Released in 2007 via Neurot Recordings, Neurosis’ Given to the Rising is a monumental work that reaffirms the band’s status as one of the most visionary forces in heavy music. After the more subdued introspection of The Eye of Every Storm (2004), this album marks a return to crushing intensity yet it retains the deep emotional and atmospheric scope that defines Neurosis’ mature sound.
The record opens with its towering title track, Given to the Rising, a ten-minute odyssey that unfolds slowly, layering somber melodies and hypnotic rhythms before erupting into waves of dense, distorted power. Throughout the album, tracks such as At the End of the Road and Hidden Faces display the band’s command of dynamics, shifting between fragile ambience and overwhelming heaviness with near-spiritual precision. Every song feels alive and deliberate, a balance of control and catharsis.
Instrumentation is vast yet precise. Guitars by Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till alternate between monolithic riffs and shimmering textures, while Noah Landis’s keyboards and samples add haunting depth to the mix. Dave Edwardson’s bass rumbles beneath, anchoring the sound, and Jason Roeder’s drumming remains both primal and fluid, driving the band through shifting tempos and moods. Vocals are delivered as guttural cries and weathered chants, communicating a sense of endurance, grief, and transcendence.
The production, handled at Electrical Audio with Steve Albini, captures the raw power of Neurosis without diluting their organic intensity. The sound feels vast but natural each instrument occupying its own space, each crescendo earned through patience and tension.
Given to the Rising is not an album of immediacy; it unfolds like a ritual. Its songs are meditations on struggle, mortality, and awakening, drawing the listener into a place where heaviness becomes transcendent. Rather than relying on aggression alone, Neurosis use texture, atmosphere, and repetition to evoke awe and surrender.
Ultimately, Given to the Rising stands as one of Neurosis’ defining late-period statements a seamless fusion of brutality and beauty, discipline and chaos. It captures a band still evolving after decades, reaffirming their role not just as metal innovators, but as architects of deeply human, spiritual sound.
