#de doorn

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AmenRa Acoustic Set @ Peterskirche, Leipzig

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Amenra - De Evenmens

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Amenra — De Doorn (Relapse)

De Doorn by AMENRA

Belgium’s Amenra have for years been writing long-form essays in bleakness. Usually presented as a “mass,” their works have generally traded in the sort of dynamism that’s more commonly associated with “post-rock” than with much metal. But, shaped by the arty impulses of longstanding bands from Neurosis to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the band has carved out a fascinating voice shaped by their willingness to immerse themselves in sheer abjection. That makes for music that is unusually introspective as much as it is ferocious, both tendencies very much amplified on their debut for Relapse.

It’s refreshing when bands so inclined have the patience to allow slow builds to happen. From the opening minutes of “Ogentroost,” there’s a cavernous dimension to the sound. They’ve developed increasing range in their use of electronic texture and ambience, likely a byproduct of how many installations and art shows they’ve done over the year. Once the track gets going, you’re reminded that the band’s ace has always been singer Colin Van Eeckhout’s vocal range, from pure tones to sheer howl. The slow build, the mournful arpeggiating, it’s all sonically immersive, right down to the hushed, Flemish spoken-word passages throughout.

 But perhaps the most significant factor in the increased richness in Amenra’s sound is the addition of two members of fellow Belgians Oathbreaker, especially the marvelously expressive vocalist Caro Tanghe (though guitarist Lennart Bossu is no slouch). In general, the band is playing simpler and more pared down music, with less reliance on pure power than in the past. With confidence in repetition and emotion, there’s actually quite a lot of vulnerability that comes through, and Tanghe is right at the heart of this. On the back end of “Ogentroost,” for example, she contributes to an almost hymnal-like mass of voices behind the riff, ghostly and compelling. 

Even further marking the band’s commitment to expressive range, De Doorn features several tracks (like “De Doo den Bloei”) comprised entirely of spoken word recitations set against what could be Fennesz contributions. More often, Amenra simply incorporates the recitations into spacious, lengthy pieces whose dynamic arc has almost the feel of ritual. “De Evenmens,” for example, opens full throttle but only for a minute or so, easing back into an almost liturgical feel created by the chiming guitars and mournful speech. “Het Gloren” has the same kind of slow-as-molasses ache that you hear on some of Rwake’s more glacial epics. But the emotional rawness recalls the deep despair on, say, an Usnea record, with Van Eeckhout’s pained howls ringing out against a lonely nothingness. What’s more effective is that the band have become more skilled at writing for chord changes rather than just riffs. They don’t exactly back down from the effect of the latter when they go there, but the attention to harmony gives the whole much more heft than it otherwise might have. 

The heft is certainly in the physicality the music achieves in its peak moments. But it’s also in the fractured beauty of this music, its emotional catharsis, the beauty of something lost perhaps. This comes across quite vividly in the closing “Voor Immer,” building through desolation to a glorious performance from Tanghe. I found there to be quite a bit of strange uplift from this bleak music. Think of these pieces as heavy survival hymns.

Jason Bivins

[m3t4ln3rd]

Amenra share "Ogentroost" visualizer; stream De Doorn in full

Band: AmenraSong: “Ogentroost”Director: Dehn Sora & Stefaan TemmermanAlbum: De DoornRelease Date: June 25th, 2021Label: Relapse Records Guitarist Lennart Bossu comments: “We are proud to finally unveil these songs to the world, two years after we had first performed them during our fire rituals with just a select group of witnesses. They are written in our native tongue, which means they could…

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De Doorn by Amenra

De Doorn by Amenra

“This record… Oh dear; this record is the therapy we all needed” Ritual. If there was a single word that could describe the process of listening through either of Amenra’s works, that would absolutely have to be ritual. Part I: The ritual starts with healing (Ogentroost – a small plant that is used for its healing properties). The process is slow, heavy and shattering, exactly what makes Amenra…

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