Neurosis

Ultimate Set List & Tour: Mastodon with Neurosis & O’Brother

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I had an idea recently to expand upon the Ultimate Set List category. I thought that if I were to put together a “dream tour” scenario into the aether, that maybe, just maybe, it might come true. The first one I came up with involves Mastodon, Neurosis and the very awesome, O’Brother. All three of these bands have released fantastic new albums. Mastodon’s Emperor Of Sand is well on it’s way to my album of the year for 2017. O’Brother put out Endless Light, one of the top 5 albums of 2016 and, Neurosis, well they continue to put out quality albums with their newest, 2016’s Fires Within Fires.

With all that in mind, here are the guidelines for this now expanded category.

1: Where would you want to see the show

2: What is the order/set lengths of the bands

3: What line up of the band would it be (If necessary)

4: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

 

Venue:

The Fonda Theatre- Hollywood CA

Order/Set Length:

1) O’Brother- 45 mins, 2) Neurosis- 75mins, 3) Mastodon- 100mins

Set Lists:

O’Brother:

1) Slow Sin
2) Your Move
3) Absence
4) Bloodlines
5) Endless Light
6) Complicated End Times
7) Ascension
8) Burn
9) I Am (Become Death)

Neurosis:

1) Through Silver and Blood
2) Bending Light
3) We All Rage In Gold
4) Under The Surface
5) Left To Wander
6) Belief
7) Stones From The Sky

Mastodon:

1) Sultan’s Curse
2) Crystal Skull
3) Iron Tusk
4) Steambreather
5) Oblivion
6) Chimes At Midnight
7) Ancient Kingdom
8) Colony Of Birchmen
9) Dry Bone Valley
10) Andromeda
11) Ember City
12) The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral
13) Roots Remain
14) Sleeping Giant
15) Asleep In The Deep
16) Crack The Skye (with Scott Kelly)
17) Jaguar God

Encore:

18) Blood And Thunder
19) Crusher Destroyer
20) Mother Puncher
21) March Of The Fire Ants

Top Ten Bands A-Z: N

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The A to Z  list continues to find the top ten bands/artists in the alphabet. N is here and needs help to complete the list. As usual your suggestions are wanted in completing this list. These are in no particular order as well.

 

01) Nine Inch Nails
02) Neurosis
03) Nirvana
04) New Order
05) N.W.A
06) Graham Nash
07) Night Verses
08) Nas
09)
10)

End of the Year 2016: Best Guitar Duo’s

2016 is on the verge of ending. It’s been quite an interesting, strange, depressing and scary year. Despite all the divide across the land and countless other problems, 2016 was a great year for new albums. I have a feeling that with time, the music released this year, 2016,  will be one of those years that gave us classic albums.

To start things off for the first category of End Of The Year Lists, I’m going to make a list of the top 10 guitar duos in music. The stipulation is that, they have to have released an album this year.

I encourage you to vote for your favorite in the comments section. At the end of the month, I will release the results of the readers poll.

This list is also in NO PARTICULAR ORDER!!!

Top 10 Guitar Duo’s of 2016:

01) James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett- Metallica
02) Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams- Every Time I Die
03) Johnny Dang and Jordan McGhin- O’Brother
04) Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel- Killswitch Engage
05) Joe Duplantier and Christian Andreu- Gojira
06) Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till- Neurosis
07) Ben Weinman and Brent Hinds- Giraffe Tongue Orchestra
08) Brian “Head” Welch and James “Munky” Schaffer- Korn
09) Kemble Walters and Cory Clark- Aeges
10) James Moore and Mitch Wayte- Moving Structures

Unsung Masterpieces: Neurosis- A Sun That Never Sets

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In August 2001, Neurosis put out one of the best albums since the turn of the century. After establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the heavy music world and releasing 2 influential and classic albums (Through Silver and Blood & Times Of Grace), Neurosis returned with another classic A Sun That Never Sets. This album saw the band move even further away from their punk/hardcore roots and more into the experimental side of things all the while keeping with their “sludgy” sound and now incorporating a bit of a folk influence into the music. The album was again recorded by Steve Albini, and he has been able to capture the true essence of Neurosis for years now. A Sun That Never Sets is hypnotic in the way the songs all flow together to create the sound of the the world crumbling down around you. When you listen to songs like “The Tide,” “From The Hill,” “Crawl Back In,” and “Stones From The Sky (one of my personal favorite Neurosis songs ever),” you really can capture the essence of what this band is all about,

Neurosis has always been the type of band to do write what they want for themselves and not cater to any particular group. This album specifically marks the  point in their career when they just let all their influences come to play. There iis something truly special about this album. Take a listen and you will hear what I mean.

Neurosis- A Sun That Never Sets:

Great Guest Vocalists on Albums: Scott Kelly of Neurosis

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When creating an album, a lot of bands have a thought in their mind while writing that certain songs would sound great if they could get someone from one of their main influences to sing on that song. Mastodon has done that constantly. One of their big influences is Neurosis and they have managed to get Scott Kelly to sing on 5 of their albums and songs (Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack The Skye, The Hunter, Once More Round The Sun, and Emperor Of Sand. Scott’s vocals are very prominent in the mix and it fits so well with the music that the guys in Mastodon have created. It seems as though Scott is the unofficial fifth member of the band. Perhaps one day Scott will just do an entire album with Mastodon. Below are the songs in which they have collaborated on. Enjoy!!!

Aqua Dementia from Leviathan:

 

Crystal Skull from Blood Mountain:

 

Crack The Skye from Crack The Skye:

 

Spectrelight from The Hunter:

 

Diamond In The Witch House from Once More Round The Sun:

 

Scorpion Breath from Emperor Of Sand:

By: Brian Lacy

Bands That Should Come Back: Isis

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There is a saying that it’s best to go out on top, and in 2010, Isis did just that. Having released a great album Wavering Radiant, the guys in Isis decided to go their separate ways. Over the course of their career they released quite a few albums, EP’s, and splits. Two of their albums 2002’s Oceanic and 2004’s Panopticon are genre defining albums and regarded as classics in heavy music circles. Isis was a band that helped to expand the genre in which Neurosis and Godflesh made. Their use of conceptual themes in their lyrics made the albums stand out even more especially Panopticon. During their live shows the use of lights mixed with the rhythmic nature of the songs and the use of ambient sounds made their live show a truly intriguing experience. I was lucky enough to have seen Isis on their final tour. All the members have since gone on to other projects. One of the most prominent of those project is Palms which features 3 of the members of Isis and Chino Moreno of Deftones. All in all Isis was truly a great band that still had so much left to share with the world musically. Only time will tell if there will ever come a time when they will reconvene and form again.

 

Oceanic:

 

Panopticon:

 

By: Brian Lacy

Band Of The Week: Destroy Judas

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Creating something epic is no easy task. The dedication it takes to create music with so many moving parts and to be able to connect the lyrics to match is over whelming at times. Luckily there are a few bands that have been able to do that and make it look easy, Neurosis and Isis for example. Destroy Judas is one of those bands. Combining their influences of doom metal, ambient noise, and crust punk, they have created a very deep and thought evoking band. Their debut Wake is full of just what I described. At times it might be construed as depressing but in the most positive of ways. There is a connection between the music and lyrics that really sits well beneath your skin. The drums and bass create a rhythmic foundation that sways and can be earth shattering. The guitars can go from the most subtle sounds to pummeling. The ambient touches really add a dark element that is mixed in perfectly. Vocally the prowess of the growls and soft cleans help guide along the epic nature. The four tracks on the album are all in that vein and unrelenting. The journey that Destroy Judas takes you on is powerful and epic.

 

http://destroyjudas.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/destroyjudas