, the fest works with Firekeeper Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to reducing youth suicide in Indian Country.
“I cannot think of a more appropriate environment for us to return to the stage,” says Steve Von Till, a man also active with Firekeeper Alliance. “Last year’s Fire In The Mountains festival was the most profound music event I have ever been a part of. The weekend took on a healing, cathartic ceremonial nature that is difficult to put into words. Using emotionally heavy music to build community and collectively stare darkness in the eye is something we have always believed in, but using it to directly address the heartbreaking reality of suicide, grief, loss and trauma is taking it to another level.”
Read this next:
