Neurosis

Photo by John Anderson

Neurosis

When asked about Neurosis' rare live performances, vocalist and guitarist Steve Von Till cryptically responded: "We are the music. We are the medium to the embodiment of the sound. We throw it all to the wind, so to speak, and let it become what it's going to be." Saturday night, performing as a quintet against a black-and-white backdrop, projecting, among other things, flowers blooming in reverse, the Bay Area avant-metal outfit mainly channeled the tidal movements from its 10th record, Given to the Rising. Strewn together through ambient drone interludes, Von Till and fellow vocalist and guitarist Scott Kelly took turns leading the assault, most noticeably during the pairing of "Hidden Faces" and "A Season in the Sky," from 2004's The Eye of Every Storm, creating an intense push-and-pull effect on the audience. Utilizing similar crescendo dynamics, the delicate teardrop guitar opening of "To the Wind" could have been mistaken for Explosions in the Sky until the undertow of Kelly's growl pulled the rest of the song into the abyss, while closer "The Doorway" capped the evening with a flurry of feedback that encompassed the spirit of Neurosis.