Fires Within Fires
by Neurosis
  • Record Label: Neurot
  • Release Date: Sep 23, 2016
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Sep 23, 2016
    91
    Fires Within Fires is yet another invaluable contribution from this legendary band.
  2. Magnet
    Oct 18, 2016
    90
    All the elements anyone would want from the band are adroitly balanced. [No. 136, p.59]
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  3. musicOMH.com
    Oct 10, 2016
    90
    Fires Within Fires once again proves Neurosis to be a strong and inventive creative force.
  5. AllMusic
    Dec 12, 2016
    80
    Iit's the assemblage that delivers the difference, and that's enough. Given its relative brevity, it's among the few albums in their catalog that doesn't leave the listener exhausted (not a bad thing by any means), but wanting more.
  6. The Wire
    Nov 8, 2016
    80
    Fires Within Fires is the summation of 30 years of experimentation in tonality and texture. Yes, Neurosis are firmly positioned within the extreme metal underground, yet their music, with its ability to generate images of beauty akin to those many of us have experienced in our own lives--not to mention the loss that accompanies them--challenges this categorisation. [Oct 2016, p.49]
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  7. The Quietus
    Oct 10, 2016
    80
    Neurosis have not reinvented extreme metal on Fires Within Fires, and at this point it seems unlikely they’ll ever again record anything as gamechanging as Enemy... or 1996’s Through Silver In Blood. These albums and others give them ample credit in the bank to merely – merely! – bust out a new record every few years, tweak their various formulae, play by their own rules and timescales, and keep on delivering the goods in punishing, end-time-preacher fashion.
  8. Kerrang!
    Sep 23, 2016
    80
    Their intensity remains undimmed on Fires Within Fires, a five-song journey into the Oakland collective's commanding vision. [17 Sep 2016, p.52]
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  9. Sputnikmusic
    Sep 23, 2016
    80
    Ultimately, it feels massive in scope and is consistently engrossing, with enough new tricks to forecast a bright future for the experimental metal legends.
  10. Pitchfork
    Oct 6, 2016
    71
    Fires Within Fires is a piece of music that’s too skimpy to be a full-blooded Neurosis LP and too bloated to be a lean, concentrated Neurosis EP.
  11. Exclaim
    Sep 23, 2016
    70
    For those who've held on for the ride and enjoyed the band's descent into the heart of darkness, it'll be a welcome addition to your already massive collection of the band's many gems.

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Best Album of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. sandoz
    Sep 27, 2016
    10
    First, I have to say that I just made an account after years of using this site. It's an honor to be "first", but also a bit disheartening.First, I have to say that I just made an account after years of using this site. It's an honor to be "first", but also a bit disheartening. How this band hasn't achieved more notoriety is beyond me, but I'm all right with it. A lot of people are missing out on some true pioneers. I first had the opportunity to experience Neurosis opening for Pantera who were touring for Southern Trendkill. They had recently released Through Silver in Blood and only played for maybe half an hour, but those thirty minutes changed me.

    Here they are, twenty years later, thirty in total into their career still innovating with denser, more expansive, soundscapes in a tighter package, as angry, bleak and beautiful as they've ever been. Credit as always to Steve Albini, who in my opinion is the unofficial sixth member of the band, for giving this art the space to breathe and be captured so cohesively. I was fortunate enough to get to hear him speak extensively about his incredible career. I recommend checking out Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who Albini has also worked with, though if you're here there's a great possibility that you all ready have.

    I STRONGLY recommend checking out Neurosis live while they're still kicking ass at this level. I got to see them three times, once at a local skate shop in Flint. That was easily one of the greatest shows I've been to. Unfortunately, they're touring in Europe right now. Who can blame them, honestly? They know what could be coming. They've been singing about it for thirty years.    … Full Review »
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