What's (Re)New?: The Word As Law by Neurosis
As has been the case for a few years now, the members of Neurosis continue to keep the band's early records in print while bolstering its already robust discography with new music. Announced today, the band's label, Neurot Recordings, will be pulling The Word As Law out of obscurity on August 25th.
Originally released in 1990 via Lookout! Records, The Word As Law is the second Neurosis LP, their sound at this point based more in hardcore punk rock than the doom-laden and heavily percussive brand of post-metal music they would come to perfect and pioneer. Like Black Flag, Bl'ast, D.R.I. and other legacy hardcore acts who were looking to evolve within their genre, Neurosis also managed to devise some means of elaborating on the otherwise simplistic but effective bastions of angry, loud, n' fast, composing a viable creative stepping stone that makes no compromises on intensity or pace. Keeping in mind how Neurosis's sound grew with subsequent albums like Souls At Zero and Enemy of the Sun, The Word As Law does provide some early examples of how this development took place, especially with a song like "To What End?" which itself boasts a framework consistent with those later releases.
As mentioned, The Word As Law is scheduled to release on August 25th through Neurot Recordings. A pre-order link, concert dates, and further info on the reissue can be found below courtesy of Earsplit PR.
NEUROSIS To Reissue Out-Of-Print Second Album The Word As Law In August
NEUROSIS will reissue the band's second LP, The Word As Law, in August, the album having remained out-of-print since the 1990s.
While listening to NEUROSIS' discography in chronological order, their sound gradually shifts in a very steady and somewhat seamless progression with each record, though their first few albums are undoubtedly cut from their 80s punk influences and surroundings. The Word As Law was initially released on vinyl only in 1990 through Lookout! Records, alongside the likes of Operation Ivy, Green Day, Screeching Weasel, and other Bay Area punk acts of the time. Upbeat rhythms and enraged vocals fuel The Word As Law, the record picking up where their Pain Of Mind debut's ripping punk sound left off, while the band simultaneously began experimenting with more dissonant, melancholic, and demoralizing tones that would carve the foundation for their next few albums and their signature sound.
NEUROSIS had yet to infuse keyboards or synthesizers into the mix when The Word As Law was recorded by Mark Lemaire at Sound & Vision in San Francisco of December 1989. The blend of vocals delivered by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and new inductee on this album, guitarist Steve Von Till, driven by the powerful rhythms of drummer Jason Roeder, coalesce to formulate an eerie and original sound on The Word As Law, which results in the album's cult status as an incredibly groundbreaking album for countless crust punk, hardcore, and experimental metal artists worldwide.
While prior reissues of the album featured several re-recorded bonus tracks from the band's prior singles and releases, the 2017 Neurot reissue of The Word As Law will bear the album's initial eight tracks, all completely remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering. Additionally, the album's cover artwork has been reworked and modernized by NEUROSIS' former live visual architect Josh Graham to match the label's previously-reissued Souls At Zero, Enemy Of The Sun, and other titles.
NEUROSIS' own Neurot Recordings will reissue The Word As Law on CD, LP, and digital formats on August 25th, directly following their US tour with Converge and Amenra and their performance at Psycho Las Vegas. See all confirmed tour dates below and find preorder links for The Word As Law at THIS LOCATION.
The Word As Law Track Listing:
1. Double Edged Sword
2. The Choice
3. Obsequious Obsolescence
4. To What End?
5. Tomorrow's Reality
6. Common Inconsistencies
7. Insensitivity
8. Blisters
I still remember the first time I heard The Word As Law, shortly after it was released in 1990. From the first chords of "Double-Edged Sword" I was hooked - the sounds seemed to send some sort of powerful electrical current coursing through my body - and by the time the feedback faded out at the end of "Blisters" I was emotionally spent. I had never heard anything like it: The Word As Law completely changed my understanding of three different musical genres - punk, hardcore, and metal.
The record blends elements of all three. There is the raw moodiness of punk. The ferocity and anger of hardcore. The musicianship and dynamics of metal. But The Word As Law transcends all those labels, in the process creating something utterly unique.
It hit me on so many levels. It spoke to the anger I had as a young punk, my sense that I was trapped in a dog-eat-dog world of relentless capitalist competition, my alienation from the broader society. But it also resonated on a deeper level. My father killed himself when I was a teenager, leaving me mourning, feeling as if I were surrounded by a thick fog of despair. The Word As Law is not happy collection of songs, but it played this incredibly positive and cathartic role in my life. Listening to it over and over, gave me an odd sense of comfort. I realized that I wasn't the only person struggling with deep emotional turmoil and found myself slowly working through the anger and grief that had enveloped me.
More than twenty-five years later they are still my favorite band. And I still try to attend every NEUROSIS show I can.
The Word As Law was a massive influence on an entire generation of bands including my own, Econochrist. It's the bridge to what NEUROSIS would become in later years. So, put it back on your turntable. Step to the front the falling is today. -- Ben Sizemore/Econochrist
NEUROSIS Tour Dates:
7/01/2017 Roskilde Festival - Roskilde, DK
7/02/2017 Kraken - Stockholm, SE w/ Wolfbrigade & Author & Punisher
7/03/2017 Pustervik - Gothenburg, SE w/ Author & Punisher
7/04/2017 Tavastia - Helsinki, FI w/ Dark Buddha Rising
7/05/2017 Eistnaflug - Neskaupstadur, IS
7/27/2017 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL w/ Amenra [tickets]
7/28/2017 Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
7/29/2017 St Andrews - Detroit, MI w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
7/30/2017 Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/01/2017 Metropolis - Montreal, QC w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/02/2017 Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/03/2017 College St. Music Hall - New Haven, CT w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/04/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Converge, Amenra [SOLD OUT]
8/05/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/06/2017 Royale - Boston, MA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/07/2017 Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/18-20/2017 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Las Vegas [tickets]
10/28-29/2017 Ram's Head Live - Baltimore Maryland @ Days Of Darkness [tickets]
12/08/2017 Clash Club - São Paulo, BR w/ Deafkids
12/09/2017 Teatro Vorterix - Buenos Aires, AR
12/10/2017 Club Blondie - Santiago, CL
http://www.neurosis.com
http://www.facebook.com/officialneurosis
http://www.twitter.com/neurosisoakland
http://www.neurotrecordings.com
http://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings
https://neurotrecordings.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/OfficialNeurot
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
NEUROSIS will reissue the band's second LP, The Word As Law, in August, the album having remained out-of-print since the 1990s.
While listening to NEUROSIS' discography in chronological order, their sound gradually shifts in a very steady and somewhat seamless progression with each record, though their first few albums are undoubtedly cut from their 80s punk influences and surroundings. The Word As Law was initially released on vinyl only in 1990 through Lookout! Records, alongside the likes of Operation Ivy, Green Day, Screeching Weasel, and other Bay Area punk acts of the time. Upbeat rhythms and enraged vocals fuel The Word As Law, the record picking up where their Pain Of Mind debut's ripping punk sound left off, while the band simultaneously began experimenting with more dissonant, melancholic, and demoralizing tones that would carve the foundation for their next few albums and their signature sound.
NEUROSIS had yet to infuse keyboards or synthesizers into the mix when The Word As Law was recorded by Mark Lemaire at Sound & Vision in San Francisco of December 1989. The blend of vocals delivered by guitarist Scott Kelly, bassist Dave Edwardson, and new inductee on this album, guitarist Steve Von Till, driven by the powerful rhythms of drummer Jason Roeder, coalesce to formulate an eerie and original sound on The Word As Law, which results in the album's cult status as an incredibly groundbreaking album for countless crust punk, hardcore, and experimental metal artists worldwide.
While prior reissues of the album featured several re-recorded bonus tracks from the band's prior singles and releases, the 2017 Neurot reissue of The Word As Law will bear the album's initial eight tracks, all completely remastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering. Additionally, the album's cover artwork has been reworked and modernized by NEUROSIS' former live visual architect Josh Graham to match the label's previously-reissued Souls At Zero, Enemy Of The Sun, and other titles.
NEUROSIS' own Neurot Recordings will reissue The Word As Law on CD, LP, and digital formats on August 25th, directly following their US tour with Converge and Amenra and their performance at Psycho Las Vegas. See all confirmed tour dates below and find preorder links for The Word As Law at THIS LOCATION.
The Word As Law Track Listing:
1. Double Edged Sword
2. The Choice
3. Obsequious Obsolescence
4. To What End?
5. Tomorrow's Reality
6. Common Inconsistencies
7. Insensitivity
8. Blisters
I still remember the first time I heard The Word As Law, shortly after it was released in 1990. From the first chords of "Double-Edged Sword" I was hooked - the sounds seemed to send some sort of powerful electrical current coursing through my body - and by the time the feedback faded out at the end of "Blisters" I was emotionally spent. I had never heard anything like it: The Word As Law completely changed my understanding of three different musical genres - punk, hardcore, and metal.
The record blends elements of all three. There is the raw moodiness of punk. The ferocity and anger of hardcore. The musicianship and dynamics of metal. But The Word As Law transcends all those labels, in the process creating something utterly unique.
It hit me on so many levels. It spoke to the anger I had as a young punk, my sense that I was trapped in a dog-eat-dog world of relentless capitalist competition, my alienation from the broader society. But it also resonated on a deeper level. My father killed himself when I was a teenager, leaving me mourning, feeling as if I were surrounded by a thick fog of despair. The Word As Law is not happy collection of songs, but it played this incredibly positive and cathartic role in my life. Listening to it over and over, gave me an odd sense of comfort. I realized that I wasn't the only person struggling with deep emotional turmoil and found myself slowly working through the anger and grief that had enveloped me.
More than twenty-five years later they are still my favorite band. And I still try to attend every NEUROSIS show I can.
The Word As Law was a massive influence on an entire generation of bands including my own, Econochrist. It's the bridge to what NEUROSIS would become in later years. So, put it back on your turntable. Step to the front the falling is today. -- Ben Sizemore/Econochrist
NEUROSIS Tour Dates:
7/01/2017 Roskilde Festival - Roskilde, DK
7/02/2017 Kraken - Stockholm, SE w/ Wolfbrigade & Author & Punisher
7/03/2017 Pustervik - Gothenburg, SE w/ Author & Punisher
7/04/2017 Tavastia - Helsinki, FI w/ Dark Buddha Rising
7/05/2017 Eistnaflug - Neskaupstadur, IS
7/27/2017 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL w/ Amenra [tickets]
7/28/2017 Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
7/29/2017 St Andrews - Detroit, MI w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
7/30/2017 Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/01/2017 Metropolis - Montreal, QC w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/02/2017 Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/03/2017 College St. Music Hall - New Haven, CT w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/04/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Converge, Amenra [SOLD OUT]
8/05/2017 Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/06/2017 Royale - Boston, MA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/07/2017 Union Transfer - Philadelphia, PA w/ Converge, Amenra [tickets]
8/18-20/2017 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Las Vegas [tickets]
10/28-29/2017 Ram's Head Live - Baltimore Maryland @ Days Of Darkness [tickets]
12/08/2017 Clash Club - São Paulo, BR w/ Deafkids
12/09/2017 Teatro Vorterix - Buenos Aires, AR
12/10/2017 Club Blondie - Santiago, CL
http://www.neurosis.com
http://www.facebook.com/officialneurosis
http://www.twitter.com/neurosisoakland
http://www.neurotrecordings.com
http://www.facebook.com/neurotrecordings
https://neurotrecordings.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/OfficialNeurot
Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead
Comments