[6.5/10] With Neurosis taking time off following the release of 2007’s critically acclaimed Given To The Rising, the various members have once again been busy indulging themselves in their various side projects. And 2008 has certainly offered up some interesting releases from the members of Neurosis. First there was Scott Kelly and his solo release, The Wake, followed closely by Steve Von Till’s The Grave Is A Grim Horse. And now we have A Storm Of Light, who presents us with their debut offering And We Wept The Black Ocean Within.

The mastermind behind A Storm Of Light is Neurosis’ visual artist Josh Graham. Despite having been a former member of Red Sparowes, and a current member of Battle Of Mice and Blood & Time, Graham plays guitars, keyboards and provides vocals for the group, with the remainder of the band comprising of bassist/vocalist Domenic Seita (ex-Tombs/Asea) and drummer Pete Angevine (Satanized).

As you would expect, A Storm Of Light’s debut doesn’t stray too far from the sound you would expect from Neurosis, but rather takes the group’s progressive/post-hardcore sound in a slightly different direction.

The album is opened up with an atmospheric and captivating two minute instrumental entitled “Adrift (The Albatross I),” which is closely followed by darker and doom influenced “Vast And Endless.” On a musical level, A Storm Of Light strip back the crushing musical tapestry of Neurosis to make way for more breathable sound. The rawness is still very much there within the band’s doom like riffs, but there’s a lot of space heard between the instruments. But for all of the mentioned good points, the one big flaw within A Storm Of Light is the vocals. Graham has never been the strongest of vocalist, and the vocal performance on “Vast And Endless” certainly makes the point obvious.

The lethargic “Black Ocean” does fare a whole lot better, with the dual vocals taking a backseat to the writhing dark instrumentation that’s driving the song, while changes of tempos and atmospherics in “Thunderhead” again hides the limitations of Graham’s vocals.

“Mass” (which is preceded by the instrumental “Undertow (The Albatross II)”) and “Leaden Tide” are definite standout cuts with their beautifully textured atmospherics, but unfortunately the closing track “Iron Heart” leaves the album hanging, and robs the listener a proper closure.

For a debut offering, And We Wept the Black Ocean Within is quite a strong effort. But when compared to the likes of the various side projects stemming from Neurosis, A Storm Of Light still falls a little short of perfection.

www.astormoflight.com