By: Victor Van Ommen
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 20/10/2017
Label: Neurot Recordings
Amenra’s music is real and comes across as brutally honest. The formula (sonic + emotional heft) = (a heavy album)
is one that’s been done many times before, but what Amenra does that sets them
apart from the pack is the diligence they use when drinking from the well of
inspiration. Amenra makes their listener feel and live with them. This keeps Amenra
in touch with why they started making music in the first place. It’s this
artistic integrity that helps make “Mass VI” what it is.
“Mass VI” CD//DD//LP
track listing:
1), Children of the Eye
2). Edelkroone
3). Plus Pres de Toi (Closer to You)
4).
Spijt
5). A Solitary Reign
6). Diaken
The Review:
“Mass
VI” came out on 20th October and its arrival
was marked by a number of shows – neigh, performances – that if the local press
is anything to go by, really left a mark. The short and long of it is, when Amenra
puts out a record, a shadow falls on the world.
Thematically, this Belgian five piece looks to the
darker side of life for inspiration. Focused on heartbreak, sickness, anger and
frustration, Amenra
uses music as a vehicle to cope with these things. The result, certainly in the
case of this new album “Mass VI,” is
one that is both sonically and emotionally heavy. What sets Amenra apart from the pack is the rawness to their sound.
It’s as though the top layer of skin has been removed and alcohol is rubbed on
the exposed skin to clean the wound. Painful, absolutely, but the cleansing
process is needed in order for the healing to begin.
As far as opening tracks are concerned, “Children of the Eye” holds its own. A
slow, quiet fade in, underscored by a distant siren, starts the procession. It
takes a full minute before a clean version of the song’s main riff is
introduced. Slow and brooding, the siren and guitars twist around each other
until finally the guitar takes hold, distortion on, and then there’s no turning
back. Singer Colin H. van
Eeckhout screams his lungs out as the band plods on. There’s pain in his voice,
there’s anguish in the music, and it all comes together as a moment of reflection.
It’s not until six minutes in that band lets up a little – a light attack and
delicate, falsetto singing – but a short time later, the waterfall of hurt
returns. “Children of the Eye”
leaves one helluva mark.
The spoken word intermezzo that follows is in itself
heavy. Spoken with a Flemmish accent, it tells a story of how the heavens bleed
as a form of punishment for the artist. Perseverance conquers here and “Mass VI” makes its way into the next
movement, “Plus Pres de Toi”. This song
– with the exception of the spoken-word-into-instrumental-bang, “Spijt” – is the shortest on the record
yet still serves its purpose as the centerpiece track. Its manic riffing is
kept down by the slow drumming and the blood curdling screams. There’s no light
at the end of the tunnel, no let up, just a solid attack of
post-metal-post-rock. Even when Amenra lightens the load in the song’s
midsection, the mood remains bleak and hopeless.
The two songs that close the album account for half
the album’s playing time. Starting with “A
Solitary Reign,” Amenra gets as close to accessible as they’ll
ever come. This track is the one that’s most indebted to the band’s heavy metal
influences, yet still manages to remain as unique as the dark tones that led us
here. There’s no doubt that this is the strongest track on “Mass VI,” which has as much to do with how the song is structured
as well as the vibe it exudes.
“Daiken” closes things out as an 11 minute culmination of everything that makes Amenra
what they are. The heavy, distorted attack is laid up against moments of softer
tones, similar to what Opeth used to do. But Amenra takes this soft/hard
juxtaposition in their own hands, owning the softer playing style just as much
they do the raw onslaught of their brand of post-metal.
Amenra is a Belgian post-metal band that
makes music on their terms and their timeline. On “Mass VI,” they translate their demons clearly to the music. The
band waits for the inspiration to come to them before they make music. They
don’t seek out inspiration. Because of this, Amenra’s music is real and comes
across as brutally honest. The formula (sonic + emotional heft) = (a heavy
album) is one that’s been done many times before. What Amenra does that sets them apart
from the pack is the diligence they use when drinking from the well of
inspiration. Amenra
makes their listener feel and live with them. This keeps Amenra in touch with why they
started making music in the first place. It’s this artistic integrity that
helps make “Mass VI” what it is.
“Mass
VI” is available here
