Times of Grace (album)
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| Times of Grace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 4, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | October−November 1998[1] | |||
| Studio | Electrical Audio in Chicago and Mr. Toad's in San Francisco | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:07 | |||
| Label | Relapse | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Neurosis chronology | ||||
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| Reissue artwork | ||||
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Times of Grace is the sixth studio album by American post-metal band Neurosis, released on May 4, 1999 through Relapse Records. It continued the band's development of the post-metal genre and demonstrates gothic rock and progressive rock influences.[6] This album and Grace, an ambient companion by the band's alter-ego Tribes of Neurot, are designed to play alongside each other.[7] Times of Grace marked the beginning of the band's long lasting working relationship with recording engineer Steve Albini.
The album has received acclaim since its release, and is regarded as one of the best releases in Neurosis' discography, sometimes even exceeding the praise given to its predecessor, Through Silver in Blood.
In 1996, Neurosis released Through Silver in Blood to critical and popular acclaim. Following extensive touring, the band returned to the studio in October 1998 to begin Times of Grace.[1] As the band's debut release featuring the production of Steve Albini, who would become a regular Neurosis collaborator, Times of Grace has been called "the first album where Neurosis started to sound like Neurosis."[5] Numerous publications praised Albini's work on the album, highlighting the weight and immersion of the production.[4][8] The album has a natural and unrefined sound, and Albini's work both preserved and accentuated that organic quality.[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| NME | 7/10[10] |
| OndaRock | 7/10[11] |
| Rock Hard | 8.5/10[12] |
Times of Grace received positive reviews. AllMusic writer Eduardo Rivadavia praised the album, saying, "With time and patience, Times of Grace may prove one of the group's most satisfying works for long-time converts, but it will most likely seem too exhausting to the uninitiated."[9] Writing for The A.V. Club, Joshua Klein highly appreciated the work of Steve Albini, who gave a good sound quality to the album, but even higher he appreciated the Neurosis musicians themselves, who had done hard work with the "labyrinthine arrangements".[13] Greg Moffitt of the BBC wrote, "Replete with heaviness every bit as devastating as its belligerent brother, this album’s effortless ebb and flow and kaleidoscopic spectrum of eerie tones lend it a dazzling, cinematic quality."[2] Stereogum ranked Times of Grace as Neurosis's best album, calling it "very, very heavy."[14]
Since its release, the album has been acclaimed as one of, if not the best release in Neurosis' discography, being ranked No. 1 out of Neurosis' first 11 albums by Loudwire[15] and Stereogum[16], who wrote, "Times Of Grace captures a visionary band at the height of its powers and blessed with a unity of purpose. The divisions between instruments, voices, and songs fall away, and Neurosis acts as a single, cosmic force. It is very, very heavy."
Accolades
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Stereogum | United States | "The Top 20 Steve Albini-Produced Albums" | 10 | [4] |
| 2018 | Loudwire | United States | "The Best Metal Album from 40 Subgenres" | * | [3] |
| 2021 | Metal Hammer | United Kingdom | "The Top 20 Best Metal Albums of 1999" | * | [17] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suspended in Light" | 1:59 |
| 2. | "The Doorway" | 7:35 |
| 3. | "Under the Surface" | 8:37 |
| 4. | "The Last You'll Know" | 9:14 |
| 5. | "Belief" | 5:56 |
| 6. | "Exist" | 1:41 |
| 7. | "End of the Harvest" | 7:29 |
| 8. | "Descent" | 2:57 |
| 9. | "Away" | 9:35 |
| 10. | "Times of Grace" | 7:22 |
| 11. | "The Road to Sovereignty" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 66:07 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Threshold" | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 69:32 | |
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