Review by Allan on April 30, 2002.

Since the beginning, one of the most important things to Neurosis has been evolution. After fifteen years, this is still kept at the highest of requirements for Neurosis. Neurosis is a band that puts high standards on just exactly what artistic creativity is. “A Sun That Never Sets” is an album that is not for the average music fan, no. This is a destructive masterpiece built for people who understand music.

“A Sun That Never Sets” is by no means a pretty little album that can be classified in an easy manner. It’s not just an album of music, but it’s an album of art. Sometimes its beautiful, other times its dark. It’s slow, it’s fast, it’s threatening, it’s moving, ... it’s got every single element of Neurosis in it, and more. There are quite a few important aspects of the music. The first of those is the atmosphere. The atmosphere of this album is on a whole different level than other bands. You have got the aggressive atmosphere with Cryptopsy, or that melancholic atmosphere with My Dying Bride, but Neurosis bring a whole new atmosphere of their own to you. Second, as they have in the past, the band explores the emotional sides of both beauty and ugliness here. One minute it could gentle and calming, like the waves on the ocean, and then within half a second those waves can crash down into you unrelentingly. Third, the music structure itself is very orchestrated, building itself up from nothing until it reaches the level of a monumental force. It’s odd, in a way that the songs themselves seem to have no specific direction that they are trying to lead you, yet the music is still confident and holds the feeling that your going somewhere. Lastly, “A Sun That Never Sets” is a cohesive whole that should not be listened to in bits and pieces. To see the entire picture you really need to listen to each and every note, from beginning till end. Ultimately, the music of Neurosis is hard to explain, but it’s always progressing and it is at its strongest yet here.

Bottom Line: “A Sun That Never Sets” is certainly the band at their highest in terms of their abilities. The band has always been progressing, of course, and this is the band with all their previous elements and more. It’s going to be extremely hard to top this one, guys.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 10
Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10