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Album Review

Neurosis – “The Word As Law” (Remastered) [Album Review]

A welcome recap of an important formative work of a highly influential act, we look at how ‘The Word As Law’ set Neurosis’ sonic ripples into motion decades afterward.

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I remember my first taste of this highly influential band was a track from this very album on a friend’s mixtape (the real kind) that he had played for me way back in the day. The funny thing was there were no copies around to be found, or anything else for that matter, other than their at-the-time just released newer opus Souls At Zero which I bought totally unaware of the major revelations to unfold in my life. In short, one track during a band’s birthing pains basically was enough to get me interested in them in a big way, and make me a fan for life.

This is before the esoteric aural addition of one Noah Landis (the position pioneered originally by Simon McIlroy), yet was the induction of another very integral part of the Neurosis body in Steve Von Till. One thing as well is that Dave Edwardson’s bass skills were on point and way more in the mix than people understand him capable of, also thanks to the excellent remastering job done for this. The style of the band and mannerisms are inherent even at this stage in hindsight, before they really developed their deeper spiritualism, dynamics, and most especially their mountainous tones. Being a hardcore band bordering on crust at any rate, when you share a label also promoting the likes of flat-out punk acts such as Green Day, Operation Ivy, Rancid, and Pansy Division, it truly couldn’t have been any easier in the early 90s for the ground they would unknowingly break.

This album, as well as Pain Of Mind, are still as canon today with certain old-guard fans as they were upon their initial release, but with good reason. Their journey has been humble and hard, but it’s won them fierce loyalty from hearts far and wide over decades, while at the same time basically spawning a sub-genre. Not bad for a bunch of friends from Oakland, who can look back almost 30 years and still attest only have a glimpse of how their journey was, and is, unfolding. From the fans, our many thanks to them for recognizing the relevance of celebrating and remembering humble roots, hails!

The Word As Law Track Listing:

01. Double-Edged Sword
02. The Choice
03. Obsequious Obsolescence
04. To What End?
05. Tomorrow’s Reality
06. Common Inconsistencies
07. Insensitivity
08. Blisters

Run Time: 37:35
Release Date: August 25, 2017

Stream the full The Word As Law album today!

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