Neurosis and Converge brought a metal masterclass to Union Transfer

Neurosis | photo by Matthew Shaver for WXPN

30 years in to the career, Neurosis has lost none of their edge. They have the swagger and confidence of people who have been in the game for as long as they have, but their stage presence is void of pretension. While many credit them as one of the forefathers of what could simply be called “post-metal” they make no claim to any throne other than the one of being able to reign down hell with the urgency of molasses pouring from a jar — which is as fine a description as any of their Union Transfer gig on Monday night.

Converge has had their own road to success paved with an assortment of influential albums. Heavy, fast, brutal, and often surprisingly melodic, the Boston quartet are a master class in punishing riffs. Never ones to sit still, they filled the UT stage on Monday with a presence normally reserved for arena acts. Riding the wave their new single “I Can Tell You About Pain,” everything you need to know about them can be summed up in their closer for the evening, the 11+ minute epic “Jane Doe,” one of the most stunning metal songs of all time.

Opening act Amenra, another low-and-slow post metal act, hail from Belgium, are out and about on a rare North American tour. Moody barely seems to describe their act. Intensity reverberated through the entire set, played mostly in darkness, while the lead singer (Colin H. van Eeckhout) kept his back to the audience. No stranger to the scene themselves, they have a number of albums out, I would say catch them live if you can, it’ll make your night.