ALBUM REVIEW: Amenra - "Mass VI"

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 20^th 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 Amenraputs 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, Amenrauses 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 Amenrawhat 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. Amenramakes 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

Band info: bandcamp|| facebook