Neurosis returns to Chicago after 10-year hiatus

Neurosis will perform two consecutive nights at Metro in Chicago, marking the band's return to the city after a decade-long absence. The shows are scheduled for November 21 and 22, with doors opening at 8 PM each evening. Tickets are priced at $50 plus fees, or $52.49 for advance purchase, and both events are restricted to attendees aged 18 and older.

The band’s comeback follows the release of their 12th studio album, An Undying Love for a Burning World, which arrived on March 20 via Neurot Records. This recording is the group’s first since 2015. The new lineup includes founding members who remained after the departure of Scott Kelly in 2019. Kelly left the group after the band learned of his history of abusing his wife and children. The other members kept the news private out of respect for the family until August 2022. At that time, Kelly publicly acknowledged his actions on social media and announced his retirement from music. Neurosis issued a statement that rejected Kelly and his abuse while leaving the band's future uncertain after 37 years together.

The new record features a 17-minute closing track titled “Last Light.” It begins and ends with the rapid, low-end pulse of a drum machine. Between these bookends, the song includes pounding verses, quiet passages of layered vocals, and moments of melodic relief. The album’s opener, “We Are Torn Wide Open,” relies on layers of ragged vocals. The track “Blind” moves from a swaggering riff to mournful synthesizers and finally to heavy sludge. “In the Waiting Hours” starts with clean guitar before shifting into a fuzzed-out groove.

Neurosis debuted this new lineup in July at the Fire in the Mountains festival on Blackfeet Nation lands in Montana. The band is currently on a U.S. tour that includes these Chicago dates. The Saturday performance features Chicago noise-rock duo Mr. Phylzzz as the opening act. That duo released their album Fear the Lord through Amphetamine Reptile in September. The Sunday show will be opened by Denver experimental doom trio Primitive Man.

Metro is located at 3730 N. Clark Street. The band’s statement in 2022 was described as unequivocal in its rejection of Kelly. The album was characterized by critics as steeped in heartache and alienation, yet defined by complex arrangements and enveloping atmospheres. The group’s previous album was released in 2015, creating a ten-year gap between records. Scott Kelly was a founding guitarist and vocalist. The band’s 2019 break with Kelly was announced after they learned of his abuse of his wife and children.