Where most bands have succumbed to the pressures of life as a collective, Neurosis continue to offer forward-thinking and boundless music.
By the light of the band’s still burning fire, frontman Steve Von Till reveals what’s kept it burning so long, why producer Steve Albini is still the right man for the job, and how Neurosis have managed to stay at the forefront of experimental music for 32 years, up to and including their 11th studio album, Fires Within Fires.
“Our progression has always been one of forward-thinking,” says Von Till. “As far as developing new music goes, we’ve never once looked backwards. We’re always trying to open ourselves up to the creative force that’s so much bigger than us and will push us into new territory.”
Released in September 2016, Fires Within Fires is aural proof of Von Till’s mantra. Significantly shorter in length than its predecessors, it’s a record of dynamic ebb and flow, orchestrated by masters of intensity and subtlety.
Although the aim is always to advance themselves, Von Till explains why long-time engineer and friend, the prolific Albini, returned to helm the Neurosis recording process this time around.
“He makes it effortless for us to realise our dreams,” Von Till says. “He sees himself as providing a service – he figures you’ve done all the work on the music and you’ve got it figured out. He has no opinion on it, he doesn’t have to like it and he’s not going to tell you to change anything. He sees his job as using his technical knowledge of audio recording to capture what you put in front of him in the most natural, organic and high-fidelity analogue manner that’s possible.
“[With Albini] it always sounds like my guitar amp coming out of the speaker, it sounds like Scott [Kelly]’s guitar amp coming out of the speaker, or Jason [Roeder]’s drums. We never have to second-guess it. We know it’s going to sound exactly how we sound. We record live – the only thing we overdub is the vocals, everything else is recorded at the same time, straight to tape, fucking done! You don’t fix what’s not broken, you know?”
After such a long haul, it would be excusable for the band to settle into complacency, a trend that is all too common for acts in their seasoned years. There is surely a price to pay for continually striving for an evolution of sound, art and self, but for Neurosis, whose members have spent most of their adult lives in the band, it’s all they know how to do.
“Part of what makes us Neurosis is constantly evolving and pushing the envelope,” says Von Till. “I don’t think we have a singular sound. We don’t have any hit records or any external demands – at least, we don’t pay attention to them. It’s the only thing that feels satisfying to us. I feel like doing the opposite would be the death note. That would be the end of everything. Stagnant water is poison.”
The give-no-fucks, do-what-you-want band ethos is somewhat of a fairytale in today’s climate. Many talk the talk, but few walk the walk. “I don’t think we suffer from the kind of ego bullshit that a lot of bands get into,” says Von Till. “The ‘musical differences’ and all these pathetic excuses you hear for why bands break up – are they really in it for the music, or is it something else? If you’re really in it for the music, then you should be extremely grateful for the opportunity to make good music when you find it.”
Where most have failed, Neurosis has persevered, and it’s no wonder others have fallen at the hand of their own sword – the bond between band members, like any relationship, can be a volatile one.
“Yeah, we’re dysfunctional like a family,” says Von Till. “I mean, we’ve been together a long time. We don’t tour ourselves to death like when we were younger, so I think that also gives us the space to be who we need to be individually and with our families, and to not have the conflicts. We’re appreciative and really grateful for those moments when we do get to be together and make music or travel and play a gig.
“I have nothing but gratitude for those 25 times a year when we get together to play music. I feel so lucky that we have the ability to do that. I get to travel and see my best friends and make some fucking intense music and cleanse myself with it.”
Neurosis will return to Australia for the second time ever this February, bringing with them the ferocity and rage of Sydney’s Dispossessed as support.
“] from the touring company Life Is Noise showed us their music,” says Von Till. “I’ve always been interested in indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world – native peoples and traditional cultures surviving not only their colonial past but surviving into the future and being vital. So hearing some really intense, angry and pissed off yet unique perspective of indigenous music and heavy music was amazing. I really like what I heard and the whole idea behind it is something that we can totally stand behind.”
Fires Within Fires is out now through Neurot; andFriday February 17Neurosis playManning Bar, supported byDispossessed.
