Photo Gallery: Neurosis / Converge / Birds In Row at The Granada

Scott Kelly of Neurosis. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.

Jason Roeder made his second 2018 trip to Lawrence, Kansas on July 19. The drummer, who became a member of Sleep when the band reformed in 2010, returned with Neurosis, which he co-founded in 1985. Based in Oakland, Neurosis plays a heavy, bluesy style of metal that's not too distant from their pals in Sleep, but places more focus on creating sounds that are more atmospheric and haunting in nature. While the band's biggest fans seemed to be thrilled with much of their headlining set, those less dedicated to the cause occasionally found themselves worn out by the inherent long-windedness of many of their compositions.

Neurosis' tourmates Converge aren't the first band one might think of as potential support, but the two groups paired nicely nonetheless. The Massachusetts hardcore stalwarts delivered the same type of doom and gloom as the evening's headliners in their hour long opening set, but did so at a far more lively pace. Many members of the band's passionate fanbase are vocal about preferring their earlier albums, but that didn't stop fans from piling on for screamed sing-alongs during "A Single Tear" and nodding mournfully to the dirge-like title track from 2017's "The Dusk In Us."

The evening was kicked off by French post-hardcore trio Birds In Row. In-between cathartic, passionate blasts of music, the band's singer delivered candid asides about the importance of respecting one another and banding together to transform the world for the better. This combination of pure musical chops and moral conviction made for a pertinent reminder of the beauty that can be found in heavy music, and other things deemed ugly by society at large.

Full photo gallery here.