Thrashman’s Metal Pick Of The Week: Neurosis’ “Through Silver In Blood” Was A Sign Of Things To Come

You would be hard pressed to find a more influential band in the last two decades than Neurosis. They're "that" band...the one that gets universal respect in the world of metal but are virtually unknown outside of the scene. In a world where Metallica and Slayer are household names, it's easy to heap respect on a band like Neurosis because they did whatever they wanted without regard to what fans expected yet they failed to disappoint.

Through Silver In Blood was my first taste of Neurosis and it took a little while to really sink in. My good friend Chuck and I saw them open for Pantera and Biohazard in Lubbock and were blown away by their primal yet visually exciting stage show. So of course, we had to pick up their album to see what they were all about.

The album opens with "Through Silver in Blood", a twelve minute plus blend of industrial sounds, tribal drumming and monster riffs that builds to a really tight pounding section that serves as a climax of sorts. This had to be a no-brainer as far as a choice for the album's opening track.

The second track "Rehumanize" along with "Become the Ocean" are purely ambient tracks that mix industrial noise with sound bites to tie everything together and help set the mood for the album.

"Locust Star" is the track that stands out most for me in the album and it's perfectly placed right smack in the middle of the record. Like so many of the songs on the album it builds as it progresses into a beast of a breakdown...not a hardcore breakdown like what is ridiculously common these days, but a breakdown in the true sense in that they "break it all down" at a time when you're not sure what to expect. This song is absolute metal perfection.

Through Silver In Blood is chock full of twists and turns and "how much acid do these guys do?" moments. This album still gives me chills fifteen years later and there aren't many that have withstood the test of time with me.

Through Silver in Blood was released in April of 1996 on Relapse Records.