One of the highlights of seeing Neurosis live for me was the trippy visuals that would always project over the band as they performed their plodding music. I always felt it was a stroke of brilliance, because the band themselves don't move around much and after a while they do get boring to look at, so the cinematics served as the perfect accompaniment.
No more! The band today annouced they will no longer be projecting visuals while performing.
In a new statement, the band have announced a "new chapter" in their history stating:
“As of today, after much thought and discussion, visual projections as we have presented them over the last 20 years will no longer be part of Neurosis live shows.
“We are going to begin the process of reinventing our live presentation. This process will begin at zero, allowing the music to speak for itself and lead us where it may. Whatever form or however long this may take is unknown.
“This also signals a parting of the ways with our visual artist of the last twelve years, Josh Graham. Josh’s tireless work and talent came at a time when we really needed it and carried us gracefully into the video age with original content we couldn’t have dreamed of when we were just starting out. Our parting comes from a place of mutual respect, friendship and understanding. We all agree that this is a step Neurosis has to take and are open to working together on specific projects in the future. We wish him success and the best of luck with all of his own musical endeavors and artistic passions.“In the spirit of sound, – Steve, Dave, Jason, Noah, and Scott”
For his part, visualizer Josh Graham posted a statement saying it's all gravy:
“For us all, time for change has come. The friendships and body of work that have spawned from our time together will live on as we move forward. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Neurosis over the last 12 years.
“As the crossroads are upon us, and we feel that the pinnacle of our collaborative efforts have been reached; we now look toward our individual futures with support and encouragement. Constant reinvention is at the heart and soul of us all, and we will all continue to persevere.“Despite the larger picture winding down as we move on in our own directions, we will continue to work together on specific legacy projects including reissues and possibly more if/when the right projects come up. Onward.”
Overall, this is a big bummer to me, but I'm interested to see how seeing the band live would be affected by this change.
