Customer Reviews

Times of Grace

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Neurosis' "Times Of Grace" is an experience in itself. On this album, the band produces epic ambient-style metal that pummels the listener into submisison. The combined effect of the manic distortion and somewhat linear arrangements seems, at first, incoherent and unsatisfying. But upon further listens, "Times Of Grace" opens itself up and shows the world what it truly is - an epic masterpiece.

The first thing the listener is exposed to upon listening to this album is are the tension-building notes of Scott Kelly's guitar blended in with bagpipes in "Suspended In Light." Next up is "The Doorway," with its heavy distortion and awesome time changes. "The Last You'll Know" features an incredible midsection, complete with a harmonica-like synthesizer before calming into dissonance, which then builds to a sludgy rage.

"Belief" chooses to, instead of being completely heavy and distorted throughout, go back-and-forth between heaviness and subdued somberness. "Exist" is the perfect instrumental for an album of this nature - beautiful, mysterious, and calm, which accentuates the rest of the album greatly. It also flows directly into the wonderful "End Of The Harvest," which showcases a wonderful buildup to the climax. "Descent" begins with just a bass drum, then adds guitar, bagpipes, bass, and synthesizer (at serparate times) creating a great buildup before fading out. "Away" actually features clean vocals (!) and a beautiful buildup before steppin' on the distortion and switching to the usual screaming. It is also a top highlight of the album. The album's title track begins with a few simple notes before becoming UNGODLY heavy. The album's closing track, "The Road To Sovereignty," is a fantastic closing to an album of this magnitude. It begins with acoustic guitar, then adds the rest of the band, along with violins, violas, cellos, and - you guessed it - bagpipes.

"Times Of Grace" will most likely take a few listens to get acquainted with. But, like other albums as obtuse as this (Tool's "Lateralus"; Radiohead's "Kid A"), after a couple spins in your CD player, it will hit you how genius this record is.

I was 14 when I first purchased this CD last summer. At first, I was dissapointed with it and didn't really understand it. Every now and then I'd throw it back into my CD player and it wouldn't really impress me. But now I'm 15 and it's about 8 months later. I was awake in bed real late one night and I just starting humming all the Neurosis themes that I'd disregarded over the past few months. I put it back in and it all hit me like a thousand bricks. It blew me away. It actually took me over half a year to mature and grow into their savage sound. 7 full songs and 4 seague songs make this 66 minute masterpeice. Neurosis is just so innovative. I've never heard anything remotely close to this. They write (on this CD) about 6-10 minute songs, full of aggresion and power. Guitar chords I've never heard before, bagpipes that wrench your heart, samples that create atmosphere, and profound lyric writing are just a few of the great things about this album. And not to mention the diverse "intermission songs". Great musicianship on those. I swear I'm gonna have "Road to Sovereignity" played at my funeral. Well, it's been 2 weeks since my discovery and I already have "Grace" coming in the mail and I ordered a phat black Neurosis sweatshirt off their site, and I probably listen to it 3 times a day. Lemme tell you it's not for everyone. But for those who can appreciate this CD, it's truly a wonderfull experience that I highly recommend you take part in.

The metal world is, regrettably, almost as full of copycats and one-trick ponies as the mainstream, but Neurosis are one band that have legitimately earned the label of innovators. "Times of Grace" is easily one of the most primal and visceral albums ever recorded, but that's far from the whole story, as it's also among the most creative and intelligent metal albums of recent years. Not afraid to push their songs into the vicinity of the ten-minute mark, Neurosis compose epics of mountainous proportions, replete with punishing dynamics and stunning musicianship. Listening to "Times of Grace" is a daunting proposition, as it's not "radio-ready" to the say the least. However, this album is a grower of the highest order, as its brilliance is steadily revealed with repeated listens.

While there are plenty of metal bands out there that make lots of noise, few if any can shape it in as discordant and unsettling a manner as Neurosis. This isn't speed metal, or grindcore, or some other style that just seeks to beat the listener into the ground (not that there's anything wrong with that!). The heaviest tracks, such as "The Doorway," "End of the Harvest," and the title track, don't burst forth from speakers so much as they ooze forth, enveloping the listener in a primordial haze with some serious mind-warping potential. In a refreshing change of pace from traditional metal sounds, the guitars are as much about atmosphere and complexity as brutality, creating unpredictable layers of tightly coiled, distorted riffage. Jason Roeder's tribal-influenced drumming is among the heaviest and most ominous in history, and you can feel the disaffection in every note of the hardcore-style screams. Slower, more minimal fare such as "Under The Surface" and "Belief" manages to be equally menacing, maintaining a clenched intensity that's hard to define and even harder to resist.

There are some variations on this album's theme as well. Like all great artists, Neurosis can venture into diverse sonic territories without abandoning what makes them great in the first place. "The Last You Know" weaves some subtle bagpipe textures into the all-out metal assault, while "Descent" consists of nothing but some haunting pipes and a martial drumbeat. "Away" is (gulp) a ballad, but its mournful strings and pained vocals elevate it well above the plain. And the album closer, "The Road to Sovereignty," is a horn-led symphonic piece, with only the drumming providing any evidence of a rock influence.

In the end, "Times of Grace" is a staggering achievement, offering indescribable amounts of musical and emotional depth. It's a full-fledged sonic experience that will not only assault your ears but burrow its way into your soul. Neurosis plumb the depths of the human psyche with their music, and if you can withstand the onslaught you'll emerge a stronger person for it. "Times of Grace" is simultaneously gut-wrenching, virtuosic, and challenging, and ultimately uplifting. For all its bluster and fury, this album ultimately offers the redemption that can only come from such a harrowing journey.

This album has more direct drive then any of thier albums before it. The Industrial tribal-metal dirge approach has nearly gone and left behind not the battle, but now a map of the battle(an overview if you will), giving Neurosis a displacing edge from what early fans like myself came to know. Times of Grace is a more straight forward plunge then thier previous "Through Silver in Blood". Through Silver in Blood being an album which takes the skin and bone of your head and rips it back and thats if you can make it through the shear intensity(Through Silver in Blood is still my favorite album by them).

"Times of Grace" is much less punishing then previous albums and emphasizes on a new look at things for Neurosis. Bag-pipes find thier way to Neurosis as a more forefront then before and lend an amazingly touching effect. "Soveriegn" which came after "Times of Grace" began an even deeper plunge into what Neurosis became during "A Sun that Never Sets" that is... much more crystal and elegant... patient. Neurosis are a band that never loses themselves for the fact that they reinvent themselves and grow. Listening to Neurosis is like witnessing evolution in time lapse. Prepare to have your mind opened.

If you are new to Neurosis do not start here. I'd suggest starting with "Enemy of the Sun" or "Souls At Zero" so you may have a clue as to what the middle ground battlefield was(so far) for Neurosis and from being warriors to war heroes...

The time for a mysterious, spiritual musical journey is upon us. An aural experience in visiting the inner realms of our minds not often sought by the meek or timid of a species is where the journey begins and with Neurosis as our guide we embark. Weaving in and out of the transients of their semi-tonal creations, Neurosis take a tour in the universe of sound, well beyond the realm of traditional musical concepts, without the slightest hint of reservation. The dark beauty of Neurosis' "vibe" is founded in the balance of their grinding, hypnotic drone and the expression of an atmospheric, avant-garde ideal. Layering the rich textures of world-culture lineage (woodwinds, percussion, keyboards and sampling, bagpipes, etc.) with the more traditional forum of a rock ensemble, Neurosis embark on a complex musical journey. Barely audible at times and humblingly dense for others the soundscape washes over ears like waves caressing a shoreline. Continuously eroding away at conventional musical wisdom with a seemingly blasphemic stance yet possessing a kind of ethereal allure Neurosis bride a chasm between tasteful experimentation and unpalatable noise. The result is well beyond the bounds of musical as an art. The gut wrenching sledge and innovatively psychedelic nature of the 66 minute epic, Times of Grace, is only heightened when one adds the devastatingly evil alter-ego, Tribes of Neurot, to the fold. Paired with its sister release, Grace, the overall ambient art and weighty musical aggression offer a kaleidoscope of metallic ambiguity and stretch the musical bounds even further. Both releases can stand alone, but together are an overwhelming experience. Taking the nature of progressive musicality in an entirely new and unexplored direction, Neurosis transcend the bounds of being a metal band, yet possess the angst, girth and volume that the metal world thrives upon. Experiment with them and enter your own time of grace.

the only reason that i'm holding back from 5 stars is because these jerks made me buy two separate cds. the cd is pretty good by itself but absolutely amazing when played simultaneously with tribe of neurot's "grace." i don't know why they didn't just mix both albums together in the studio. the neurosis cd is much better with the extra neurot effects and i seriously can't imagine anyone wanting to listen to the neurot album on its own... anyway, if you like this album, i highly recommend "enemy of the sun" and "through silver in blood." at this point i wouldn't hesitate to call either of those albums "seminal classics."

Times of Grace by Neurosis is one of the most addictive collections of music that I have ever been exposed to. I can honestly say that I have listened to this CD hundreds of times already and something new seems to appear on a regular basis. These newly unveiled mysteries are usually entrancing rhythms or beats that just continue to add to the splendor of this album. The songs/music vary throughout the album; ranging from peaceful instrumentals to hard, grinding, and aggressive guitar, drums and vocals. Whether peaceful or aggressive the hypnosis continues throughout. This will be strange to some, but listen with an open mind and enjoy.

Neurosis transcends genres and labels. You don't listen to Neurosis - you EXPERIENCE Neurosis... there is a difference. Lots of people say that this band plays music that could be perceived as the soundtrack to the apocalypse, and although I don't disagree with that, I feel that more must be said. With "Times Of Grace" the band mutated their wall of sound into a vehicle to juxtapose sonically "yin and yang" qualities - they expressed how sheer, violent surges can be simply beautiful and how melody and subdued orchestrations can be tense, ominous, foreboding... and downright frightening. "...Grace" does continue their trademark droning repetition in areas, but that's their way of tapping into your unconscious mind. What some call monotonous, we Neurosis fans call mesmerising. "...Grace" hypnotises you into a subliminal trance that allows you to (re)discover the lost primitive archetypes that bind human nature to Mother Earth. If you search deep into the world of Neurosis, you'll find that this CD is another voyage toward their destination based on mental, physical, aural, visual, historical, and spatial harmony. Don't listen - EXPERIENCE.

Another album from Neurosis and their musical and visual philosophy becomes more and more complete. Using instruments and sounds other than bludgeoning guitars and tribal percussion, they open up some great moments, particularly on 'Under the surface' where the bagpipe interlude really breaks the song wide out. Still being highly epic sounding with the lyrics, using some very iconic symbolism with their words, but in many years the scream of Scott Von Till hasn't really changed much, leading the untrained ear to speculate that 'all their stuff sounds the same'. The cover art is brilliant, but eerily similar in colour scheme to some album by the Levellers, of all people. Still, the noisy metal shenanigans of old that we all know and love is still there to be found and revelled in, although at times it gets slightly bloated and turgid, overblown some might say, but on the whole, the good bits far outweigh the not so good, and for that we must be thankful. It's great to see one of the older metal/noise bands making some headway with the young whippersnappers of today, and this album will do their cause no harm at all. Lovely.

Neurosis are almost undoubtedly the finest band in terms of combining innovation with head-down heaviness and sheer crushing extremity. And itwas on this, their latest album, that their declaration of war arrived. Neurosis' effective integrating of intensity and soft instrumentation into a shockingly intense brand of metal. The opening track soothes you while at the same time preparing you for an all out assault. One track consists of bagpipes all the way through, while others are bludgeoningly heavy. Neurosis' are destined to be a big part of metal's future.