Neurosis is not a band that you would normally associate with Paganism. But if you carefully examine the concept and the lyrical content beyond their apocalyptic rants, you will discover that these guys are more pagan, and are way more serious about it, than your average, infantile Odin worshipper. They do it more abstractly, and in much more intelligent way, so that you actually have to ponder and search for the hidden meaning instead of merely consuming verses full of bland glorification of the ancient gods. In my Neurosis reviews I never analyzed this side of the band, preferring instead to focus on the music. The reason I brought it up now is that I am writing about a solo effort by Steve Von Till - Neurosis' singer/guitarist.

As soon as I saw a flying crow on the front cover, I immediately thought of the birds on Burzum's "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss" artwork. After looking over the album's lyrics, it became even more apparent that the author behind this work has more than just a passing interest in both Paganism and the end of the world. "Remember," for instance puts Von Till's pagan creed on display: "Dream through the season/Only to remember/Past becomes the future/When all is said and done/Your life awaits you." On "Warning Of A Storm" he bitterly laments: "Is this too much to ask/To live free with a quiet mind/And trust in someone else?" - and then ends it with a same fatalistic conclusion already familiar to the fans of Neurosis: "I want to believe in the sun/Who in all its splendor is dying/I desire the solidness of earth/The ground is still shaking apart/ What will be, will be."

As it is usually the case with side-projects and solo ventures, the musicians attempt to showcase a different side of themselves, as the members of Neurosis have already done on their collective offshoot - the band's alter ego of sort - called Tribes of Neurot. Von Till's project is not an exception. In contrast to Neurosis' brutal, gargantuan heaviness, he chose, maybe unsurprisingly, to follow the root of subtle, acoustic balladry backed with a piano, cello, violin (played by the members of Amber Asylum who are also regular Neurosis collaborators), and some minimal electronic textures. Similarities to Von Till's full-time band are still apparent. The hypnotic, repetitious guitar lines of "Stained Glass" and "Warning Of A Storm" mimic Neurosis' song writing approach, while these songs' relaxed mood bordered with the same dark undercurrents is reminiscent of "Awake" off of Neurosis' "Times Of Grace" album. Luckily, "As The Crow Flies" is not merely Neurosis gone acoustic. "Twice Born" and "We All Fall" could qualify into the death-folk category. "Midheaven" and "Remember" unexpectedly reminded me of the dark, folk-tinged ballads by one of Michael Gira's post-Swans projects The Angels Of Light. The vocals on "Midheaven," in particular, are very similar to those of Gira's, and on "Remember" Von Till uses an electric delay guitar to produce beautifully minimalistic and atmospheric effect. The closing "Shadows In Stone," meanwhile, is a long, enchanting ballad with female back-up vocals and a strong ancient feel in both music and lyrics. Interesting debut from Von Till, although it's hard to say what kind of audience it will end up with. As it is usually said in such cases, let's see what he does next.

© 2000 boris