ALBUM REVIEW: De Doorn – Amenra
The release of De Doorn could conceivably be seen as the end of a chapter in the chronology of AMENRA, but as is the case with most chapters, there is a continuation of the story waiting to be told on the next page. Having ploughed through Mass I-VI over the best part of twenty years, the time has come for a break in titular trend. Translating literally to ‘The Thorn’, their latest full length sees them nudged into new musical territory, without them losing any of the grit they have so long since been acquainted with.
Fans of AMENRA will be no stranger to the eerie, angst-riddled soundscapes that they are capable of crafting; in fact, the Belgians have long since been synonymous with impossibly abrasive and visceral hardcore that blisters and bulges with feral intensity. De Doorn changes tact slightly, allowing the band much more space to create softer ambience, albeit still draped in darkness. Some might call it a slow-burn, others a cathartic listening experience that sucks in the listener and threatens to drag us through a whirlpool of intense grief.
The riffs here are clean, slow and sludge driven, possibly more so than we have come to expect from AMENRA in the past, and the spacious nature of the album allows our attention to be drawn to every minute and intricate detail. And once the shackles are finally off, the band waste no time in going from a simmer straight to the boil, with carnal screams in tracks like De Evenmens feeling somehow even more contrasted against the more refrained clean vocals. Juxtaposition in an album like this always adds depth, and on the whole, De Doorn feels utterly abyssal as a result of it.
Whether dealing with post-rock soundscape or brutish sludge, AMENRA have an innate knack for pulling the listener along for the ride. A 46 minute run time flies by in no time at all. Perhaps it’s the way it grows as the album moves along, building achingly towards the final track Voor Immer, where all hell is finally let loose. Standing as a twelve-minute opus, it plays the album out with emphatic precision, proving that the band have lost none of their cut-throat edge, and are still capable of sending us spinning in a daze of crushing post-metal.
Although De Doorn might feel like a change of pace for AMENRA, it is a welcome one. Far from pedestrian, it is a fermented showpiece that sounds better with every listen. Layered, complex and outright disconcerting, it is a wonderful snapshot of a contemporary AMENRA, and a direction that most will surely be excited to see them continue exploring.
Rating: 8/10
De Doorn is set for release on June 25th via Relapse Records.
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