Wow, I simply cannot believe there is no review yet for this seminal sludge/post-metal piece of superbly crafted music.

Neurosis have been and - by the sound of their latest effort, Given To The Rising - still are HEAVY in a way few other bands manage to be. They may not be fast or quirky, but they prove that heaviness is one an entirely different level than those features. Blending dialog samples, quiet and eerie instrumental passages and skull-numbing heavy riffs and rhythms, they are the inventors of the crushing riffs concept. The voice - while not very proggy for some - fits perfectly with the rest of the harsh, abrasive sounds. The short interludes and acoustic brakes serve only to set the stage for the storm that follows (pun intended).

Like spiders - mean, ugly, big spiders - they spread a web of powerful and mesmerizing textures. Forget Isis, Pelican or any other post metal band. Those guys only wish to be like Neurosis when they grow up. From the unsettling voices in the beginning of the album, through the unforgettable riff of the title-track and the fast-paced menacing pummeling of The Web up to the slow-building and epic flowing Takeahnase, all the tracks, all the moments on every track are recommended. Highlights? It's one huge highlight, you can't really miss it.

One question left to answer. That may refer to how this music qualifies as an excellent addition to any prog music collection. Rather simple actually. First of all, it's defining for a genre - well, more like a subgenre, but regardless - both historically and from the point of view of quality. Secondly, it truly combines moods and visions of music and it expands familiar sounds into new and strange acoustical experiences. Just listen to Sterile Vision if you need to be convinced. Last but not least, you need a Neurosis album in your collection (if only to complete the missing link between Meshuggah and Explosions In The Sky) and this is the one to have.