Note - I didn’t catch much of Godflesh – they played Damnation Festival in November last year which I attended. I’m not
that much of a fan, and I was keen to save my ears for the main band, hence the title of the review...
I'd seen Neurosis at High Voltage in July 2011, a fantastic show, although the heat and clear blue skies at the start of the set made it a little odd, and the sound didn't do justice enough to the band. On Sunday in Kentish town it was a different story, however - the loud/quiet dynamics were the best I've ever heard, and the complete darkness suited the band to a tee.
I really dug their choice of setlist - it showed boldness and an intransigent
attitude not to tread water or pander to the expectations of the fans.The set featured only one song from their 90's back catalogue, the title track off
Times of Grace, so leaving out such bodies of work as Through
Silver in Blood and Enemy of the Sun. And it completely worked - their newer material suits the Neurosis of today more, just as intense, ugly and beautiful as ever before. How many bands
that are 25+ years old can play an awesome show and have only one song on the
setlist over eight years old? Imagine if Metallica played a set containing only
one 80’s/early 90’s song - they'd die on their arse.
The sound of the band in full flow is a pure force of nature. Some of the
sounds created defy such simple descriptions as fitting into a particular key
or time signature, for example the colossal collage of noise that the band left
the stage to following the earth-shattering rendition of Given to the Rising
sounded like nothing you'd heard before or could imagine. The band don’t rely
on such conventional musical devices that inhabit the metal genre such as
technicality or speed, instead focusing on pure feral strength and rage. It was hard to know
how to react at times – I found myself shaking my head in disbelief, grinning
like mad or just overwhelmed by the intensity and epic nature of the
performances.
The new material slotted in perfectly to the rest of the set, At The Well
being particularly devastating. The ending was incredibly overwhelming and
climactic, just about as intense as music can get. My Heart For Deliverance was
of similar nature - it had Scott Kelly so possessed by the riffage that he
smashed his forehead against his microphone stand. The band may be ageing but their stage presence
is still phenomenal – in particular Steve Von Till attacks his guitar as if it
is tormenting him and creates mind warping walls of sound with his extensive
pedal board. The sound manipulation Noah Landis conjures is wonderful - in particular, the piecing together of all the songs into one cohesive flow of music, worked really well. It's only been 48 hours since the end of the show but I know for sure that I'll be a first minute buyer of their next UK show - the best gig of my life for sure.
