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Neurosis – the avant-garde metal band that has been active for decades – announced a kind of restart on Friday after years of uncertainty. In 2019, they separated from co-founder Scott Kelly, guitarist and singer, after he admitted to having abused his wife and children through psychological abuse. In a 2022 statement, the rest of the band said they were unaware of Kelly’s behavior until his expulsion. “In due course, when appropriate, we will share more about our future musical endeavors,” it said at the time. Now they have released a new album with a new line-up without prior notice – and make it clear: “This isn’t a reunion; we never broke up.”
The band’s twelfth studio album, An Undying Love for a Burning World, is available to stream now, and physical copies can be pre-ordered. It’s their first album since Fires Within Fires a decade ago. Also there: Aaron Turner, singer and guitarist of the sludge metal band Sumac and long-time frontman of the progressive metal project Isis. With this line-up, the band will perform live for the first time at the Fire in the Mountains Festival in Montana in July.
“We need this, perhaps more than ever – and we suspect that we are not alone,” writes Neurosis together in a statement about their return. “The trials and adversity in our personal lives and as a band, coupled with trying to navigate the madness of our society, with the stress, anxiety and isolation that comes with it, can be grueling. … This strange, emotionally charged music has always been our way of surviving it – and it’s what we’ve always sung about.”
Jason Roeder returns
Although drummer Jason Roeder announced his retirement from music in 2025, he is featured on the album. The cast is otherwise the same as “Fires Within Fires” – with the exception of Kelly. The album was recorded with Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City, Sumac) over three weekends at Seattle’s Litho studio.
In a statement, Turner said he was excited to be part of a band he has long admired. “From the moment I first heard Neurosis over 30 years ago, I felt that this was the music my heart and mind had been searching for without ever finding,” he said. “Now, after many years on their own musical paths, the unique sound and spirit of Neurosis continues to speak to my innermost being. It is an honor and a real joy to have been welcomed so warmly into a band that has not only shaped my view of the limitless possibilities of music – but has also exemplified that creative integrity and cohesion are above all else.”
The band’s first concert in seven years will take place on Blackfeet Nation territory as part of Fire in the Mountains. A reunion performance by Sixteen Horsepower, the Immortal tribute band Between Two Worlds with former Immortal members and Baroness have been announced as co-headliners. Neurosis singer and guitarist Steve Von Till has been involved for years with the non-profit organization Firekeeper Alliance, which is linked to Fire in the Mountains and teaches students on the reservation how metal can serve as an outlet for catharsis – as an alternative to dealing with suicidal thoughts.
Return to the stage
“I can’t imagine a more appropriate environment to return to the stage,” Von Till said. “Last year’s Fire in the Mountains Festival was the most profound musical event I have ever attended. The weekend took on a healing, cathartic, ceremonial character that is almost impossible to put into words. Using emotionally heavy music to create community and face the darkness together – that’s what we’ve always believed. But using it directly to confront the heartbreaking reality of suicide, grief, loss and trauma takes that to a level completely different level.” Neurosis, a long-time mental health advocate, had already released the number of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) and the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) when Kelly’s separation was announced.
“An Undying Love for a Burning World” – Tracklist
- 1. “We Are Torn Wide Open”
- 2. “Mirror Deep”
- 3. “First Red Rays”
- 4. “Blind”
- 5. “Seething and Scattered”
- 6. “Untethered”
- 7. “In the Waiting Hours”
- 8. “Last Light”
