Souls at Zero
Souls at Zero is the third studio album by Californian avant-garde metal band Neurosis. The name was taken from a chapter in the book The Great and Secret Show by horror writer Clive Barker. The album was released in 1992 under the Alternative Tentacles record label.[9] It was later reissued in 1999 with bonus tracks on the band's own Neurot Recordings label.[9] On February 15, 2010, the album was reissued on CD and digitally with new artwork under Neurot.[9] On February 14, 2012, a fully remastered version was released on vinyl via Relapse Records.[10]
Souls at Zero | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 19, 1992 | |||
Recorded | February – March 1992, Starlight Sound, Richmond | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 61:15 | |||
Label | Alternative Tentacles | |||
Producer | Bill Thompson, Neurosis | |||
Neurosis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reissue artwork | ||||
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | |
Allmusic | |
Drowned in Sound | 9/10[8] |
Exclaim! | favorable[3] |
The album marked a dramatic change in Neurosis' sound, which was previously firmly based in hardcore punk. The shift was also evident on their contribution to the Dead Kennedys tribute Virus 100. The band embraced doom metal influences and experimented with elements of post-punk and gothic rock, noise rock and industrial music, psychedelic, progressive and folk music. Along with their subsequent 1990s work, this established the band's unique style, highly influential to the development of post-metal and sludge metal.
In an interview the band stated that the cover art was inspired by the movie The Wicker Man. Since they could not afford to buy the licence for the image from the film, they created their own straw figure.
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "To Crawl Under One's Skin" | 7:51 |
2. | "Souls at Zero" | 9:18 |
3. | "Zero" | 1:40 |
4. | "Flight" | 4:05 |
5. | "The Web" | 4:55 |
6. | "Sterile Vision" | 6:20 |
7. | "A Chronology for Survival" | 9:34 |
8. | "Stripped" | 8:00 |
9. | "Takeahnase" | 7:56 |
10. | "Empty" | 1:36 |
Total length: | 61:15 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Souls" (demo version) | 8:28 |
12. | "Zero" (demo version) | 1:14 |
13. | "Cleanse III" (Live in London) | 5:38 |
Personnel
- Neurosis
- Scott Kelly − lead vocals, guitar
- Steve Von Till − lead vocals, guitar
- Dave Edwardson − bass, backing vocals
- Simon McIlroy − keyboards, synthesizers, samples, effects, backing vocals
- Jason Roeder − drums, percussions
- Additional musicians
- Adam Kendall − visual media
- Kris Force − violin, viola
- Sarah Augros − flute
- Walter P. Sunday − cello
- Siovhan King − trumpet
- Technical personnel
- Neurosis − production
- Bill Thompson − production, engineering
- Jello Biafra − mixing
- Malcolm Sherwood − engineering
- Jeffrey Gray − engineering
- Jeff Fogerty − engineering
Release history
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | 1992 | Alternative Tentacles | CD |
Worldwide reissue | 1999 | Neurot Recordings | CD |
February 15, 2010 | Neurot Recordings | CD, digital | |
February 14, 2012 | Relapse Records | LP | |
References
- Palmerston, Sean (January 31, 2011). "Neurosis – Souls at Zero (reissue)". Hellbound.ca. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
Back in 1992, when sludge metal was still in its infancy, Neurosis was taking it in completely unheard-of directions...
- Jahdi, Robin (June 24, 2015). "The 40 best post-metal records ever made". Fact. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- Dawes, Laina (February 14, 2011). "Neurosis – Souls at Zero". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- Grow, Kory (November 22, 2016). "Neurosis on 30 Years of Finding 'New Ways of Being Heavy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- Gardner, Noel (October 8, 2016). "Neurosis – Fires Within Fires". The Quietus. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
- Norton, Justin. "Neurosis - 'Souls At Zero'". About.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- Raggett, Ned. "Souls at Zero - Neurosis". Allmusic. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- Drever, Ryan (March 4, 2011). "Neurosis - Souls at Zero". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
- Hughes, Josiah (December 28, 2010). "Neurosis Announce Souls at Zero Reissue". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- "Neurosis: Classic Albums To Be Reissued On Deluxe Vinyl". Blabbermouth.net. December 6, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2012.