Live Review: Neurosis, Drowning Horse

Punters were out early to catch local drone/doom merchants Drowning Horse submerge the stage with their brand of loud and heavy post-apocalyptic sound. The black stallion of crushing doom began with the slow, punching drums of a tribal war march of looming destruction and proceeded to deliver a stand-out performance that culminated in an intense, almost suffocating avalanche of noise, with their signature droning and hypnotic wall of booming sound drenching the crowd in vivid imagery of depression, desolation and futility.

With an insanely oppressive, dystopian sound, obscure use of instruments and haunting ricochet vocals set to a cinematic narrative of psychoactive-inducing visual effects, Drowning Horse was an intense, rib-rattling, vertigo-inducing experience straight out of the wastelands of Skynet.

Post interlude, the venue was swollen to capacity and there was a palpable sense of trepidation as the lights dimmed ominously and the metal psychonauts surged forward to see Californian heavyweights Neurosis take the helm and unleash their hideously punishing yet beautiful apotheosis of heavy. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the post-metal sub-genre, Neurosis was conceived from a raw hardcore/crust punk project founded by Scott Kelly, Dave Edwardson and Jason Roeder in the 1980s and has been described as one of the most influential outfits of the past two decades. Experimental in nature, the band have evolved over the years by taking elements from dark ambient and industrial music among others and twisting them to produce an original doomy sound composite that was delivered in full force on their fourth studio album, Enemy Of The Sun, and ultimately forged the foundations of post-metal.

Taking centre stage under the hazy electric blue lighting, Neurosis conjured up a slow and encroaching sense of storm clouds gathering before taking Perth on a terrifying, mind-melting transcendental sound experience down a confusing and relentless rabbit hole, with an epic, skull-crushing setlist including A Sun That Never Sets, Locust Star, At The Well, Distill, The Tide, Water Is Not Enough, My Heart For Deliverance, Bleeding The Pigs, The Doorway and the masterpiece, Stones From The Sky.

Vocalist and guitarist Steve Von Till’s haunting and ominous vocals expressed an anguished narrative of foreboding lyrical poetry that was a stunning complementary contrast to the snarling, psychotic and demonic presence of Scott Kelly and the galloping riffs of songs like Distill (Watching The Swarm). An interplay between harmony and dissonance, Neurosis are an enthralling experience in live sound, like floating in a sinister hallucinogenic dream, riding on the backbone of a treacherous, caustic wasteland or soaring lost through the endless void of oblivion. One minute you’re being obliterated by an atom-smashing sound as if in a hadron collider in deep space and the next you’re in the presence of a beast that moves like a mysterious, oppressive creature, a kraken rising up from the ocean blue on a wave of slow and dreamy space-like undertones and visceral brain implosion.

Overall, Neurosis are an intense, mind-bending live proposition that somehow bridges the murky divide between a haunting and beautiful cinematic experience and one that’s brutal, hard-hitting and disgustingly sludgy. It can slide between a transcendental, fluid-like atmosphere and a fierce, maddened, dangerous beast that splices the night with a psychotic presence and uncensored bass. Each member of the band owns the stage with a god-like quality – semi-removed, disassociated and devoid from the audience – while still viciously holding their own to deliver a pummeling, intense climax of infectious riffs, crushing energy and sublime, cosmic release. Their post-apocalyptic sound weaves a strong, visual Cold War narrative and in the context of recent world events, they delivered the perfect soundscape for our time. This is definitely the only kind of drone warfare you want to hear about. If you’re a fan of post-metal spawns such as Isis, Mastodon and High On Fire, this is a band to catch on the circuit. Pure, unadulterated genius.