NEUROSIS

On Friday, March 20, 2026, NEUROSIS offered an unexpected, surprise treat for seasoned heavy music aficionados: their first album in a decade. Without notice, the Oakland-based post-metal progenitors streamed "An Undying Love For A Burning World". (The album will be available on physical formats in early May.) The new release is not subtle. In fact, it would be hard for one to dispute that "An Undying Love for a Burning World" is the band's best effort since 2001's "A Sun That Never Sets". Here, each scene and angle counts, and NEUROSIS ensures that every moment, every piece of the puzzle, is meaningful.

The legendary band essentially became dormant in 2022, once it was public knowledge that frontman Scott Kelly had been allegedly abusing his family for years. He had been unceremoniously removed three years previously.

NEUROSIS has now returned to significant fanfare. Comrade and friend Aaron Turner of ISIS and SUMAC has assumed Kelly's role. And if we are going to be real, Turner is inarguably, the most logical and appropriate replacement considering the longstanding connection between him and the band and the profound nature of their mutual forward-thinking artistry.

It's been a decade since NEUROSIS's last release, "Fires Within Fires", and it's been 30 years since their colossal "Through Silver In Blood", the bulldozer that carved a new path for heavy music. There was understandable uncertainty as to whether or not they'd ever reunite. From their point of view, however, it's the end of a hiatus, not a reunion. Expectations have been sky-high, and they've definitely exceeded everything longtime followers and fans might have hoped for. Fortunately for us, their creative fires seem to be as wild as they were back then.

"An Undying Love for a Burning World" begins with "We Are Torn Wide Open", a series of primal screams and intense lyrics reminiscent of "Evolved as One" from NAPALM DEATH's 1988 classic "From Enslavement to Obliteration", setting the stage for one of NEUROSIS's best albums. It's a proper representation of the unit's entire back catalogue. There are an abundance of nods and winks toward their early dark hardcore punk days; it's industrial-tinged — now-coined "post-metal", the sub-genre that they basically created — including both their previous work's burlier aspects as well as the more serene and atmospheric movements of the last twenty years.

"Mirror Deep" follows suit from that opener with matching fury that embodies the spirit of a mid-nineties NEUROSIS that boasted unbridled energy and intensity. Not surprisingly, it reflects what every NEUROSIS song is, an epic voyage that touches upon a myriad of emotions and textures. There is subdued lulling following the initial assailing, prior to a manic assault that includes the welcomed return of Dave Edwardson's death metal-esque growls.

Later, toward the final rising tides of "First Red Rays", which sound as fierce as anything similar on "Times of Grace", deep and soulful crooning take listeners home. Turner has seemingly parlayed his recent vibrant creativity, evidenced on SUMAC's 2024's "The Healer". Throughout "An Undying Love for a Burning World", Turner's voice is confrontational with Steve Von Till's scathing outpouring, more than it is fighting alongside him; ironic considering that the lyrics convey a sense of unity in battle and righteousness against the evils of the world.

Melodic vocals also find their way on the blistering track "Blind", capitalizing upon the dramatic peak moments. Sure, this isn't new for NEUROSIS, but they've never been this impactful, as the message has never, until now, been placed as well within the proceedings. The dichotomy between abrasion against soul-searching spirituality and serene post-rock surge highlight the beauty, ugliness and power that each key aspect of the band entails.

"An Undying Love for a Burning World" wraps up with the nearly 17-minute long "Last Light", which encompasses the best of the best of all that is NEUROSIS, eventually winding down with a mind-numbing ambient finale that is dank, caustic and unrefined. Midway into the song, NEUROSIS reaches into its collective back pocket for its idiosyncratic tribal percussive battery. The result is hypnotic and unforgettable in the same way that NEUROSIS made some of the heaviest music ever on "Through Silver in Blood".

NEUROSIS has been raising hell and bringing down the heavens for 40 years. "An Undying Love for a Burning World", again, cuts across a cross section of everything the band has done before, while also expanding its sound with some aspects of hard rock overtness. Brutal death metal folk and hardcore tough guys would be wise to take note of what truly heavy music is capable of being.