After ten years and five albums of groundbreaking progressive death metal, Neurosis have managed to carve a highly original niche for themselves...coming off somewhat like a Tool for extremists.

Yeah, you heard right.

But while this Oakland bunch deserve great kudos for such unwavering commitment to their vision, they seem fated to remain confined to well-kept secret status for remaining so stubbornly inaccessible.

1999's Times of Grace adds another chapter to this ongoing dilemma by delving ever deeper into the group's hypnotic semi-industrial dirge.

But whereas previous efforts tended to suffer from erratic songwriting and uneven pacing, many tracks taking painfully long to build towards their crescendos, this album offers the most seamless continuity of any album in the band's challenging discography.

Transition pieces like "Exist" and "Descent" are confined to separate musical interludes, allowing central pieces like "End of the Harvest," "Under the Surface," and "Away" to be hammered out with more efficiency and power.

Now don't be fooled.

There is no in-between with Neurosis -- either you love them or you hate them, so approach with caution.

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.