This is the first Neurosis album I have bought and I have to say it is quite impressive. well worth buying if you're into bands such as Mastodon, Isis, Dream Theater or Opeth I'm not sure how to describe this band but I have to say that they were a cross between Doom Metal and ultra-heavy post rock. Neurosis create long builds that make the listener pay attention, rewarding them with a tidal wave riff that floods the mind with visions of mystery and darkness. The lush elements brought on by the keyboards and clean picked guitar riffs are what help to flesh out this album and make it more interesting than your typical heavy metal band.

They create landscapes of sound that bands today use quite often in their music and songs such as To the Wind, Hidden Faces and the lengthy Origin use these elements to push the limits of their songs into territory that has been explored before, but not to this depth. The drums and bass were also excellent and you could tell that the group worked really hard as the attention to detail was quite extraordinary. This Neurosis album isn't something you can just start playing when your friends come round, it has to be experienced on your own with headphones, that's why I enjoyed listening to this more on my Ipod. Neurosis are a band that not everyone will appreciate but if your the type of person that has an open mind or likes listening to complex music filled with rich details and textures then you'll enjoy this. The album clocks in at 70 minutes with only 10 tracks, two of which are brief spoken interludes sounds very epic.

The vocals of Steve Von Till can sound rather weird and raspy to a first time listener, but once the songs begin to unfold the voice drops into the background and the gargling-on-broken-glass type of vocals begin to fade. This is really one of the only downsides to this album that I can find. Von Till however makes up for his lack of vocal tones by writing lyrics that are spiritual and dark, adding to the many moods this album has. There are a few spoken word interludes (Shadow and Nine) with screeching or pulsing keyboards. The album also contains tracks that really rock and there are faster moments as well, the album is heavy and crushing yet gentle in parts, soothing and calm but that all leads to false hope its what they do better than any band that I have heard of, I just downloaded a few tracks from their previous albums just to see how they compare to this and some of their older stuff was pretty awesome in my opinion. Overall this is an album that will take a long time to appreciate.

To the average music listener this album is unfortunately not for you, not to say that this is one of those bands that you wont understand, but the songs contained on this album are simply too long for a generation of music listeners who like their music short and to the point. For the more ambitious metal head such as myself, this album is like a breathe of fresh air that I will never get bored with. If you have the patience and the time to take in an album with songs averaging 7 minutes then this album will be rewarding and keep you coming back for more. Given to the Rising should please old fans as well as newer ones like myself.

If you are a Neurosis fan, this is an essential purchase. If you are interested in buying your first Neurosis album, this is a great place to start; it's arguably their best one yet. Neurosis aren't for everyone, but if you enjoy their music, this is a must-have.

As lurid and confrontational as ever, and this time dirtier, Given to the Rising gripped me and transported me upon first listen, and the spell has never worn off. At this stage, I wouldn't ruminate for even a moment on the issue: the members of Neurosis now command my highest respect as master craftsmen of the music trade. There are more nimble and prolific players out there, more adventurous soundsmiths, without a doubt, but these guys never fail to manifest and in most cases surpass their own artistic calling. Neurosis is a self-transcending organism.

Given to the Rising is everything that the previous two LPs were not: abrasive, Spartan and direct. What's more, this new material works in a live setting. It's more "rock" than anything they've produced since Souls at Zero. Captured by Steve Albini yet again (may the two forces never part), this record could be sonic blood-brothers with Times of Grace - the dry, broiling-hot guitars, the surgically careful keyboard embellishments, tender in one place, cold-steel in the next. Pay special attention to subtle harmonics that might leap out of a guitar's feedback swell, if only for a second. Taste an even seedier grit in Kelly's throat, here. Savor it. That's a sound you can crawl inside of and get shaken back to life. There may be slightly less thunder, and perhaps more threats of thunder, but Given to the Rising can't be reduced to just a gale-warning. This is a battle-hymn - culminating in storms, and resolved to walk that stark middle path to redemption as only a Neurosis experience can, where we're unclear whether the it's the outer demons or the inner demons who are marching home victorious.

Neurosis is a family. Their art has never been about the individual, or individual works among their canon; what it has been about is legacy - a gathering of what endures. Given to the Rising carries that gathering; it truly makes the family history come alive. In no other work is that full range of application - of craftsmanship - demonstrated as honestly and confidently.

First and foremost, I would like to make clear that I by no means claim to be an authority on Neurosis, or any form of post, sludge, drone or whatever term would normally be attached to this unique piece of metal. Formerly the only exposure to this genre that really caught my ear and kept my avid attention was the great band Isis. Most other post-metal acts generally leave me vaguely dissatisfied or completely uninterested. Isis seemed simply light years ahead of the likes of Jesu, Red Sparowes and a myriad of others. Perhaps it is a bit unfair for me to disregard every other band of the growing post-metal movement that fails to live up to the standards that Isis set with the vividly colorful and ever evolving release "Oceanic," but I simply cannot help myself. After all, Isis was my first exposure to this genre, and unavoidably the most lasting. Soon after experiencing the widely acclaimed release "Black One" by the oddly named Sunn o))), I completely gave up on dark-drone-whatever metal, writing it off as largely uninspired, or as in the case of "Black One," completely and utterly laughable. When "Given to the Rising" was released, my attention was briefly drawn back to this obscure spectrum of metal. Neurosis had been a band I had always intended to sample, but not desperately enough to gamble on getting another slab of mediocre waste. With nothing left in my Amazon wish list, and a couple of bucks to blow, I decided to risk it. The gamble was well worth the reward, being a complete and absolute rejuvenation of faith in the genre of post-metal.

"Given to the Rising" is a beautifully, and utterly bleak sound scape. Mountains of lead-heavy riffage crash against each other layered more often than not with almost Sonic Youth-esque pillars of haunting noise and feedback. (Fear not those who have yet to experience Neurosis, this sounds NOTHING like Sonic Youth. I am merely trying to paint a close to accurate picture of what you are in for, and at the moment, no other band I can think of adds white noise to their music with such strong end results. I would hate to scare you away from such a great band by mentioning the largely despised Sonic Youth in reference to this masterpiece, but you know, for lack of a better example..) Those who have experienced "Given to the Rising" could understand this, those who haven't might be a little put off by this description. Neurosis do not simply offer metal with a dose of noise, the mix is masterfully crafted into something delightfully haunting and highly artistic. This is, as cliche as it sounds, simply one of those albums you have to hear to believe.

The riffage in "Given to the Rising" much like Isis, is dominantly repetitive, and at times quite melodically complex. Also, like any Isis album, "Given to the Rising" is completely demanding of your unwavering attention. This is not just another mindless metal album that bashes you over the head with raging rivers of adrenaline, nor is this something to be used as background music. This album is most appreciated when listened to in its lengthy entirety, (at about 70 minutes) and with minimum unnecessary stimuli. "Given to the Rising" is a sensory experience that you want to totally immerse yourself into. Littered with sometimes subtle, sometimes terraced dynamic shifts, abstract and haunting things happening in the background, and an overall thick, foggy, tar-like atmosphere, "Given to the Rising" offers a multitude of rewards to the careful, imaginative listener.

From someone largely unimpressed and relatively ignorant concerning the post-drone-sludge metal scene, I nevertheless urge you to give Neurosis' "Given to the Rising" a chance. Presenting us with an album that gives other great albums of 2007 (Such as Ulver's "Shadows of the Sun," Pain of Salvation's "Scarsick," and Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet,") some very stiff competition, Neurosis have definitely won at least one new fan with "Given to the Rising," and I imagine there will be plenty more to follow.

This is a 70 minute, 10 song borefest. There are better albums out there for you to spend your time, and money on. This sonic wall of sound that these guys supposedly puts out is one of the most uninspiring and lame albums I have ever heard. Imagine the same song over and over, with the only the lyrics changing. This is not worth your money. Skip and buy something better.